With all due respect, Bill, I don't think this is quibbling. The actual use of these patterns has far-reaching consequences and this "loose" way of talking about them IMHO is not helpful. For example, if the RequestProcessor were a template, it would have *had* to have been plugged into the framework differently, Bill. That's the point. This different way of plugging it in would have very helpful repercussions. Templates *enforce* an algorithm that subclasses must override. They don't just have an algorithm that subclasses might override. This enforcement is important. It is as important as the enforced encapulation in OOP. I can remember when people in procedural programming were saying, and still do, "C'mon, man, for all intents and purpse its the same thing": you are just enforcing what we do anyway.
Well, it isn't the same at all. Just imagine that there were a real abstract class that was in the code in Struts and that the existing RequestProcessor were the concrete implementation of the class. Notice what would *have* to be changed and the options that would suddenly be available. That is what is important and is what the pattern does for you. I think that if you do this in your mind you might agree on this point. On the other score, i.e. Template Method and Strategy, I was responding to real problems that have been discussed in relation to the use of the commons-chain with the template method on the dev list. I am not just talking philosophy here. The developers have run into what I think are serious problems. I think they think so too. They think so enough that some are having second thoughts about whether using chain for these purposes will work well. Jack <SNIP> On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 16:04:12 -0500, Bill Siggelkow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > C'mon man, for all intesive purposes its a Template -- it defines an > algorithm that subclasses can override. As far as a way to specific > alternative implementations -- there is, the <controller> element. But > to me this whole conversation is moot. IMO, chain alleviates theses > issues ... if you don't like how locale's are processed -- write your > own class and all you have to do is implement Command (or use a number > of other approaches). The use of the template method w.r.t to Struts > use of chain is not something that I see as overly problematic -- > unless you think that any use of inheritance is wrong. > </SNIP> -- "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it float on its back." ~Dakota Jack~ --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
