Latest Posts - Page 85 of 208

March 4, 2021March 5, 2021 A Practical Approach To Object-Oriented

Code Consistency – Critical For Practical Polymorphism

One of the challenges of good polymorphic design is code consistency. We are building a way to communicate with developers. Therefore, our language or syntax needs to be easy to understand. Likewise, we need to set and meet expectations properly. Code Consistency In Results The most common error I find in this area of coding is found in the values returned. When we stick to native types and numbers, it tends to be easy enough to stay consistent. However, strings and structures lend themselves to issues. For example, an address can have many properties and formats. We may be able to start with an output of: “address line, city, state zip.” However, addresses vary. What happens when we want to... Read more

February 27, 2021February 27, 2021 A Practical Approach To Object-Oriented

Polymorphism Without Side Effects – Object-Oriented Clarity

We discussed in the previous episode how polymorphic behavior gives us a form of a common language for objects. Thus we need to consider the idea of polymorphism without side effects, so we have clear and concise commands. There is also a consistency required for this to be an approach that is truly useful. What Is Polymorphism Without Side Effects As always, we should start with a definition of terms. In this case, our goal is clarity. Polymorphism is a way to give a command each object responds to. That means there should be similar results for each one. As an example, if I tell several people to “get the mail,” I should be able to assume they either check... Read more

February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 A Practical Approach To Object-Oriented

Polymorphism Overview – Reducing code size and a better user experience

We start the next series of episodes with a polymorphism overview. This is a core concept for proper object-oriented design. Likewise, we will dig into several practical ways to use this. Polymorphism Overview – A Definition As with many topics, it seems best to start with a definition from Wikipedia. In programming languages and type theory, polymorphism is the provision of a single interface to entities of different types or the use of a single symbol to represent multiple different types. For our purposes, that symbol that is referred to can be considered a name. The name can be a method, class, or property name. Class Vs. Object It is worth clarifying the difference between a class and an object. ... Read more

February 22, 2021February 19, 2021 A Practical Approach To Object-Oriented

Data Hiding – Practical Accessors

We have discussed the accessor levels of our data. In most environments, the three levels are public, protected, and private. In this episode, we go deeper into these concepts and a practical approach to data hiding. The Private Access Level This level of access should be our default. It can be considered the critical step in data hiding. Private hides our data and methods. I find a physical example often works best for the goal of this approach. When we purchase a physical device, we prefer fewer buttons and interface widgets over more. The Apple iPod was a perfect example of this. There were very few controls, so the interface was easy to understand. Our software should follow the same... Read more

February 19, 2021February 15, 2021 A Practical Approach To Object-Oriented

A Practical Approach to Data Encapsulation

We have developed many bad habits over the years as OOP has proliferated frameworks and tools. In this episode, we look at the practical side of data encapsulation and access levels like private, protected, and public. Tools Are A Beginning Modern frameworks and tools provide ways to generate a general object-oriented solution quickly. Therefore, the tools will give us a start, but not the best solution. There are too many details the tools are not privy to that are essential to the best solution. We will make the best use of tools when we remember this fact. That means we can not only move forward with generated code. We must review what is provided and extend or remove details to... Read more

February 17, 2021February 12, 2021 A Practical Approach To Object-Oriented

Data Hiding – A Need To Know Software Approach

Data encapsulation and data hiding are terms for keeping object properties from public consumption. This concept is an essential part of object-oriented programming. We need to be able to have internal processes and values that we can change without impacting users. It also allows us to limit the impact of changes in large systems. Thus, we will start our OOP season with a look at this somewhat simple concept. Data Hiding is more than properties. One important facet of this topic is that we use encapsulation for more than attributes or properties. That may not be obvious in the frameworks you use. Therefore, we need to look at these expanded options for encapsulation. We also can use this as an... Read more