Replace Conditional with Polymorphism

Use it when an if/else or switch selects different behavior for different object types and the branch keeps growing. The goal is to let each subtype own its behavior instead of keeping every rule in one conditional method.

You introduce a common interface or base type and move each branch into an overriding method on a concrete subclass. The caller then invokes one method, while dynamic dispatch selects the correct implementation.

Polymorphism usually ties behavior to an object's type, while Strategy passes a replaceable behavior object into a stable context. Both can remove a long conditional, but Strategy usually favors composition and runtime swapping instead of an inheritance hierarchy.

A native JetBrains refactoring workflow can guide the developer through extracting types and moving conditional behavior, but it cannot decide the right domain hierarchy. Run tests afterward because constructors, equality, serialization, and default branches can be affected.