Design Patterns: Write exceptional code.
Design patterns tend to improve software reusability, maintainability, flexibility, and scalability. They are proven solutions to common problems in software development.
Design patterns are a fundamental tool to improve the quality and maintainability of software. In our article of the week, we explain what they are, how they can improve your code and we present some of the most used patterns in the industry; Thus, by understanding and applying these patterns, you will be able to improve your code, which will result in more reliable and high-quality software. Join us on this adventure to discover design patterns and how they can transform the way you code!
What are design patterns?
A design pattern is a general solution to a recurring problem that arises during software development. It is like a template that can be applied to different situations. Design patterns help developers avoid reinventing the wheel by providing proven solutions to common problems.
Think of a design pattern as a blueprint for building a house. The blueprint provides a plan for building a home, but the home can be customized to meet specific needs. Similarly, a design pattern provides a plan for solving a problem, but the implementation can be customized to meet specific requirements.
Design patterns were first presented in the book "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software" by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides, where 23 patterns were grouped into three categories: Creational, Structural, and of Behavior. Let's take a look at each one...
Creational Design Patterns. Creational design patterns are used to create objects in a flexible and maintainable way. They provide a way to create objects without exposing the underlying implementation details.
Structural design patterns. Structural design patterns are used to organize classes and objects in a flexible way. In addition, they provide a way to simplify relationships between objects.
Behavior design patterns. Behavioral design patterns are used to manage communication between objects in a flexible and maintainable way. They provide a way to define communication between objects without specifying their concrete classes.
Now that we understand what design patterns are, the question arises; How can they improve your code?
Well, design patterns can improve your code in several ways:
- Reuse: Design patterns provide proven solutions that can be reused in different situations.
- Sustainability: Design patterns provide a way to structure code that makes it easier to understand and modify.
- Flexibility: They provide a way to structure the code that makes it more flexible and adaptable to future changes.
- Scalability: They provide a way of structuring code that can handle increased complexity and functionality.
- Best practices: By using design patterns, you can ensure that your code follows industry standards and is of high quality.
In simple terms, design patterns are proven solutions to common problems we face when programming, and using them will allow you to write better code, which in turn is more efficient, organized, and maintainable. One big advantage of design patterns is that by using them, you benefit from the experience of other developers who have faced problems similar to yours and found effective solutions. Let's see an example:
Imagine that you are developing an application that must connect to different databases depending on the type of data you are handling. You could write the code to connect to each database individually, but that would be very inefficient and difficult to maintain. Instead, you can use the Factory Method design pattern, which allows you to create objects without explicitly specifying their class. In this case, you can create a connection object factory that takes care of creating the connections to the databases according to the type you are handling. In this way, your code is more efficient and easier to maintain, since you only need to change the configuration of the object factory to change the connection to the database.
In conclusion, design patterns are an invaluable tool for any programmer. They allow you to solve common problems effectively and help you write more efficient and maintainable code. If you want to take your way of programming to the next level, don't hesitate to learn more about design patterns and how to apply them to your projects.
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