Notebook-to-Module Refactoring

Experiment Overview

Context

When notebook cells contain both:

1. Function definitions (candidates for extraction)
2. Variable definitions (processing parameters, configuration)

Extracting only the functions to a module leaves the variables undefined, breaking downstream cells.

Verified Workflow

CORRECT: Preserve Variable Definitions

When refactoring a cell that contains both functions and variables:

# BEFORE (single notebook cell):
# =============================================================================
# PROCESSING PARAMETERS
# =============================================================================
n_rows = 13
n_cols = 9
start_cycle = 1
end_cycle = 9
n_workers = CPU_COUNT

# =============================================================================
# CHANNEL NAME FUNCTIONS (to be extracted)
# =============================================================================
def load_channel_names(meta_dir):
    ...

def make_channel_names_unique(channel_dict):
    ...

# Usage
channel_name_dict = load_channel_names(meta_dir)
rows = list(...)  # Uses n_rows, n_cols

# AFTER (two notebook cells + module):

# --- Cell 1: Processing Parameters (KEEP IN NOTEBOOK) ---
n_rows = 13
n_cols = 9
start_cycle = 1
end_cycle = 9
n_workers = CPU_COUNT

# --- Cell 2: Module Import + Usage ---
from Kio import load_channel_names, make_channel_names_unique

channel_name_dict = load_channel_names(meta_dir)
rows = list(...)  # Still works - variables defined in Cell 1

# --- Kio.py module (NEW FILE) ---
def load_channel_names(meta_dir):
    ...
def make_channel_names_unique(channel_dict):
    ...

Checklist Before Refactoring

1. Identify ALL variable definitions in the cell
2. Identify ALL function definitions to extract
3. Check what the remaining code (after function removal) depends on
4. Create module with ONLY the functions
5. Keep variable definitions in notebook cell
6. Add import statement to notebook
7. Test that all downstream cells still work

Failed Attempts (Critical)

Variables Commonly Left Behind

When extracting channel name functions, these variables were accidentally removed:

Key Insights

• Notebook cells often mix configuration and implementation
• Function extraction should be surgical - only the def blocks
• Variable definitions are cell-level configuration, not module content
• Always verify imports work by running the refactored cells
• Use /advise before refactoring to check for related skills

Related Skills

• repo-project-sync-workflow - Edit main repo first, then sync
• channel-name-parsing - The functions that were extracted

References

• KINTSUGI notebooks/Kio.py - Channel name I/O module
• KINTSUGI notebooks/2_Cycle_Processing.ipynb - Cell 7 refactoring