Patterns in Software Engineering

Background

The concept of patterns as a way to organize common solutions to problems goes beyond software engineering. Two intros to design patterns as a whole:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_Patterns
• Brad Appleton's Intro

It's worth looking at this broader view because it helps put our profession in context. Patterns is one of the places that we intersect with some other 'orphan' professions such as architecture.

Sources of patterns

• Six gang of four patterns implemented in Python
• Wikipedia discussion of gang of four design patterns book
• hci patterns
• one set of perl patterns

Javascript in particular

there's so much cruft out there for Javascript I wanted to give a bit more guidance

• There's a nice discussion about the changing (growing) role of design patterns in Javascript in Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites by Christopher Schmitt, Kimberly Blessing, Rob Cherny, Meryl K. Evans, Kevin Lawver and Mark Trammell, which is currently available through our Safari subscription. It's a short and interesting read - I would just read the whole book.
• From there, it's a question of finding the patterns that relate to your interests. Advanced Ajax: Architecture and Best Practices, by Shawn M. Lauriat, also in Safari books, looks like it does a particularly nice job, but I think you'll be fine with any reputable source.
• Five common Ajax and XML patterns

-- HilaryHolz - 04 Mar 2009