Return Dictionary object having key/value pair of keywords and URLs

Question

Can you please help me split this method to reuse the repeating code?

Any advice/comments on the code are welcome.

//This method will return Dictionary object having key/value pair of keywords and URLs.

//Keywords are  single word or bunch of words from db.

//Value in dictionary is URLs against each key (keyword).

//Code starts from here.

private static Dictionary<string, string> GetKeywordsAndEntityWithURL(int eventTypeId, string entityName)
{
    // Get initial url from configuration file.
    string basewebUrl = CommonMethods.GetAppSettingsValue("Baseweb");

    // Get all keywords from db, from KeyWords table.
    KeywordsCollection keyWords = KeywordsEntity.GetKeywords(null, eventTypeId);

    // This text will be concatenated with entityname.
    // Purpose of this is to avoid replacement of EntityName again in find/replace.
    string dummyText = "TemporaryText";

    // This object will be used to create key/value pair of keys and URLs.
    Dictionary<string, string> keyWordsWithURLs = new Dictionary<string, string>();

    // There are two types of keywords in db, Singular and Plural. Get each and create key/value using them.
    foreach (KeywordsEntity keyWord in keyWords)
    {
    string singularKeyword = keyWord.Keyword;

    // Keywords are like 'stag do' in db we need to replace white space
    // with hyphen to use this in URLs.
    singularKeyword = singularKeyword.Replace(' ', '-');

    // This key is like 'stag do London'.
    string singularKey = string.Empty;
    singularKey = string.Format("{0} {1}", keyWord.Keyword.ToString(), entityName);

    // Concat entityName (London) with dummytext.
    entityName = entityName + dummyText;

    // Text of URL e.g. stag do London
    string urlText = keyWord.Keyword + " " + entityName;

    // This value is like initial url (whatever it is in config file)/stag-do/london
    string singularValue = string.Empty;
    singularValue = string.Format("<a style='text-decoration:underline;' href='" + basewebUrl + "/{0}/{1}'>{2}</a>", singularKeyword, entityName, urlText);

    // Add key/value in dictionaly.
    keyWordsWithURLs.Add(singularKey, singularValue);

    // Plural keywords are like 'stag dos' in db we need to replace space with hyphen for URLs.
    string pluralKeyword = keyWord.PluralKeyword;
    pluralKeyword = pluralKeyword.Replace(' ', '-');

    // This key would be 'stag dos london'
    string pluralKey = string.Empty;
    pluralKey = string.Format("{0} {1}", keyWord.PluralKeyword.ToString(), entityName);

    // URL would be, initial url(whatever in config file)/ stag-dos/london
    string pluralValue = string.Empty;
    pluralValue = string.Format("<a style='text-decoration:underline;' href='" + basewebUrl + "/{0}/{1}'>{2}</a>", pluralKeyword, entityName, urlText);

    // Add key/value in dictionary.
    keyWordsWithURLs.Add(pluralKey, pluralValue);

    // Singular Key = London stag do
    singularKey = string.Format("{0} {1}", entityName, keyWord.Keyword.ToString());

    // Text of anchor e.g. London stag do.
    urlText = entityName + dummyText + " " + keyWord.Keyword;

    // Singular Value = /stag-do/london
    singularValue = string.Format("<a style='text-decoration:underline;' href='" + basewebUrl + "/{0}/{1}'>{2}</a>", singularKeyword, entityName, urlText);

    keyWordsWithURLs.Add(singularKey, singularValue);

    // Plural Key = London stag dos
    pluralKey = string.Format("{0} {1}", entityName, keyWord.PluralKeyword.ToString());

    // Plural Key = /stag-dos/lonon
    pluralValue = string.Format("<a style='text-decoration:underline;' href='" + basewebUrl + "/{0}/{1}'>{2}</a>", pluralKeyword, entityName, urlText);

    // Add key/value pair in dictionary.
    keyWordsWithURLs.Add(pluralKey, pluralValue);

    urlText = keyWord.Keyword + " in " + entityName + dummyText;

    singularKey = string.Format("{0} {1} {2}", keyWord.Keyword.ToString(), "in", entityName);
    singularValue = string.Format("<a style='text-decoration:underline;' href='" + basewebUrl + "/{0}/{1}'>{2}</a>", singularKeyword, entityName, urlText);

    // Add key/value in dictionaly.
    keyWordsWithURLs.Add(singularKey, singularValue);

    pluralKey = string.Format("{0} {1} {2}", keyWord.PluralKeyword.ToString(), "in", entityName);
    pluralValue = string.Format("<a style='text-decoration:underline;' href='" + basewebUrl + "/{0}/{1}'>{2}</a>", pluralKeyword, entityName, urlText);

    // Add key/value in dictionary.
    keyWordsWithURLs.Add(pluralKey, pluralValue);

    if (keyWord.IsDefault)
    {
        pluralKeyword = keyWord.PluralKeyword.Replace(' ', '-');

        pluralKey = string.Format("{0}", entityName);
        pluralValue = string.Format("<a style='text-decoration:underline;' href='" + basewebUrl + "/{0}/{1}'>{2}</a>", pluralKeyword, entityName, entityName);

        keyWordsWithURLs.Add(pluralKey, pluralValue);
    }
    }


    return keyWordsWithURLs;
}

If you need the full class, please write a comment. I will upload it.

Answer 1

I would probably start by cleaning up the method before trying to extract anything as it will make it easier to see where to draw the line.

• There are a couple of places where you define a variable with an initial value and then override that value on the next line (singularKeyword, singularKey)

  string singularKeyword = keyWord.Keyword.singularKeyword.Replace(' ', '-');
  string singularKey = string.Format("{0} {1}", keyWord.Keyword.ToString(), entityName);
  

• You shouldn't need the call to ToString in the above line either as string.Format() will do it for you.

• Any time you find yourself appending to a string in a loop, you should consider if using StringBuilder would be better.

• I generally prefer not to modify arguments, particularly in such a large method as it tends to confuse it's meaning.

• Why pass a string literal into string.Format instead of including it in the format string?

  singularKey = string.Format("{0} in {1}", keyWord.Keyword.ToString(), entityName);
  

• I noticed that in several places you append basewebUrl to directly the format string instead of passing it in as another arg?

• The whole string.Format call in this following line seems a bit redundant.

  pluralKey = string.Format("{0}", entityName);
  

  Why not just set pluralKey to entityName.

  pluralKey = entityName;
  

• pluralKey is set but never used, you only use pluralKeyword.

• I'm probably going to get punished for saying this, but I think you may have overdone some of the comments.

  eg.

  //Code starts from here.
  
  // Add key/value in dictionary.
  

  Personally I find this sort of commenting more distracting than helpful. :)

The following look wrong to me, but I'm not entirely sure since it should show up quite obviously during functional testing.

• Each iteration appends another copy of dummyText to entityName.

• If appending to entityName is intended, is it also intended to happen between its first and second use within the loop?