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Low Level Design

Some Principles

  • dry - don’t repeat yourself - the code should be changed in a single place only
  • yagni - you aren’t gonna need it - do not introduce / foresee features you will not need in future, e.g. undo functionality
  • kiss - keep it simple and stupid - e.g. when adding a task in a todo application, do not think about priority, deadline etc - highlight only the title and description fields, and hide the rest of them as optional fields

SOLID Principles

Single Responsibility Principle

  • “a class should have only one reason to change”
  • it should not handle multiple concerns
  • this increases “cohesion” - only related code belongs together
  • it improves readability
  • it also makes writing focused tests easier

Open Closed Principle

  • “open for extension” - extend the functionality without touching existing code
  • this is done using principles like composition, inheritance, etc
  • “closed for modification” - do not add extra functionality to existing code, since it is already tested
  • e.g. instead of bundling everything inside one class, have a generic Writer interface, and have different concrete implementations like DBWriter. for new functionality, we add a new writer FileWriter instead of touching the existing code

Liskov Substitution Principle

  • “sub classes should be able to substitute base classes”
  • subclass should not reduce the feature set offered by base class, only increase it
  • e.g. below violates liskov substitution -
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class Vehicle {

  void startEngine() {}
}

class Bicycle extends Vehicle {

  void startEngine() {
    throw new RuntimeException("no engine present...");
  }
}
  • solution - break into different interfaces -
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class Vehicle {}

class MotorVehicle {

  void startEngine() {}
}

class Bicycle extends Vehicle {}

Interface Segregation Principle

  • “clients should not be forced to depend on interfaces they do not use”
  • this prevents “fat” interfaces
  • example can be same as liskov above

Dependency Inversion Principle

  • “depend on abstractions, not concrete implementations”
  • “decoupling” - modules will not have to change with change in underlying implementations
  • “abstractions should not depend on details, but details should depend on abstractions”
  • can be achieved through techniques like “dependency injection” - dependencies are provided to the class from outside instead of the class itself instantiating them
  • thus implementations can also be swapped easily, e.g. -
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class Computer {

  private final Keyboard keyboard;
  private final Mouse mouse;

  Computer(Keyboard keyboard, Mouse mouse) {
    this.keyboard = keyboard;
    this.mouse = mouse;
  }
}

class BluetoothKeyboard implements Keyboard {}
class WiredKeyboard implements Keyboard {}

class BluetoothMouse implements Mouse {}
class WiredMouse implements Mouse {}

Object Oriented Analysis and Design using UML

  • procedural programming was about organizing code into blocks to help manipulate data
  • oop organizes the code and wraps the data and functionality inside an object
  • object oriented analysis -
    • we identify the objects in a system
    • we establish the relationship between them
    • finally, we make the design that can be converted to executable code in our object oriented language
  • uml or unified modelling language helps model the object oriented analysis
  • it helps communicate design decisions easily by breaking down a complex system into smaller, understandable pieces

Use Case Diagrams

  • “use case” - set of actions the system can perform
  • “actors” - external users of the system
  • gives a high level functional behavior of the system
  • models the relationship between actors and use cases, as well as between the different use cases
  • “system boundary” - limit the scope of the system
  • “include” - invocation of one use case by another use case (like invoking a method)
  • “extend” - works like the base use case it extends with additional steps
  • extend can also be used for conditional use cases. e.g. pay fine only on late returns, not all returns

use case

Class Diagram

  • helps show how different entities relate to each other
  • map directly to object oriented language
  • the representation of class has three sections - class name, properties and methods
  • “visibility” - we can put this ahead of the attributes / methods. + for public, - for private and # for protected and ~ for default
  • “associations” - if two classes communicate with each other, there needs to be a link between them
  • associations can be bidirectional (both classes are aware of each other) or unidirectional (only one class is aware)
  • “multiplicity” - how many instances of the class participate in the relationship
  • “inheritance” is also called an “is a” relationship. denoted by open arrows (the head is not filled)
  • for abstract class, use italics
  • composition / aggregation are also called a “has a” relationship
  • “aggregation” - lifecycle of the child class is independent of the parent class. denoted by open arrows with diamonds at end
  • “composition” - lifecycle of the child class is dependent on the parent class i.e. the child cannot exist independent of the parent. denoted by closed arrows with diamonds at end
  • “generalization” - combining similar classes into a single class
  • basic e.g. -
    • inheritance between customer / admin and user
    • composition (with multiplicity) between orders and customers
classDiagram

User <|-- Admin
User <|-- Customer
Order "*" *-- "1" Customer

class User {
  -name
}

class Order {
  -customerId
  -creationDate
  -shippingDate
  +place()
}

class Admin {
  +updateCatalog()
}

class Customer {
  +register()
  +login()
}

Sequence Diagrams

  • sequence of interactions in terms of messages
  • the vertical dimension represents the chronological order of the messages
  • the horizontal dimension shows the messages that are sent
  • used for “dynamic modelling” i.e. how objects interact with each other
sequenceDiagram

participant Customer
participant ATM
participant Account
participant Screen

Customer->>ATM: Balance Inquiry
ATM->>Account: Get Balance
Account->>ATM: Balance
ATM->>Screen: Display Balance
Screen->>Customer: Show Message

Activity Diagrams

  • flow of control from one activity to another
  • “activity” - an operation that results in a change of state
  • used for “functional modelling” i.e. how inputs map to outputs

activity

Design Patterns Introduction

  • problems that occur frequently have well defined solutions
  • three broad categories - creational, structural, behavioral
  • creational - how objects are constructed from classes
  • structural - composition of classes i.e. how classes are constructed
  • behavioral - interaction of classes and objects with one another and the delegation of responsibility

Creational Patterns

Builder Pattern

  • separate the representation of object from its construction process
  • e.g. helps prevent “telescoping constructors” -
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    Aircraft(Engine engine);
    Aircraft(Engine engine, Cockpit cockpit);
    Aircraft(Engine engine, Cockpit cockpit, Bathroom bathroom);
    
  • “product” - what we want to create - aircraft here
  • we have a “builder” interface
  • implementations of this builder are called “concrete builders”
  • the builder has empty / default implementations
  • this way, the builder methods can be selectively overridden depending on variant
  • “director” - has the “algorithm” to help create products using builders
  • sometimes, the director can be skipped - the client invokes the methods on builder directly
  • pretty similar to abstract factory
code example

abstract class AircraftBuilder {

  void buildCockpit() {}
  void buildEngine() {}
  void buildBathroom() {}
  Aircraft getResult() {}
}
                                          // no bathrooms in f16
class BoeingBuilder                       class F16Builder {
    extends AircraftBuilder {                 extends AircraftBuilder {

  @Override void buildCockpit() {}          @Override void buildCockpit() {}
  @Override void buildEngine() {}           @Override void buildEngine() {}
  @Override void buildBathroom() {}         @Override Aircraft getResult() {}
  @Override Aircraft getResult() {}       }
}

class Director {

  AircraftBuilder aircraftBuilder;

  Aircraft construct(boolean isPassenger) {
    aircraftBuilder.buildCockpit();
    aircraftBuilder.buildEngine();
    if (isPassenger) {
      aircraftBuilder.buildBathroom();
    }
    return aircraftBuilder.getResult();
  }
}

Singleton Pattern

  • create only one instance of a class
  • e.g. thread pool, registries, etc
  • we make the constructor “private” so that other classes cannot instantiate it
  • some methods have been discussed below
not thread safe

class AirForceOne {

  private static AirForceOne instance;

  private AirForceOne() { }

  public static AirForceOne getInstance() {

    if (instance == null) {
      instance = new AirForceOne();
    }

    return instance;
  }
}

synchronized - makes code slow as every invocation acquires a lock

synchronized public static AirForceOne getInstance() {
  // ...
}

static initialization - if instantiation is expensive, it can cost us performance if object is never used

private static AirForceOne instance = new AirForceOne();

"double checked locking" - solves all problems, but not generally recommended

class AirForceOne {

  // IMP - notice the use of volatile
  private volatile static AirForceOne instance;

  private AirForceOne() { }

  public static AirForceOne getInstance() {

    if (instance == null) {
      synchronized(AirForceOne.class) {
        if (instance == null) {
          instance = new AirForceOne();
        }
      }
    }

    return instance;
  }
}

Prototype Pattern

  • create new objects by copying existing objects
  • “prototype” - the seed object from which other objects get created
  • sometimes, cloning can be more performant than creating entirely new instances
  • another advantage - instead of too many subclasses, vary behavior by changing fields - two separate classes for boeing and f16 are not required below
  • use case - “dynamic loading” - e.g. we do not have access to constructors. the runtime environment registers prototypes with the “prototype manager”, so that whenever an object is requested, a copy is returned by this prototype manager
  • “shallow” vs “deep” copy - nested fields would be shared in shallow copy unlike in deep
code example

class F16 implements Aircraft {

  void setEngine(Engine engine) { }

  Aircraft clone() { /* deep copy */ }
}

Aircraft f16A = aircraft.clone();    Aircraft f16B = aircraft.clone();
f16A.setEngine(f16AEngine);          f16B.setEngine(f16BEngine);

Factory Method Pattern

  • delegate the actual instantiation to subclasses
  • the factory method may or may not provide a default implementation
  • the subclass will override this implementation
  • downside - compare with prototype pattern - it results in too many subclasses
code example

class F16 {

  protected Aircraft makeF16() {
    cockpit = new Cockpit();
  }
}

class F16A extends F16 {            class F16B extends F16 {

  @Override                           @Override
  public Aircraft makeF16() {         public Aircraft makeF16() {
    super.makeF16();                    super.makeF16();
    engine = new F16AEngine();          engine = new F16BEngine();
  }                                   }
}                                   }

F16 f16A = new F16B(); f16A.makeF16();
F16 f16B = new F16B(); f16B.makeF16();

Abstract Factory Pattern

  • creating families of related objects without specifying their concrete classes
  • we have “abstract factory” returning “abstract products”
  • “concrete factories” override these abstract factory methods and return “concrete products”
  • now, only the right concrete factory needs to be passed to the aircraft to construct it
  • in factory method pattern, we were using inheritance to create a single product
  • here, we create a family of products using composition
  • concrete factories can be singleton
code example

class Aircraft {

  void makeAircraft(AircraftFactory aircraftFactory) {
    engine = aircraftFactory.makeEngine();
    cockpit = aircraftFactory.makeCockpit();
  }
}

interface AircraftFactory {

  Engine makeEngine();
  Cockpit makeCockpit();
}

class BoeingAircraftFactory implements AircraftFactory {

  @Override Engine makeEngine() { return new BoeingEngine(); }
  @Override Cockpit makeCockpit() { return new BoeingCockpit(); }
}

class F16AircraftFactory implements AircraftFactory {

  @Override Engine makeEngine() { return new F16Engine(); }
  @Override Cockpit makeCockpit() { return new F16Cockpit(); }
}

Structural Patterns

Adapter Pattern

  • allows incompatible classes to work together by converting the interface of one class into another
  • e.g. our aircraft business now needs to accommodate hot air balloons
  • “adaptee” is the incompatible class - hot air balloon
  • “target” is the interface the client (i.e. our code) understands - aircraft
  • “adapter” is the class sitting in between, which is composed using adaptee and implements the target
  • usually done after a system is designed to accommodate to fit additional requirements
  • this entire process discussed above is called “object adapter”
  • we can also use the “class adapter” pattern - where the adapter extends both the adaptee and the target
  • disadvantage - multiple inheritance is not supported by java
code example

interface Aircraft {

  void takeOff();
}

class Adapter implements Aircraft {

  HotAirBalloon hotAirBalloon;

  Adapter(HotAirBalloon hotAirBalloon) {
    this.hotAirBalloon = hotAirBalloon;
  }

  @Override
  void takeOff() {
    hotAirBalloon.inflateAndFly();
  }
}

// now, client can use adapter like any other `Aircraft`

Bridge Pattern

  • helps separate abstraction and implementation into two different class hierarchies
  • e.g. we have two shapes - circle and square
  • now, we want to introduce two colors - blue and red
  • we will end up with four classes - blue circle, blue square, red circle, red square
  • this can grow exponentially
  • another problem - changes to color and shape effect each other - they are not decoupled
  • so, we split into two separate hierarchies - shape and color
  • so, we have “abstraction” and “refined abstraction” (shapes)
  • then, we have “implementation” and “concrete implementation” (colors)
  • so, instead of inheritance, we use composition
  • we compose the refined abstractions using the concrete implementations
code example

class Shape {

  private Color color;

  Shape(Color color) {
    this.color = color;
  }
}

class Circle {              class Square {

  Circle(Color color) {       Square(Color color) {
    super(color);               super(color);
  }                           }
}                           }

interface Color {}
class Red implements Color {}
class Blue implements Color {}

Composite Pattern

  • helps compose our model in a tree like structure and work with them
  • e.g. an air force can have several levels of nested air forces, and ultimately the last level of air force would be composed of planes
  • “composite” - helps model the trees / subtrees
  • “leaves” - the last level in these trees
  • “component” - both the leaf and composite are coded to this common interface
  • now, the client can simply call getPersonnel and treat the composite / leaf as the same
  • it uses internal iterator - the iterator is not exposed, and is handled by the composite itself
code example

interface Alliance {

  int getPersonnel();
}

class AirForce implements Alliance {

  private Alliance[] alliances;

  @Override
  int getPersonnel() {

    int personnel = 0;

    for (Alliance alliance : alliances) {
      personnel += alliance.getPersonnel();
    }

    return personnel;
  }
}

interface Aircraft { }

class F16 implements Aircraft, Alliance {

  @Override
  int getPersonnel() {
    return 2;
  }
}

class Boeing implements Aircraft, Alliance {

  @Override
  int getPersonnel() {
    return 10;
  }
}

Decorator Pattern

  • extend the behavior of an object dynamically
  • the decorator basically adds to the existing functionality, by for e.g. taking some action before / after invoking the method on the wrapped component
  • alternative to creating more subclasses
  • e.g. below, the luxury and bulletproof variants could have been subclasses of boeing as well
  • but then we could not wrap a different aircraft with different decorators
  • “component” - the common interface to which the component and decorator is coded
  • “concrete component” - what we wrap
  • “decorator” - an interface for different decorators. this will also extend the component
  • “concrete decorator” - the actual implementation of decorators. they wrap the concrete components
  • we can wrap using multiple decorators as well
  • e.g. below, we can make an aircraft bulletproof and luxurious, which affects its weight but its flying method stays the same
  • the advantage is that the client code is agnostic of all this - it still codes to component
  • notice how the decorator is composed using the component
code example

interface Aircraft {
  
  void fly();
  
  int getWeight();
}

class Boeing implements Aircraft {    class F16 implements Aircraft {

  @Override                             @Override
  public void fly() {                   public void fly() {
    System.out.println("flying");         System.out.println("soaring");
  }                                     }

  @Override                             @Override
  public int getWeight() {              public int getWeight() {
    return baseWeight;                    return baseWeight;
  }                                     }
}                                     }

abstract class Decorator implements Aircraft { }

class BulletProofDecorator extends Decorator {

  Aircraft aircraft;

  @Override
  public void fly() {
    aircraft.fly();
  }

  @Override
  public int getWeight() {
    return aircraft.getWeight() + 13;
  }
}

class LuxuriousDecorator extends Decorator {

  Aircraft aircraft;

  @Override
  public void fly() {
    aircraft.fly();
  }

  @Override
  public int getWeight() {
    return aircraft.getWeight() + 27;
  }
}

Aircraft boeing = new Boeing();
Aircraft ceoPlane = new BulletProofDecorator(new LuxuriousDecorator(boeing));
boeing.getWeight(); // cumulated weight

Facade Pattern

  • a single uber interface to a subsystem to make working with it easier
  • the client will now interface with the “facade” and not worry about the complexities of the subsystem
  • changes to the subsystem will now affect the facade and not the client
code example

class AutopilotFacade {

  private BoeingAltitudeMonitor altitudeMonitor;
  private BoeingEngineController engineController;
  private BoeingNavigationSystem navigationSystem;

  AutopilotFacade(BoeingAltitudeMonitor altitudeMonitor,
      BoeingEngineController engineController, 
      BoeingNavigationSystem navigationSystem) {
    this.altitudeMonitor = altitudeMonitor;
    this.engineController = engineController;
    this.navigationSystem = navigationSystem;
  }

  void autopilotOn() {
    altitudeMonitor.autoMonitor();
    engineController.setEngineSpeed(700);
    navigationSystem.setDirectionBasedOnSpeed(engineController.getEngineSpeed());
  }

  void autopilotOff() {
    altitudeMonitor.turnOff();
    engineController.turnOff();
    navigationSystem.turnOff();
  }
}

Flyweight

  • sharing state among objects for efficiency
  • e.g. if we use a global radar to track air crafts, we will end up with too many air craft objects for the same air craft at different coordinates
  • “intrinsic state” - independent of the context of object. e.g. top speed of the air craft
  • “extrinsic state” - dependent of the context of object. e.g. coordinates of the air craft
  • so, to prevent creation of too many objects, we store intrinsic state inside the object, while extrinsic state outside it
  • this way, we automatically end up with less objects, since we only need new objects when the intrinsic state changes, and not every time the extrinsic state changes
  • “flyweight” - the object has become light since it only stores intrinsic state now
  • “flyweight factory” - used to create the flyweight objects, because we do not want the client to create them directly
  • “context” - used to store the extrinsic state
code example

class F16 implements IAircraft {

  private final int topSpeed = 800;

  int getTimeToDestination(int curX, int curY, int destX, int destY) {
    int distance = ...;
    return distance / topSpeed;
  }
}

Proxy Pattern

  • calls to the “real subject” are hidden behind a “proxy”
  • this way, the real subject is shielded from the client
  • both implement the “subject” interface so that the client code does not change
  • e.g. client will call methods like turn left and turn right on remote control
  • the remote control will call these methods on the drone
  • both of them implement an interface called IDrone
  • “remote proxy” - when the real subject is located on a remote server, the calls made by the client actually reaches a proxy first
  • the proxy sits on the same jvm, and the proxy then makes the request over the network to the real subject on the remote server
  • “virtual proxy” - delays the object creation when it is expensive
  • e.g. we see loading overlays or wire frames with same height and width while expensive pictures are loading
  • “protection proxy” - acts as an authorization layer in between

Behavioral Patterns

Chain of Responsibility Pattern

  • decoupling the sender of a request from its receiver
  • passing it along a chain of handlers till one of the handlers handle it or the request falls off the chain and remains unhandled
  • use this pattern when a request can be handled by multiple objects and it is not known in advance which one will end up handling it
  • we have a “handler” which all “concrete handlers” implement
  • notice how all handlers maintain a reference to their successor
code example

class ErrorCodes {

  static final int LOW_FUEL = 1;
  static final int HIGH_ALTITUDE = 2;
}

class Handler {

  Handler next;

  Handler(Handler next) {
    this.next = next;
  }

  void handleRequest(int errorCode) {
    if (next != null) {
        next.handleRequest(errorCode);
    }
  }
}

class LowFuelHandler extends Handler {          class HighAltitudeHandler extends Handler {

  LowFuelHandler(Handler next) {                  HighAltitudeHandler(Handler next) {
    super(next);                                    super(next);
  }                                               }

  void handleRequest(int errorCode) {             void handleRequest(int errorCode) {
    if (errorCode == ErrorCodes.LOW_FUEL) {         if (errorCode == ErrorCodes.HIGH_ALTITUDE) {
      // ...                                          // ...
    } else {                                        } else {
      super.handleRequest(errorCode);                 super.handleRequest(errorCode);
    }                                               }
  }                                               }
}                                               }

Observer Pattern

  • “observers” subscribe to “subjects” for state changes
  • so, we have “observer” and “concrete observers”, “subject” and “concrete subjects”
  • “push model” - the subject will push the new state into the observer when calling its update method
  • “pull model” - the subject will call the observer’s update method using itself i.e. this
  • then, the observer can call the getter method on the subject which can expose individual bits of state
code example

interface ISubject {

  void addObserver(IObserver observer);

  void removeObserver(IObserver observer);

  void notifyObservers();
}

interface IObserver {

  void update(Object newState);
}

public class ControlTower implements ISubject {

  List\<IObserver\> observers = new ArrayList<>();

  @Override
  public void addObserver(IObserver observer) {
    observers.add(observer);
  }

  @Override
  public void removeObserver(IObserver observer) {
    observers.remove(observer);
  }

  // assume some poller calls this every 5 seconds
  // with the current weather conditions etc
  @Override
  public void notifyObservers(Object newState) {
    for (IObserver observer : observers) {
      observer.update(newState);
    }
  }
}

class F16 implements IObserver {

  ISubject subject;

  public F16(ISubject subject) {
    this.subject = subject;
    subject.addObserver(this);
  }

  @Override
  public void land() {
    subject.removeObserver(this);
  }

  @Override
  public void update(Object newState) {
    // take appropriate action based on weather etc
  }
}

Interpreter Pattern

  • a grammar defines if some code is syntactically correct or not
  • “context free grammar” - has the following components -
    • start symbol
    • set of terminal symbols
    • set of non terminal symbols
    • set of production rules
  • we keep expanding the non terminal symbols till we reach the terminal symbols
  • any final expression we can derive is called a “sentence”
  • the sentence is said to be in the “language of grammar” we defined
  • e.g. we have three operations in a flight simulation software - glide, barrel roll, splits
  • we cannot perform barrel rolls and splits one after another
  • we need to start and end with glide
  • the production rules will look like as follows -
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    <flight> -> <flight><show off><flight>
    <flight> -> glide
    <show off> -> barrel roll
    <show off> -> splits
    
  • ast (abstract syntax tree) - can be used to represent the sentences in our grammar
  • in this ast, the internal nodes are non terminal symbols, while leaf nodes are terminal symbols
  • an ast example -
    interpreter ast
  • “abstract expression” - the interface
  • the abstract expression can be a “terminal expression” or a “non terminal expression”
  • the non terminal expression will hold a reference to the other abstract expressions based on the production rules
  • how we interpret an expression depends on the “context”
code example

interface AbstractExpression {

  void interpret(Context context);
}

class Context {}

class Flight implements AbstractExpression {

  private AbstractExpression flightOne;
  private AbstractExpression showOff;
  private AbstractExpression flightTwo;

  @Override
  public void interpret(Context context) {
  }
}

class ShowOff implements AbstractExpression {

  private AbstractExpression barrelRoll;
  private AbstractExpression splits;

  @Override
  public void interpret(Context context) {
  }
}

class Glide implements AbstractExpression {

  @Override
  public void interpret(Context context) {
  }
}

class BarrelRoll implements AbstractExpression { 

  @Override
  public void interpret(Context context) {
  }
}

class Splits implements AbstractExpression {

  @Override
  public void interpret(Context context) {
  }
}

Command Pattern

  • represent an action or a request as an object
  • this can then be passed to other objects as parameters
  • these requests can then be queued for later execution
  • think of it like “callbacks”
  • e.g. when we press a button, it does not need not know what to do
  • it only needs to know the object that knows what to do
  • “receiver” - the object that knows what to do - MissileLauncher in this case
  • “command” and “concrete command” - the command is composed of the receiver. it is the abstraction layer - Command and FireMissileCommand in this case
  • “invoker” - invokes the command - it is unaware of the underlying implementation of the command - AircraftPanel in this case
  • “macro command” - setup a series of command objects in another command object. all these command objects will be invoked when invoking this macro command. this is a combination of composite pattern + command pattern
code example

interface Command {

  void execute()
}

class FireMissileCommand implements Command {

  MissileLauncher missileLauncher;

  @Override
  void execute() {
    missileLauncher.fire();
  }
}

class AircraftPanel {

  Command[] commands = new Command[10];

  void setCommand(int i, Command command) {
    commands[i] = command;
  }

  void fire() {
    commands[3].execute();
  }
}

Iterator Pattern

  • traverse the elements of a aggregate without exposing the internal implementation
  • so, we have “iterator” and “concrete iterator”, “aggregate” and “concrete aggregate”
  • “external iterator” - the client requests for the next element and performs the operation
  • “internal iterator” - the client hands over the operation to perform to the iterator
  • this way, the iterator is never exposed to the client
  • e.g. composite pattern typically uses internal iterators
  • below, we have multiple aggregates, each having their own iterator but everything is hidden behind one iterator
code example

public interface Iterator {

  IAircraft next();

  boolean hasNext();
}

public class AirForceIterator implements Iterator {

  List\<IAircraft\> jets;
  IAircraft[] helis;
  
  int jetsPosition = 0;
  int helisPosition = 0;

  public AirForceIterator(AirForce airForce) {
    jets = airForce.getJets();
    helis = airForce.getHelis();
  }

  @Override
  public IAircraft next() {

    if (helisPosition < helis.length) {
      return helis[helisPosition++];
    }

    if (jetsPosition < jets.size()) {
      return jets.get(jetsPosition++);
    }

    throw new RuntimeException("No more elements");
  }

  @Override
  boolean hasNext() {

    return helis.length > helisPosition ||
      jets.size() > jetsPosition;
  }
}

Mediator Pattern

  • encourage lose coupling between interacting objects
  • by encapsulating interactions in a “mediator” object
  • the interacting objects are called “colleagues” and “concrete colleagues”
  • use when interactions between the colleagues becomes very complex
  • the colleagues are involved in many to many interactions, but with the mediator, it becomes one to many from mediator to colleagues
  • we can often combine the mediator pattern with the observer pattern as well
  • e.g. a runway needs to be free for an air craft to land
  • instead of all air crafts looking at each other if the runway is being used, we can use a control tower that manages all of this for us
code example

class Aircraft {
    
  ControlTower controlTower;

  void startLanding() {
    controlTower.queueForLanding(this);
  }

  void land() {
    System.out.println("pull out wheels");
  }
}

class ControlTower {

  Queue\<Aircraft\> aircraftQueue;

  void queueForLanding(Aircraft aircraft) {
    aircraftQueue.enqueue(aircraft);
  }

  @Schedule("2 minutes")
  void allowLanding() {
    if (!queue.isEmpty()) {
      queue.dequeue().land();
    }
  }
}

Memento Pattern

  • capture the internal state of an object without exposing its internal structure
  • so that the object can be restored to this state later
  • “originator” - the object whose state is captured
  • “memento” - the snapshot / the state which was captured
  • “caretaker” - the object that holds the memento
  • since getState is private, outside classes like for e.g. the caretaker cannot call getState, only the originator can
code example

class State { }

class Originator {

  static class Memento {

    private State state;

    Memento(State state) {
      this.state = state;
    }

    private State getState() {
      return state;
    }
  }
  
  private State state;

  public Memento save() {
    return new Memento(state);
  }

  public void restore(Memento memento) {
    this.state = memento.getState();
  }
}

class Caretaker {

  private Stack\<Memento\> history;
  private Originator originator;

  void takeSnapshot() {
    Memento memento = originator.save();
    history.push(memento);
  }

  void undo() {
    Memento memento = history.pop();
    originator.restore(memento);
  }
}

State Pattern - TODO

  • alter behavior of the object as its state changes
  • so that it appears to change its class
  • TODO: remaining

Template Method Pattern

  • subclasses define parts of the algorithm without modifying the overall structure of the algorithm
  • “template method” - the common part stays in the base class
  • “hook method” - the variable part is overridden by the subclasses
  • the base class can provide default implementations for these hook methods if needed
  • the template method can be made final
  • e.g. pre flight checks can be the template method, which checks
    • fuel levels
    • air pressure
    • if the door is locked
  • all these can be hooks i.e. specific to the aircraft
  • helps avoid “dependency rot” - where dependencies at various levels depend on each other horizontally and vertically
  • factory method pattern is a special form of the template method pattern

Strategy Pattern

  • make algorithms belonging to the same family easily interchangeable
  • “strategy” - the common interface
  • “concrete strategy” - the actual implementation of the different algorithms
  • “context” - uses the strategy
  • the context is composed using the strategy
  • context can use a default strategy as well to lessen the burden on client
code example

interface ISort {

  void sort(int[] input);
}

class BubbleSort implements ISort {   class MergeSort implements ISort {

  @Override                             @Override
  void sort(int[] input) {              void sort(int[] input) {
  }                                     }
}                                     }

class Context {

  private ISort howDoISort;

  public Context(ISort howDoISort) {
    this.howDoISort = howDoISort;
  }

  void sort(int[] numbers) {
      howDoISort.sort(numbers);
  }
}

Visitor Pattern - TODO

  • define operations for elements of an object without changing the class of this object
  • e.g. assume we want to monitor several metrics like fuel, altitude, etc on all the air crafts
  • option - introduce all these methods on each of the concrete aircraft classes
  • issue - we are bloating our aircraft class
  • solution - we use the visitor pattern
  • note how the visitor pattern will have a separate method for each of the concrete class
  • so, we have “element” and “concrete element”, “visitor” and “concrete visitor”
  • the concrete element will call its corresponding method on the visitor
  • if concrete elements increase, we will have to modify all visitors
  • so, use the visitor pattern when the element hierarchy is stable but we keep adding new functionality to visitors
code example

interface Aircraft {

  void accept(AircraftVisitor visitor);
}

class Boeing implements Aircraft {          class F16 implements Aircraft {

  void accept(AircraftVisitor visitor) {      void accept(AircraftVisitor visitor) {
    visitor.visitBoeing(visitor);               visitor.visitF16(visitor);
  }                                           }
}                                           }

interface AircraftVisitor {

  void visitBoeing(Boeing boeing);

  void visitF16(F16 f16);
}

class FuelVisitor implements AircraftVisitor {   class DoorVisitor implements AircraftVisitor {

  void visitBoeing(Boeing boeing) {}               void visitBoeing(Boeing boeing) {}
  
  void visitF16(F16 f16) {}                        void visitF16(F16 f16) {}
}                                                }

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