I am wondering whether this is the correct way to handle my situation when packaging-by-feature. Use the following project structure as an example:
com.foobar.web.Bootstrap.java
com.foobar.web.TcpServer.java
com.foobar.web.RequestHandler.java
Everything part of the web feature is in the web package – good so far. As all of the page classes are homogeneous and use the same parent, is it bad practice to then put them in a new sub-package by layer/type to avoid seemingly empty packages? In effect:
com.foobar.web.pages.AbstractPage.java
com.foobar.web.pages.HomePage.java
com.foobar.web.pages.BuyPage.java
com.foobar.web.pages.SupportPage.java
It feels almost as if I am packaging by feature then sub-packaging by layer. I find this hard to avoid unless I place each individual page in their own lonely package (e.g. .home.HomePage.java, etc) which feels useless as they are on their own with no additional classes in their packages.
What is preferable, each in their own package .home.HomePage (package by feature only) or all homogeneous in a single plural package .pages.HomePage (package by feature, then type combined)?
Best Answer
As someone who has suffered under a package by layer system for years I appreciate what you're trying to do. However, you are trying to faithfully stick to your organizing principle even if it forces you to make silly choices.
Rather than fanatical devotion to your organizing principle let me encourage you to follow a concern:
Make it easy to find stuff.
The main reason to group things by feature is that when I'm creating or updating a feature I can find the files I'm concerned with all in the same place. Not every file groups nicely around a single feature. Don't scatter these files to the wind by expecting them to live sad lonely lives in their own package. Find SOME good way to organize them. If that seems like a layer then fine.
Think that a hybrid would be far to confusing? Consider this example:
hackernoon.com : package by features not layers
I mean for crying out loud it actually has a package CALLED features! So what are the others? No these packages are not all features. That's OK. It nicely gives me a clue when it's sliding from one kind of organizing principle to another. I feel like I can find stuff just fine and predict where I'd be putting new stuff. That's all I need.