In object-oriented software, we talk about the concept of coupling.  Put simply; this is a small object approach to our solution.  It is the opposite end of the spectrum from large-object, or monolithic, designs.  In my experience, a developer’s bias towards cohesion or coupling often comes from their background.  Those that have come from functional languages and platforms are more comfortable with cohesion, while those that built components tend to use coupling. Coupling Strengths It is hard not to point to flexibility as a primary strength of this approach.  It stands to reason that the more points of adjustment available, the more flexible the solution.  This example is easy to see in physical objects.  Remove all of the joints in... Read more

This episode focuses on cohesion and the idea of using fewer large objects to solve a problem.  This approach is often considered the opposite of using more smaller objects.  We will find out that there are ways to combine these two different approaches as a best-fit method. Cohesion Strengths We have already defined and provided a summary of cohesion.  Therefore, we can dive right into some specifics and strengths of this approach.  I find simplicity to be one of the most apparent strengths of these solutions.  While it provides a sort of “junk-drawer” approach in some cases, it also means we do not spend time deciding what goes where.  When done properly, we can see this approach as having all... Read more

One of the most prevalent topics of consideration in an object-oriented system is property design.  We can keep them simple or create more classes.  The first approach is simpler and faster to implement.  However, we can use objects to provide hooks we extensibility and scaling out our features.  There are trade-offs to be aware of, but we can use some guidelines to shorten the design process. Property Design Considerations For purposes of this episode, we will look at two paths available.  We can use a simple type (native) or use a class to define a property.  While we can also utilize collections as properties, those still boil down to one of these two paths.  You will either have a collection... Read more