Chapter 29
Applying Design Patterns
WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER?
- What a pattern is and what the difference is with a design technique
- How to use the following patterns:
- Iterator
- Singleton
- Factory
- Proxy
- Adapter
- Decorator
- Chain of Responsibility
- Observer/Listener
A design pattern is a standard approach to program organization that solves a general problem. C++ is an object-oriented language, so the design patterns of interest to C++ programmers are generally object-oriented patterns, which describe strategies for organizing objects and object relationships in your programs. These patterns are usually applicable to any object-oriented language, such as for example C++, C#, Java, or Smalltalk. In fact, if you are familiar with C# or Java programming, you will recognize many of these patterns.
Design patterns are less language specific than are techniques. The difference between a pattern and a technique is admittedly fuzzy, and different books employ different definitions. This book defines a technique as a strategy particular to the C++ language, while a pattern is a more general strategy for object-oriented design applicable to any object-oriented language.
Note that many patterns have several different names. The distinctions between the patterns themselves can be somewhat vague, with different sources describing and categorizing them slightly differently. In fact, depending on the books or other sources you use, you may find the same name applied to different patterns. There is ...
