Home | Programs | Articles | Astronomy | 3D | Books | Games

Design Patterns Reference

This article is a concise reference to the classical software design patterns created by the Gang of Four (Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides). It is been written as a survival tool when I'm away from the real book and I need its priceless suggestions about software design. I hope this may be of help to you too...

Creational Patterns

  • Abstract Factory: Creates an instance of several families of classes.
  • Builder: Separates object construction from its representation.
  • Factory Method: Creates an instance of several derived classes.
  • Prototype: A fully initialized instance to be copied or cloned.
  • Singleton: A class of which only a single instance can exist.

    Structural Patterns

  • Adapter: Match interfaces of different classes.
  • Bridge: Separates an object’s interface from its implementation.
  • Composite: A tree structure of simple and composite objects.
  • Decorator: Add responsibilities to objects dynamically.
  • Façade: A single class that represents an entire subsystem.
  • Flyweight: A fine-grained instance used for efficient sharing.
  • Proxy: An object representing another object.

    Behavioral Patterns

  • Chain of Responsibility: A way of passing a request between a chain of objects.
  • Command: Encapsulate a command request as an object.
  • Interpreter: A way to include language elements in a program.
  • Iterator: Sequentially access the elements of a collection.
  • Mediator: Defines simplified communication between classes.
  • Memento: Capture and restore an object's internal state.
  • Observer: A way of notifying change to a number of classes.
  • State: Alter an object's behavior when its state changes.
  • Strategy: Encapsulates an algorithm inside a class.
  • Template Method: Defer the exact steps of an algorithm to a subclass.
  • Visitor: Defines a new operation to a class without change.

    Abstract Factory

    Provide an interface for creating families of related or dependent objects without specifying their concrete classes.



    Builder

    Separate the construction of a complex object from its representation so that the same construction process can create different representations.



    Factory Method

    Define an interface for creating an object, but let subclasses decide which class to instantiate. Factory Method lets a class defer instantiation to subclasses.



    Prototype

    Specify the kind of objects to create using a prototypical instance, and create new objects by copying this prototype.



    Singleton

    Ensure a class has only one instance and provide a global point of access to it.



    Adapter

    Convert the interface of a class into another interface clients expect. Adapter lets classes work together that couldn't otherwise because of incompatible interfaces.



    Bridge

    Decouple an abstraction from its implementation so that the two can vary independently.



    Composite

    Compose objects into tree structures to represent part-whole hierarchies. Composite lets clients treat individual objects and compositions of objects uniformly.



    Decorator

    Attach additional responsibilities to an object dynamically. Decorators provide a flexible alternative to subclassing for extending functionality.



    Façade

    Provide a unified interface to a set of interfaces in a subsystem. Façade defines a higher-level interface that makes the subsystem easier to use.



    Flyweight

    Use sharing to support large numbers of fine-grained objects efficiently.



    Proxy

    Provide a surrogate or placeholder for another object to control access to it.



    Chain of Responsibility

    Avoid coupling the sender of a request to its receiver by giving more than one object a chance to handle the request. Chain the receiving objects and pass the request along the chain until an object handles it.



    Command

    Encapsulate a request as an object, thereby letting you parameterize clients with different requests, queue or log requests, and support undoable operations.



    Interpreter

    Given a language, define a representation for its grammar along with an interpreter that uses the representation to interpret sentences in the language.



    Iterator

    Provide a way to access the elements of an aggregate object sequentially without exposing its underlying representation.



    Mediator

    Define an object that encapsulates how a set of objects interact. Mediator promotes loose coupling by keeping objects from referring to each other explicitly, and it lets you vary their interaction independently.



    Memento

    Without violating encapsulation, capture and externalize an object's internal state so that the object can be restored to this state later.



    Observer

    Define a one-to-many dependency between objects so that when one object changes state, all its dependents are notified and updated automatically.



    State

    Allow an object to alter its behavior when its internal state changes. The object will appear to change its class.



    Strategy

    Define a family of algorithms, encapsulate each one, and make them interchangeable. Strategy lets the algorithm vary independently from clients that use it.



    Template Method

    Define the skeleton of an algorithm in an operation, deferring some steps to subclasses. Template Method lets subclasses redefine certain steps of an algorithm without changing the algorithm's structure.



    Visitor

    Represent an operation to be performed on the elements of an object structure. Visitor lets you define a new operation without changing the classes of the elements on which it operates.