I’ve been playing around with a new idea for managing big coding projects. What if we could put our entire codebase into a database? Each file would be a separate entry with info like where it’s stored, how big it is, and when it was last changed.
I thought this might be useful when we’re trying to clean up messy code or update old stuff. In the database, we could sort files, add notes, or even use AI to find certain things or mark files we need to look at.
Right now it’s just something I’m trying out for fun. I’m not sure if it would actually help with real projects.
Has anyone tried something like this before? Do you think having your code laid out like a big spreadsheet would make it easier to plan big changes or updates?
Let me know what you think!
Interesting concept, SwimmingShark. While I haven’t personally tried importing source code into a database, I can see potential benefits for large-scale refactoring projects. It could provide a structured way to analyze and categorize code, especially in legacy systems.
However, there are some challenges to consider. Keeping the database in sync with the actual codebase could be tricky, and you’d need to ensure it doesn’t slow down development workflows. Additionally, existing version control systems already offer some of these capabilities.
Have you looked into code analysis tools or IDEs with advanced refactoring features? They might offer similar benefits without the overhead of maintaining a separate database. It’s an intriguing idea, though, and could be worth exploring further if current tools aren’t meeting your needs for large-scale code restructuring.
yo sharky, i’ve played with that before. pretty cool for exploring patterns in big projects, but keeping it updated sucks. make sure your team is solid. maybe try out some code analysis tools tho, they might handle things smoother. thats just my take.
I’ve actually experimented with something similar in my previous job. We were dealing with a massive legacy codebase, and traditional refactoring tools were struggling. So, we decided to import our code into a PostgreSQL database.
It was a game-changer for us. We could run complex queries to identify patterns, detect duplicate code, and even track dependencies between modules. The database approach made it much easier to prioritize which parts of the codebase needed attention first.
One unexpected benefit was how it improved collaboration. Team members could add notes and tags to specific code sections, making it easier to communicate about problem areas.
That said, it wasn’t without challenges. Keeping the database in sync with active development was tricky, and we had to build some custom tools to streamline the process. But for large-scale restructuring, the insights we gained were invaluable.
If you’re dealing with a particularly complex or large codebase, it might be worth giving this approach a shot. Just be prepared for some initial setup hurdles.