Analysis

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Analysis

Pattern comparison

Reviewing 3 patterns.

Criteria
behavioralIteratorView pattern
behavioralMementoView pattern
behavioralVisitorView pattern
Basics
Categorybehavioralbehavioralbehavioral
Summary———
IntentProvide a way to access elements of an aggregate sequentially while hiding the underlying representation.Capture and externalize an object's state so it can be restored to a previous point in time.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.An object's internal state must be saved and restored later without exposing its implementation details.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
  • Snapshots can consume memory if many states are stored.
  • Care must be taken to keep mementos immutable and hidden from outside code.
  • 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
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
  • 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.Memento is useful for undo/redo, checkpoints, draft recovery, and any workflow where state history matters.Visitor is useful for AST processing, reporting, cart calculations, and exporting object structures to alternate formats.