Behavioral design patterns are a category of design patterns in software engineering that focus on how objects interact and communicate with each other. These patterns help in defining clear communication protocols between objects and ensure that these interactions are flexible and extensible.
🔑 Key Purpose:
To improve communication between objects and manage responsibilities effectively.
📚 Common Behavioral Design Patterns:
-
Chain of Responsibility
Passes a request along a chain of handlers. Each handler decides either to process the request or to pass it on.
Example: Logging system with different log levels (INFO → DEBUG → ERROR). -
Command
Encapsulates a request as an object, allowing you to parameterize clients with different requests.
Example: Undo/Redo functionality in a text editor. -
Interpreter
Defines a grammar for interpreting expressions in a language and uses an interpreter object to interpret sentences.
Example: SQL or mathematical expression evaluators. -
Iterator
Provides a way to access elements of a collection sequentially without exposing its underlying representation.
Example:foreach
loops. -
Mediator
Encapsulates how a set of objects interact, promoting loose coupling.
Example: Chatroom where users communicate through a central hub. -
Memento
Captures and restores an object’s internal state without violating encapsulation.
Example: Saving and restoring game progress. -
Observer
Defines a one-to-many dependency so that when one object changes state, all its dependents are notified automatically.
Example: Event listeners in UI frameworks. -
State
Allows an object to alter its behavior when its internal state changes.
Example: Vending machine or traffic light controller. -
Strategy
Defines a family of algorithms, encapsulates each one, and makes them interchangeable.
Example: Sorting strategies like quicksort, mergesort, etc. -
Template Method
Defines the skeleton of an algorithm and lets subclasses redefine certain steps.
Example: Hook methods in frameworks like Django or React. -
Visitor
Separates an algorithm from the object structure it operates on.
Example: Operations on elements of a compiler syntax tree.
💡 Tip:
Behavioral patterns are especially useful when the flow of control is complex or when you want to change behavior at runtime without tightly coupling the classes.
Here’s a clear and concise breakdown of the Strategy and State design patterns—both of which are Behavioral Design Patterns:
🎯 Strategy Pattern
✅ Definition:
The Strategy Pattern defines a family of algorithms, encapsulates each one, and makes them interchangeable. It lets the algorithm vary independently from the clients that use it.
🔧 When to Use:
-
You have multiple algorithms for a task (e.g., different sorting methods).
-
You want to choose the algorithm at runtime.
-
You want to avoid multiple
if-else
orswitch-case
statements for behavior changes.
🧠Key Idea:
Behavior is defined in separate strategy classes, and the context object uses a strategy object to execute the behavior.
📦 Example:
🔄 State Pattern
✅ Definition:
The State Pattern allows an object to change its behavior when its internal state changes. The object will appear to change its class.
🔧 When to Use:
-
An object’s behavior depends on its state.
-
You want to eliminate complex
if-else
orswitch
logic based on state.
🧠Key Idea:
Encapsulate state-specific behavior in separate state classes and delegate state transitions to the context class.
📦 Example:
🔄 Main Difference Between Strategy and State:
Feature | Strategy Pattern | State Pattern |
---|---|---|
Purpose | Selects an algorithm at runtime | Changes behavior based on internal state |
Behavior Change | Controlled externally (by user/client) | Controlled internally (by the context) |
Use Case | Flexible algorithm selection | Dynamic behavior based on state transitions |
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