Hi,
I played with EA Design Patterns for the first time, very nice!
But I think, some problems are in approach:
The first "hot" problem: When I use some pattern, the concrete participants in my solution must be identified, but not only by editing. I strongly need to select some of them from existing elements in my model to establish them into pattern .But EA create new elements "again and again". I think, the best approach is: "Identifying concrete participants is choose select or create", because some of them must be created, some of them selected (at time creating pattern I don't know it).
The second "hot" problem: Some pattern needs collection of participants with the same role but with unknown count of items at this role. For instance pattern Abstract Factory (example in Help) can have one, two or more factory methods and one, two or more subclasses implementing them. For instance if I register pattern Abstract Factory with 2 operations, I have Abstract Factory only for 2 operations, but I need it generally for N operations. I see the solution in "multiple participants". User can add the (N+1). concrete participant to this multiple participant. With creating pattern I must mark the participant if it is single or multiple. The second case means possible adding (removing) to collection more participants at the same role when applying pattern.
Example of the first and second problem at Abstract Factory: I need to select Products from my existing elements in model, I need to create one MyAbstractFactory and create multiple participants N subclasses and M operations. Participants Products, Subclasses, Operations will be defined as multiple, Abstract Factory as single participant. User can choose select or create concrete participant with applying pattern how is needed at his situation.
The 3. problem - not hot, only possible improvement : If I have some Note (Description) in text connected to participant in pattern, it should be good replacing the names of roles also in this text. Some of text can be "tagged" as possible input variable with the same meaning as roles of pattern. Inputting concrete participants will be inputted not only as template parameters of pattern, but also at this positions in text. Reading texts in completed solution made by pattern will be consistent with given situation (maybe grammar funny things). But it is only "improvement". I think first and second problems are more important…
Jumbik
