Today I implemented refactoring support for a DSL. Basically, it is Extract Business Condition, and it was explicitly modeled after the way R# handles Extract Variable. It even share the same shortcut, ctrl+alt+v.

I also took a stub in implementing automatic pattern recognition, so when the system recognize a common usage pattern, it will automatically refactor it to a high level abstraction. It works, although I think that I can make it even more flexible than it is now.

Now, if someone from the Resharper team is actually reading this, they would know that I am lying. There is no way of doing something of this magnitude in just one day, not even if you have an extremely helpful compiler. And they would be right. I didn't try to tackle a feature of this magnitude. What I did do was to find the most common scenario for this feature and nail that.

I am taking this approach explicitly and deliberately. With the end result that I get to show value very rapidly. And yes, the customer is made aware of the limitations of this approach. I also tell them that they can get the feature by tomorrow, with error message if they are trying to do something that is not supported.

Trying to support 100% is hard, trying to support just 20% turn out to be (not quite) easy. And now you get to nitpick it to death, I won't respond for about a day, since I am just about to board a flight.