I'm starting as a junior developer at a new company soon, and I've heard their codebase is quite large and not the cleanest. I have some experience in the primary programming language used, but I'm looking for advice on the best strategies to efficiently learn this new codebase. If you need more specific details about the project or the language, just let me know!
5 Answers
One great way to get started is to dive right in and break things deliberately! Create a branch off the main one, pick an element on the web page (like a submit button), and find the related component in the code. Try disabling the function that handles the submit action and see what happens when you click the button. This way, you'll understand how the elements connect. Keep asking yourself, 'How does this work?' and investigate further!
This advice is pure gold! I've been doing this for a year now, and it's incredibly helpful.
In general, having a senior dev walk you through the basics can save you a lot of time. Also, get comfortable using breakpoints – your debugger will be your best friend in understanding how the code operates, especially in web applications with APIs. Tools like Postman can also be helpful for testing.
I like to create flowcharts, not super detailed ones, but they help me visualize the overall structure of the codebase. Just remember, if the codebase is large, focus on making flowcharts for specific modules instead of trying to chart everything at once!
That's a solid strategy! Just tackle one part at a time so it doesn't get overwhelming.
Before reaching out to experienced developers, spend a week trying to figure things out on your own. After that, ask them to explain specific parts of the code and its purpose. This self-study approach can be quite beneficial!
Aside from just visually inspecting the code, leveraging a debugger is crucial. You could use debug logs to track important flows or consider static analysis tools to visualize the relationships within the code. It helps make sense of complex interactions. Just take it slow, and allow your understanding to grow naturally as you tackle issues and features.
Exactly! Don't try to grasp everything at once. Focus on bugs assigned to you, and you'll learn the codebase piece by piece over time.