Design Patterns

CT070-3-3 Version 0418

Design Patterns – An
Introduction
 Topic & Structure of The
Lesson

• Impetus behind the use of Patterns

• The Origins of Design Patterns
• What is a Design Pattern?
• Patterns in the S/W Development Lifecycle
• Design Patterns: Essentials

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns

 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this session, you should be

able to;

• Describe why patterns are required

• Impetus behind the use of patterns
• Describe what is a design pattern
• Relate origins of software patterns
• Relate design patterns essentials
• Relate patterns in software development
lifecycle

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 2 (of 18)

 Key Terms You Must Be
Able To Use
• If you have mastered this topic, you should
be able to use the following terms
correctly in your assignments and exams:
– Design pattern
– Reusable software
– Reoccurring solutions
– The ‘Gang of Four’

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns

 Impetus behind the use of patterns

• designing reusable software is hard

• novices are overwhelmed
• experts draw from experience
• some design solutions reoccur
• understanding reoccurring solutions is
beneficial in several ways

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 3 (of 18)

 Why Patterns?

“Wisdom is often ascribed to those

who can tell just the right story
at the right moment and who often
have a large number of stories to tell.”

Robert C. Shank

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 What is a Pattern?

“Each pattern describes a problem which occurs

over and over again in our environment,
and then describes the core of the solution
to that problem, in such a way that you can
use this solution a million times over,
without ever doing it the same way twice.”

Alexander et al.

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 What is a Pattern?

Patterns are proven solutions

“Once is an event, twice is an incident,

thrice it's a pattern.”
Jerry Weinberg

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 6 (of 18)

 The Origins of Design Patterns
• They originate from the work of Christopher
Alexander, a building architect in the 1970’s.
• Alexander’s idea was to improve the quality of
the buildings of the time by utilising proven
‘patterns’ of good architectural design.
• ‘Each pattern describes a problem which occurs
over and over again in our environment, and
then describes the core of the solution to that
problem.’

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 From Buildings to Software

• Alexander’s work ‘discovered’ by Kent

Beck and friends in the 1980’s.
• They applied Alexander’s ideas about
constructing buildings to the building of
software.
• Patterns are found in all areas of
computing, from user interface design, the
writing of device drivers to the use of
databases.
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 What is a Design Pattern?

• A design pattern is defined as ‘a description of

communicating objects and classes that are
customised to solve a general design problem in
a particular context’.
• Patterns capture good design principles and
communicate them to others.
• Design patterns represent the first legitimate
attempt at design reusability.

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 9 (of 18)

 What is a Design Pattern?

“A methodology tells you how to write down the

decisions you have made.
A pattern tells you which decisions to make,
when and how to make them,
and why they are the right”

Beck & Johnson

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 10 (of 18)

 Design Patterns: Essentials

• Patterns are found through trial and error and by

observation.
• In general a design pattern has four essential
elements:
– The pattern name
– The problem the pattern is used to solve
– The solution or template for implementing the
pattern
– The consequences or results of applying the
pattern.

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 Patterns in the S/W Development
Lifecycle

• Design patterns are considered complementary to

existing object-oriented methodologies.
• Success in using design patterns largely depends in
the correct selection of the appropriate pattern.
• Knowledge and understanding of the use of existing
documented patterns is all important.
• Therefore the way patterns are catalogued must be
unambiguous and complete.

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 12 (of 18)

 The ‘Gang of Four’

• The most widely known work on design patterns is that

of ‘Gamma, Helm, Johnson and Vlissides‘. The ‘gang of
four’ as they are commonly referred to.
• Their book ‘Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable
Object-Oriented Software’ was published in 1994.
• It contains a description of the concepts of patterns, plus
a catalog of 23 design patterns with their full
documentation.

Selective GOF patterns will be covered

in depth in subsequent lectures
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 The ‘Gang of Four’

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 14 (of 18)

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 14 (of 18)
 Gang-of-Four Patterns
Creational Structural Behavioral
Singleton Adapter Chain of responsibility
Factory method Decorator Mediator
Abstract factory Façade State
Prototype Proxy Strategy
Bridge Template Method
Flyweight

*Builder *Composite *Interpreter

*Flyweight *Iterator
*Visitor
*Command
*Observer
*Memento
* Not to be covered in the module
CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 15 (of 18)
 Review Questions

 What is a pattern?
 Why are patterns useful?
 Who uses a pattern?
 When are patterns applicable?
 Where are patterns applicable?

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 17 (of 18)

 Summary of Main Teaching
Points

• Design patterns are tested and reusable

solutions for reoccurring design problems.
• Design patterns are considered
complementary to existing object-oriented
methodologies.
• Design patterns represent the first legitimate
attempt at design reusability.

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 15 (of 17)

 Question and Answer Session

Q&A

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns Slide 18 (of 18)

 What we will cover next

• Creational Pattern - Singleton

CT070-3-3 - Design Patterns Introduction to Design Patterns