Rational® Patterns Developer Guide

The patterns framework is a Java-based, object-oriented framework, that provides the base classes that pattern implementations specialize. You can use the generalized or the specialized UML patterns framework as the patterns framework root for your pattern library. You can use the specialized patterns framework to extend the generalized framework and support pattern role-related creation.

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The generalized patterns framework is a default framework that defines the common default behavior across all pattern implementations. This framework implements the necessary patterns service protocols that activate the pattern in the product.

For more information about designing pattern code with the generalized framework, see the com.ibm.xtools.patterns.framework package that contains the AbstractPatternParameter class. The AbstractPatternParameter class is the common implementation for a pattern parameter and is used indirectly through another subclass that further specializes this class. The abstract pattern parameter is the primary abstraction at runtime that enables an extension to occur through parameters, parameter dependencies and delegates. This class contains hot spots that you can override. Most pattern implementations implement some or most of these hot spots by overriding their hot spots methods. The most frequently implemented hot spots are the expand and isValid methods which you can use to resolve and determine the validity of alternatively specified parameter values.

The specialized patterns framework extends the generalized framework and supports pattern role-related creation. The pattern libraries in the specialized patterns framework depend on both the specialized patterns framework and the generalized patterns framework. The model-operative patterns operate on UML models and their respective elements. The specialized patterns framework supports the implementation of pattern participant role traceability within the design pattern library. For more information about designing pattern code with the specialized framework, see the com.ibm.xtools.patterns.framework.specialized package that contains the AbstractPatternLibrary class, which offers more features than the standard generalized patterns framework.


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