Mastering version control systems and code refactoring techniques is essential and making use of them to enhance my skills in Git and refine my TypeScript codebase was a rather interesting experience.

1. Adding Functionality and Enhancing Readability

One of the most important aspects of code refactoring is improving readability and usability. I began by adding new functions to my existing classes, making them more intuitive to use. I worked on enhancing the interfaces of these classes and improved their functionality, making the codebase more user-friendly.

2. Optimizing File Deletion with rimraf

Recursively deleting files is a common operation in software development, especially CLI tools. I refactored my code to use the rimraf library to improved the performance of deletion and made the codebase more robust and reliable.

3. Removing Redundancy and Unused Code

Unused and redundant code can clutter a codebase, making it harder to maintain and understand. While I was refactoring, I removed any functions or variables that were no longer in use. This helped reduced the complexity of the code and enhance its clarity, making it easier to work with.

4. Refactoring Command Line Parsing

I refactored my command line parsing logic into a dedicated class, transforming it into a Singleton class. This encapsulated the parsing logic and makes it easier to manage and reuse throughout the codebase. Structuring the code in this way helps keep a more organized and maintainable architecture.

5. Mastering Git with Rebase and Amend

I made use of the git rebase command to squash multiple commits into a single collective commit. This technique helped in creating a more concise and meaningful commit history, making it easier to track changes over time.
Utilizing the --amend flag to make changes to my commits when I realize I made a mistake in the message, or changing some code in the commit without needing to change the message with the --no-edit flag was incredibly useful once you get into larger and more advanced changes in your codebase, making sure each commit stays logical and coherent.

Maintaining a codebase for readability, ease of use, and ease of contribution is essential to keeping a live codebase which gets a lot of usage and contribution. The more structured and well maintained the code is, the easier it becomes to add new features and patch existing issues.