Wikipedia:REFACTOR

Refactoring is a redrafting process in which talk page content is moved, removed, revised, restructured, hidden, or otherwise changed. It applies only in contexts where editors make signed statements (such as talk and user namespaces), and has a number of uses, including:

Refactoring are changes more assertive than copy editing, but less substantive than archiving. Like copy editing, it always preserves the original author's meaning and intent. Like archiving, it may involve removal of material from immediate visibility. It should be used as a tool to separate unnecessary material from a discussion on the fly, without waiting for formal archiving of the entire discussion.

The term "refactoring" is adapted from code refactoring in computing, where code is restructured (to improve its quality) in a way that does not change the operation of the program.

Good refactoring practices are an important part of maintaining a productive talk page. Discussion pages that are confused, hostile, overly-complex, poorly structured, or congested with cross-talk can discourage potential contributors and create misunderstandings that undermine fruitful discussions.

Refactoring should only be done when there is an assumption of good faith by editors who have contributed to the talk page. If there are recent heated discussions on the talk page, good faith may be lacking. If another editor objects to refactoring then the changes should be reverted. Nevertheless, if the page is larger than the recommended size, then archiving of the talk page, or sections with no recent contributions, without refactoring can still be done.

As a rule, editors should not edit each other's comments in ways that affect meaning – doing so creates misrepresentations, disrupts the flow of conversations, and makes debates and discussions impossible to follow – but cases exist in which an editor's comments need to be removed from the flow of conversation because the comments themselves disrupt the flow of conversation. Loosely, the following types of refactoring are legitimate, with the listed caveats:

Non-contentious cleanup – anything where you are sure that the other editor will thank you for the effort, rather than getting angry.

Restructuring – should be done with care to avoid changing meanings.

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