This semester, I’ve learned that writing code without design patterns is like trying to build a house without a blueprint—it’s possible, but the final product might not be as strong or functional as it could be. Design patterns are proven solutions to common programming problems, kind of like templates or blueprints that help you structure your code in a way that makes it easier to manage, maintain, and scale.
Let’s look at how these patterns played a pivotal role in my projects using JavaScript, Meteor, and other tools.
In our functional programming assignments, we used a library called Underscore.js, which is packed with helpful functions to handle data efficiently. For example, we had an assignment to analyze university degree data, and here’s where a design pattern subtly came into play. We used something like the Decorator Pattern, although it wasn’t explicitly called out. I wrote functions that added new capabilities to the existing Underscore functions without altering their original code. This is similar to adding a new extension to a house without changing the existing structure. It allowed us to customize how we aggregated and manipulated our data, making our functions more adaptable to specific tasks.
The Singleton Pattern was crucial in our Meteor projects, especially when dealing with database connections. This pattern ensures that there is only one instance of a particular object throughout the application. Meteor does this behind the scenes with its database connections, ensuring that all parts of our app interact with a single connection to the database. This reduces the overhead and the risk of errors from having multiple connections open at the same time.
When we added a new feature, the “I’m Feeling Lucky” page to our application, we relied on the Factory Pattern to manage the creation of UI components. Each profile card on the page was generated through a factory function, which centralized the creation logic. This meant that when we wanted to add new types of cards or customize existing ones, we could do so in one place without having to rewrite or duplicate code across different parts of the application. It’s like having a machine that can produce different parts based on what you need at the moment, making it super versatile and efficient.
Throughout the semester, these design patterns have been like my coding compass; they’ve guided the structure of my projects and ensured that my code is not only functional but also clean and manageable. They’ve made complex tasks simpler and helped me build applications that are robust and ready to grow. As I continue to develop as a programmer, these patterns will remain essential tools in my toolkit, helping me to construct more intricate and effective software solutions.