On 4/14/2012 6:38 AM, Chiheng Xu wrote:
Actually, I only partially agree with you on this. And I didn't say smaller is necessarily better. But normally, high cohesion and low coupling code tend not be large. Normally large files tend to export only few highly related entry points. Most of the functions in large file are sub-routines(directly or indirectly) of the entry points. The functions can be divided into several groups or layers, each group or layer can form a conceptual sub-module. I often see GCC developer divide functions in large file into sub-modules by prefix them with sub-module specific prefix and group them together. This is good, but not enough. If the functions in sub-modules are put in separate files, then the code will be more manageable than not doing so. This is because the interfaces/boundaries between sub-modules are more clear, and the code have higher cohesion and lower coupling.
I find the claim unconvincing in practice, it is possible to have code in separate files with unclear interfaces and boundaries, and code in single files with perfectly clear interfaces and boundaries. You can claim without evidence that there is a causal relation here but that is simply not the case in my experience.
