Part of the Dummies Cheat Sheet Style-Oriented Software Engineering
When you start using patterns to solve software design problems, you’ll find a few favorites. Record these favorites in your catalog of software patterns for future reference – it’s good practice. Decide which tools work best for you (pencil and paper, word processing document, web page, blog or wiki) and which you are most likely to use when facing design challenges. Then follow these steps:
- Identify software development issues that you commonly encounter.
Your pattern catalog will be very useful if it addresses these issues.
- Look for patterns that solve these problems.
You probably already have some favorite patterns that you use.
- Organize our pattern catalog into sections to help you zoom in and quickly find patterns that can help you.
Organize patterns when you need them, by the type of solution you offer, or by pattern scope – whatever classification you find useful.
- Connect the patterns.
Patterns work together, allowing you to solve big problems. Add references, hyperlinks, or other connections between styles so that you remember that when you used style X in the past, you also used style Y. Linking styles is easier if you use an electronic indexing method.
- Keep your catalog updated.
New styles are constantly being posted, and you may want to include some in your brochure. Also, if you find that you don’t use some patterns anymore, remove them to make room for the new ones you are using.