moonbitlang/moonbit-agent-guide/moonbit-refactoring

MoonBit Refactoring Skill

Intent

• Preserve behavior and public contracts unless explicitly changed.
• Minimize the public API to what callers require.
• Prefer declarative style and pattern matching over incidental mutation.
• Use view types (ArrayView/StringView/BytesView) to avoid copies.
• Add tests and docs alongside refactors.

Workflow

Start broad, then refine locally:

1. Architecture first: Review package structure, dependencies, and API boundaries.
2. Inventory public APIs and call sites (moon ide doc, moon ide find-references).
3. Pick one refactor theme (API minimization, package splits, pattern matching, loop style).
4. Apply the smallest safe change.
5. Update docs/tests in the same patch.
6. Run `moon check`, then `moon test`.
7. Use coverage to target missing branches.

Avoid local cleanups (renaming, pattern matching) until the high-level structure is sound.

Improve Package Architecture

• Keep packages focused: aim for <10k lines per package.
• Keep files manageable: aim for <2k lines per file.
• Keep functions focused: aim for <200 lines per function.

Splitting Files

Treat files in MoonBit as organizational units; move code freely within a package as long as each file stays focused on one concept.

Splitting Packages

When spinning off package A into A and B:

1. Create the new package and re-export temporarily:

``mbt // In package B using @A { ... } // re-export A's APIs ` Ensure moon check` passes before proceeding.

1. Find and update all call sites:

``bash moon ide find-references <symbol> ` Replace bare f with @B.f`.

1. Remove the use statement once all call sites are updated.

1. Audit and remove newly-unused pub APIs from both packages.

Guidelines

• Prefer acyclic dependencies: lower-level packages should not import higher-level ones.
• Only expose what downstream packages actually need.
• Consider an internal/ package for helpers that shouldn't leak.

Minimize Public API and Modularize

• Remove pub from helpers; keep only required exports.
• Move helpers into internal/ packages to block external imports.
• Split large files by feature; files do not define modules in MoonBit.

Local refactoring

Convert Free Functions to Methods + Chaining

• Move behavior onto the owning type for discoverability.
• Use .. for fluent, mutating chains when it reads clearly.

Example:

// Before
fn reader_next(r : Reader) -> Char? { ... }
let ch = reader_next(r)
 
// After
#as_free_fn(reader_next, deprecated="Use Reader::next instead")
fn Reader::next(self : Reader) -> Char? { ... }
let ch = r.next()

To make the transition smooth, place #as_free_fn(old_name, ...) on the method; it emits a deprecated free function old_name that forwards to the method. Then you can check call sites and update them gradually by looking at warnings. Example (chaining):

buf..write_string("#\\")..write_char(ch)

Prefer Explicit Qualification

• Use @pkg.fn instead of using when clarity matters.
• Keep call sites explicit during wide refactors.

Example:

let n = @parser.parse_number(token)

Simplify Enum Constructors When Type Is Known

When the expected type is known from context, you can omit the full package path for enum constructors:

• Pattern matching: Annotate the matched value; constructors need no path.
• Nested constructors: Only the outermost needs the full path.
• Return values: The return type provides context for constructors in the body.
• Collections: Type-annotate the collection; elements inherit the type.

Examples:

// Pattern matching - annotate the value being matched
let tree : @pkga.Tree = ...
match tree {
  Leaf(x) => x
  Node(left~, x, right~) => left.sum() + x + right.sum()
}
 
// Nested constructors - only outer needs full path
let x = @pkga.Tree::Node(left=Leaf(1), x=2, right=Leaf(3))
 
// Return type provides context
fn make_tree() -> @pkga.Tree {
  Node(left=Leaf(1), x=2, right=Leaf(3))
}
 
// Collections - type annotation on the array
let trees : Array[@pkga.Tree] = [Leaf(1), Node(left=Leaf(2), x=3, right=Leaf(4))]

Pattern Matching and Views

• Pattern match arrays directly; the compiler inserts ArrayView implicitly.
• Use .. in the middle to match prefix and suffix at once.
• Pattern match strings directly; avoid converting to Array[Char].
• String/StringView indexing yields UInt16 code units. Use for ch in s for Unicode-aware iteration.

We Prefer Pattern Matching Over Small Functions

For example,

 match gen_results.get(0) {
   Some(value) => Iter::singleton(value)
   None => Iter::empty()
 }

We can pattern match directly; it is often clearer and equally readable:

 match gen_results {
   [value, ..] => Iter::singleton(value)
   [] => Iter::empty()
 }

MoonBit pattern matching is pretty expressive, here are some more examples:

match items {
  [] => ()
  [head, ..tail] => handle(head, tail)
  [..prefix, mid, ..suffix] => handle_mid(prefix, mid, suffix)
}

match s {
  "" => ()
  [.."let", ..rest] => handle_let(rest)
  _ => ()
}

Char literal matching

Use char literal overloading for Char, UInt16, and Int; the examples below rely on it. This is handy when matching String indexing results (UInt16) against a char range.

test {
  let a_int : Int = 'b'
  if (a_int is 'a'..<'z') { () } else { () }
  let a_u16 : UInt16 = 'b'
  if (a_u16 is 'a'..<'z') { () } else { () }
  let a_char : Char = 'b'
  if (a_char is 'a'..<'z') { () } else { () }
}

Use Nested Patterns and is

• Use is patterns inside if/guard to keep branches concise.

Example:

match token {
  Some(Ident([.."@", ..rest])) if process(rest) is Some(x) => handle_at(rest)
  Some(Ident(name)) => handle_ident(name)
  None => ()
}

Prefer Functional Loops to Mutation When Possible

• Use functional state update

Example:

// Before
let mut a = 1
let mut b = 2
for i = 0 {
  if i >= n {
    break
  }
  a = a + b
  b = b + a
  continue i + 1
}

for i = 0, a = 1, b = 2 {
  if i >= n {
    break a
  }
  continue i + 1, b, b + a
}

• Functional loops also accept range loops, so they can be simplified:

for _ in 0..<n; a = 1, b = 2 {
  continue b, a + b
} nobreak {
  a
}

Prefer Range Loops to Simple Indexing

• Use for i in start..<end { ... }, for i in start..<=end { ... }, for i in large>..small, or for i in large>=..small for simple index loops.
• Use for x in xs {...} if xs is an iterator(e.g, Array) or for i,x in xs {...} if you also want to use the index
• Keep functional-state for loops for algorithms that update state.

Example:

// Before
for i = 0; i < len; i = i + 1{
  items.push(fill)
}
 
// After
for i in 0..<len {
  items.push(fill)
}

Loop Specs (Dafny-Style Comments)

• Add specs for functional-state loops.
• Skip invariants for simple for x in xs loops.
• Add TODO when a decreases clause is unclear (possible bug).

Example:

for i = 0, acc = 0; i < xs.length(); {
  acc = acc + xs[i]
  i = i + 1
} nobreak { acc }
where {
  invariant: 0 <= i <= xs.length(),
  reasoning: (
    #| ... rigorous explanation ...
    #| ...
  )
}

Tests and Docs

• Prefer black-box tests in *_test.mbt or *.mbt.md.
• Add docstring tests using mbt check fenced blocks for public APIs, and verify with moon check && moon test.

Example:

///|
/// Return the last element of a non-empty array.
///
/// # Example
/// ```mbt check
/// test {
///   inspect(last([1, 2, 3]), content="3")
/// }
/// ```
pub fn last(xs : Array[Int]) -> Int { ... }

Coverage-Driven Refactors

• Use coverage to target missing branches through public APIs.
• Prefer small, focused tests over white-box checks.

Commands:

moon coverage analyze -- -f summary
moon coverage analyze -- -f caret -F path/to/file.mbt

Moon IDE Commands

moon ide doc "<query>"
moon ide outline <dir|file>
moon ide find-references <symbol>
moon ide peek-def <symbol>
moon ide rename <symbol> <new_name>
moon ide analyze [path]
moon check
moon test
moon info

Use these commands for reliable refactoring.

Example: spinning off package_b from package_a.

Temporary import in package_b:

using @package_a { a, type B }

Steps:

1. Use moon ide find-references <symbol> to find all call sites of a and B.
2. Replace them with @package_a.a and @package_a.B.
3. Remove the using statement and run moon check.