Abstract

To design a program, first find your objects. Unfortunately, the right objects are not easy to find, and as a result most programs are not as well designed as they could be. This paper presents four patterns which describe how objects can be found within the designs of existing programs. By using these patterns, programs and designs can be made more simple, more general, and more easy to change. Introduction Finding objects is probably the most important part of object oriented design. The patterns in this paper describe one way to find objects --- by examining the design of the program. These patterns address two questions: how can you find objects within a program? and, once you have found some objects, what should you do with them? These patterns do not aim to describe novel research results; rather, they attempt to capture and present well known design techniques, illustrate when particular techniques are applicable, and outline their relative strengths and weaknesses. These patte...

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