Template method design pattern

What is the template method design pattern?

The template method design pattern defines the skeleton of an algorithm in the superclass but lets subclasses override the algorithm without changing its structure. It is a behavioral design pattern

Advantages of template method design pattern:

  • We can let clients override only certain parts of a large algorithm, making them less affected by changes that happen to other parts of the algorithm.
  • We can pull the duplicate code into a superclass.
  • Code reuse happens with the Template Method pattern as it uses inheritance and not composition
  • Flexibility lets subclasses decide how to implement steps in an algorithm

Disadvantages of template method design pattern:

  • Template methods tend to be harder to maintain the more steps they have
  • We might violate the Liskov Substitution Principle by suppressing a default step implementation via a subclass
  • Debugging and understanding the sequence of flow in the Template Method pattern can be confusing

Difference between Template method and Strategy design pattern

Template MethodStrategy
The abstract class defines the invariant behaviors, while the implementing classes defined the dependent methodsIn a strategy, the behavior implementations are independent — each implementing class defines the behavior and there is no code shared between them
Template method may define a set of public methods as well as a set of supporting private primitives that subclasses must implementStrategies have a single public method — the execute() method
It’s based on inheritanceIt’s based on delegation/composition
Parent class completely controls the algorithm and differs only in certain steps from concrete classesIt changes the behavior of the object at run time by completely replacing one algorithm with another algorithm at run time
Binding is done at compile timeBinding is done at run time
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