CHAPTER 10Patterns for Flexible Object Programming

With strategies for generating objects covered, we're free now to look at some strategies for structuring classes and objects. We will focus in particular on the principle that composition provides greater flexibility than inheritance. The patterns we examine in this chapter are once again drawn from the Gang of Four catalog.

This chapter will cover

  • The Composite pattern: Composing structures in which groups of objects can be used as if they were individual objects
  • The Decorator pattern: A flexible mechanism for combining objects at runtime to extend functionality
  • The Facade pattern: Creating a simple interface to complex or variable systems

Structuring Classes to Allow Flexible Objects

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