Analysis

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Analysis

Pattern comparison

Reviewing 3 patterns.

Criteria
structuralBridgeView pattern
structuralFlyweightView pattern
behavioralVisitorView pattern
Basics
Categorystructuralstructuralbehavioral
SummarySeparate an abstraction from its implementation so the two can vary independently.——
IntentDecouple abstractions from implementations so they can evolve independently.Use sharing to support large numbers of fine-grained objects efficiently by separating shared intrinsic state from per-object extrinsic state.Separate an algorithm from the object structure it operates on by moving behavior into visitor objects.
Decision factors
ProblemWhen an abstraction is tightly coupled to its implementation, changing one side forces changes in the other and makes the system harder to evolve.A system creates a large number of similar objects, but storing all of their state separately uses too much memory.You need to perform operations across a set of different object types without stuffing all the logic into the objects themselves.
Tradeoffs
  • Adds an extra layer of indirection.
  • Can increase the number of moving parts.
  • Makes abstractions and implementations easier to evolve independently.
  • Adds complexity because state must be split into shared and unshared parts
  • Can be harder to understand when many objects depend on an external context
  • 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
  • go
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
Platforms
  • web
  • backend
  • mobile
  • integration
  • ui
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
Integration notesBridge is useful when you want one stable abstraction while swapping implementations for providers, environments, or device targets.Flyweight is useful when thousands or millions of similar objects need to be represented efficiently, such as trees, glyphs, tiles, or UI tokens.Visitor is useful for AST processing, reporting, cart calculations, and exporting object structures to alternate formats.