1.2.261. Could Be Parent Method

A method is defined in several children, but not in a the parent class. It may be worth checking if this method doesn’t belong the parent class, as an abstraction.

Only the name of the method is used is for gathering purposes. If the code has grown organically, the signature (default values, typehint, argument names) may have followed different path, and will require a refactorisation.

<?php

// The parent class
class x { }

// The children class
class y1 extends x {
    // foo is common to y1 and y2, so it shall be also a method in x
    function foo() {}
    // fooY1 is specific to y1
    function fooY1() {}
}

class y2 extends x {
    function foo() {}
    // fooY2 is specific to y1
    function fooY2() {}
}

?>

Name	Default	Type	Description
minChildren	4	integer	Minimal number of children using this method.

1.2.261.1. Suggestions

• Create an abstract method in the parent

• Create an concrete method in the parent, and move default behavior there by removing it in children classes

1.2.261.2. Specs

Short name	Classes/CouldBeParentMethod
Rulesets	All, Class Review
Exakat since	2.1.7
PHP Version	All
Severity	Minor
Time To Fix	Slow (1 hour)
Precision	Very high
Features	class, parent
Available in	Entreprise Edition, Exakat Cloud