Knowledge · Anti-Patterns
Smell Incomplete Library Class
Anti-pattern indicating need for refactoring
Tags
refactoring-fowlercode-smellmaintainability
Impact
A library class you are using needs an additional method, but you can't modify the class. Library builders can't anticipate every need.
Symptoms
- Need functionality that library class doesn't provide
- Can't modify the library source code
- Workarounds scattered throughout client code
Source
Martin Fowler — Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code, 1st Edition (1999)