Analysis

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Analysis

Pattern comparison

Reviewing 3 patterns.

Criteria
behavioralIteratorView pattern
behavioralStrategyView pattern
behavioralVisitorView pattern
Basics
Categorybehavioralbehavioralbehavioral
Summary———
IntentProvide a way to access elements of an aggregate sequentially while hiding the underlying representation.Encapsulate a family of algorithms or behaviors behind a common contract so they can be selected and swapped cleanly.Separate an algorithm from the object structure it operates on by moving behavior into visitor objects.
Decision factors
ProblemA collection needs to be traversed without exposing how it is stored internally.A system needs to switch between interchangeable behaviors without hardcoding branching logic everywhere.You need to perform operations across a set of different object types without stuffing all the logic into the objects themselves.
Tradeoffs
  • Can add extra classes and abstraction for simple collections
  • May be unnecessary when built-in language iteration is already enough
  • Adds more moving parts than a direct conditional approach
  • Works best when behavior variations are real and likely to grow
  • Requires updating the visitor interface when new element types are added
  • Can be awkward if the object structure changes often
Practical fit
Languages
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
Platforms
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Services
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
Integration notesIterator is useful for pagination, custom collections, ordered traversal, and any case where clients should not know the internal data structure.Strategies can cross codebases through shared contracts, API selection rules, or runtime configuration.Visitor is useful for AST processing, reporting, cart calculations, and exporting object structures to alternate formats.