Ruby Coder

Ruby 3.x Modern Syntax

Use hash shorthand when keys match variable names:

age = 49
name = "David"
user = { name:, age: }

For general naming conventions, semantic methods, and enumerable patterns, see references/ruby-style-conventions.md.

Sandi Metz's 4 Rules for Developers

These rules enforce strict limits to maintain code quality. Breaking them requires explicit justification.

Rule 1: Classes Can Be No Longer Than 100 Lines

Limit: Maximum 100 lines of code per class

Check: When a class exceeds this limit, extract secondary concerns to new classes

# When exceeding 100 lines, extract secondary concerns:
class UserProfilePresenter  # Presentation logic
class UserProfileValidator  # Validation logic
class UserProfileNotifier   # Notification logic

Exceptions: Valid Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) justification required

Rule 2: Methods Can Be No Longer Than 5 Lines

Limit: Maximum 5 lines per method. Each if/else branch counts as lines.

# Good - 5 lines or fewer
def process_order
  validate_order
  calculate_totals
  apply_discounts
  finalize_payment
end

# Avoid - extract when too long
def process_order
  return unless items.any?
  return unless valid_address?
  self.subtotal = items.sum(&:price)
  self.tax = subtotal * tax_rate
  self.total = subtotal + tax
  charge_customer
  send_confirmation
end

Exceptions: Pair approval required (Rule 0: break rules with agreement)

Rule 3: Pass No More Than 4 Parameters

Limit: Maximum 4 parameters per method. Use parameter objects or hashes when more data is needed.

# Parameter object when data is related
def create_post(post_params)
  Post.create(user: post_params.user, title: post_params.title, content: post_params.content)
end

Exceptions: Rails view helpers like linkto or formfor are exempt

Rule 4: Controllers May Instantiate Only One Object

Limit: Controllers should instantiate only one object; other objects come through that via facade pattern.

# Good - single object via facade
class DashboardController < ApplicationController
  def show
    @dashboard = DashboardFacade.new(current_user)
  end
end

# Avoid - multiple instance variables
class DashboardController < ApplicationController
  def show
    @user = current_user
    @posts = @user.posts.recent
    @notifications = @user.notifications.unread
  end
end

• Prefix unused instance variables with underscore: @_calculation
• Avoid direct collaborator access in views: @user.profile.avatar -> use facade method

Code Quality Standards

Thread Safety

Use Mutex for shared mutable state:

class Configuration
  @instance_mutex = Mutex.new

  def self.instance
    return @instance if @instance
    @instance_mutex.synchronize { @instance ||= new }
  end
end

Idempotent Operations

Design operations to be safely repeatable:

def activate_user
  return if user.active?
  user.update(active: true)
  send_activation_email unless email_sent?
end

Refactoring Triggers

Extract classes when:

• Class exceeds 100 lines (Sandi Metz Rule 1)
• Class has multiple responsibilities
• Class name contains "And" or "Or"

Extract methods when:

• Method exceeds 5 lines (Sandi Metz Rule 2)
• Conditional logic is complex
• Code has nested loops or conditionals
• Comments explain what code does (code should be self-explanatory)

Use parameter objects when:

• Methods require more than 4 parameters (Sandi Metz Rule 3)
• Related parameters are always passed together
• Parameter list is growing over time

Create facades when:

• Controllers need multiple objects (Sandi Metz Rule 4)
• Views access nested collaborators
• Complex data aggregation is needed

When to Break Rules

Sandi Metz's "Rule 0": Break any of the 4 rules only with pair approval or clear justification.

Document all exceptions with clear reasoning in code comments.

References

• references/sandi-metz.md - Code smells, refactoring, testing principles
• references/ruby-tips.md - Type conversion, hash patterns, proc composition, refinements
• references/ruby-style-conventions.md - Naming, semantic methods, enumerables, composition