One of the golden rules of optimization is to regularly re-read your code to identify possible improvements, while taking into account the evolution of the 4D language, its commands and functionalities.

This course takes a pragmatic and critical approach to code optimization in 4D. Starting with a concrete use case, a string cleaning method, we analyze and test different implementations of the same treatment.

The aim is not to systematically modernize the code, nor to mechanically replace one command with another on the pretext that it is more recent, but to understand the real impact of each technical choice. The method is run thousands of times to precisely measure execution times, compare performance and identify truly relevant optimizations.

Throughout the course, the method is rewritten in stages, gradually integrating more modern commands and elements of the 4D language. Each version is tested, measured and compared using performance graphs, taking particular account of the differences between interpreted and compiled execution.

This course highlights an essential idea: the use of more modern elements of language is an opportunity, but it never dispenses with a rigorous approach based on tests, measurements and factual analysis, rather than on assumptions or general rules.