Software design pattern

In software engineering, a design pattern is a general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem within a given context in software design.

Description

A design pattern is a description or template for how to solve a problem that can be used in many different situations.

Patterns are formalized best practices that the programmer can use to solve common problems when designing an application or system.

Object-oriented design patterns typically show relationships and interactions between classes or objects, without specifying the final application classes or objects that are involved.

Patterns that imply object-orientation or, more generally, mutable state, are not as applicable in functional programming languages.

Not a finished design

A design pattern is not a finished design that can be transformed directly into source code or machine code.

Design patterns in other fields

The concept of design patterns originated in architecture, and subsequently spread to other fields.

See also

• Abstraction principle (computer programming)
• Algorithmic skeleton
• Anti-pattern
• Architectural pattern
• Creational pattern
• Debugging patterns
• Design pattern
• Distributed design patterns
• Double-chance function
• Enterprise Architecture framework
• GRASP (object-oriented design)
• Helper class
• Interaction design pattern
• List of software development philosophies
• List of software engineering topics
• Model-view-controller
• Object-oriented programming
• Observer pattern
• Pattern
• Pattern language
• Pattern theory
• Pedagogical patterns
• Portland Pattern Repository
• Refactoring
• Software development methodology
• Software engineering
• Structure

External links

• Software design pattern @ Wikipedia
• 5 reasons to finally learn design patterns @ oreilly.com
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