Template Method

Define the skeleton of an algorithm in an operation, deferring some steps to subclasses. Template Method lets subclasses redefine certain steps of an algorithm without changing the algorithm structure

Introduction

• Classification: Behavior Pattern

• Purpose: Template Method builds an algorithmic framework in an operator, leaving the definition of a few steps to subclasses without changing the general structure of the algorithm.

• Frequency of use: average

Problem

Imagine that you’re creating a data mining application that analyzes corporate documents. Users feed the app documents in various formats (PDF, DOC, CSV), and it tries to extract meaningful data from these docs in a uniform format.

The first version of the app could work only with DOC files. In the following version, it was able to support CSV files. A month later, you “taught” it to extract data from PDF files.

Data mining classes contained a lot of duplicate code.

At some point, you noticed that all three classes have a lot of similar code. While the code for dealing with various data formats was entirely different in all classes, the code for data processing and analysis is almost identical. Wouldn’t it be great to get rid of the code duplication, leaving the algorithm structure intact?

There was another problem related to client code that used these classes. It had lots of conditionals that picked a proper course of action depending on the class of the processing object. If all three processing classes had a common interface or a base class, you’d be able to eliminate the conditionals in client code and use polymorphism when calling methods on a processing object.

Solution

The Template Method pattern suggests that you break down an algorithm into a series of steps, turn these steps into methods, and put a series of calls to these methods inside a single template method. The steps may either be abstract, or have some default implementation. To use the algorithm, the client is supposed to provide its own subclass, implement all abstract steps, and override some of the optional ones if needed (but not the template method itself).

Let’s see how this will play out in our data mining app. We can create a base class for all three parsing algorithms. This class defines a template method consisting of a series of calls to various document-processing steps.

Template method breaks the algorithm into steps, allowing subclasses to override these steps but not the actual method.

At first, we can declare all steps abstract, forcing the subclasses to provide their own implementations for these methods. In our case, subclasses already have all necessary implementations, so the only thing we might need to do is adjust signatures of the methods to match the methods of the superclass.

Now, let’s see what we can do to get rid of the duplicate code. It looks like the code for opening/closing files and extracting/parsing data is different for various data formats, so there’s no point in touching those methods. However, implementation of other steps, such as analyzing the raw data and composing reports, is very similar, so it can be pulled up into the base class, where subclasses can share that code.

As you can see, we’ve got two types of steps:

• abstract steps must be implemented by every subclass

• optional steps already have some default implementation, but still can be overridden if needed

There’s another type of step, called hooks. A hook is an optional step with an empty body. A template method would work even if a hook isn’t overridden. Usually, hooks are placed before and after crucial steps of algorithms, providing subclasses with additional extension points for an algorithm.

Real-World Analogy

A typical architectural plan can be slightly altered to better fit the client’s needs.

The template method approach can be used in mass housing construction. The architectural plan for building a standard house may contain several extension points that would let a potential owner adjust some details of the resulting house.

Each building step, such as laying the foundation, framing, building walls, installing plumbing and wiring for water and electricity, etc., can be slightly changed to make the resulting house a little bit different from others.

Structure

Components in the model:

• AbstractClass declares methods that act as steps of an algorithm, as well as the actual template method that calls these methods in a specific order. Steps can be declared as abstract or have some default implementation.

• Concrete classes can override all steps, but not the template method itself.

Advantages & disadvantages

Advantage

• Reuse code (reuse), avoid duplicate code (duplicate): put duplicate parts into the abstract class.

• Allows users to override only certain parts of large algorithms, making them less affected by changes that occur to other parts of the algorithm.

Disadvantage

• The more steps a template method has to override, the more difficult it is to maintain.

When to use it

• When there is an algorithm with multiple steps and it is desired to allow customization of them in the subclass.

• It is desirable to have only a single abstract method implementation of an algorithm.

• Expect common behavior between subclasses to be placed in a common class.

• Superclasses can call behaviors in their subclasses consistently (step by step).

Applicability

• Use the Template Method pattern when you want to let clients extend only particular steps of an algorithm, but not the whole algorithm or its structure.

  • The Template Method lets you turn a monolithic algorithm into a series of individual steps which can be easily extended by subclasses while keeping intact the structure defined in a superclass.

• Use the pattern when you have several classes that contain almost identical algorithms with some minor differences. As a result, you might need to modify all classes when the algorithm changes.

  • When you turn such an algorithm into a template method, you can also pull up the steps with similar implementations into a superclass, eliminating code duplication. Code that varies between subclasses can remain in subclasses.

How to Implement

1. Analyze the target algorithm to see whether you can break it into steps. Consider which steps are common to all subclasses and which ones will always be unique.

2. Create the abstract base class and declare the template method and a set of abstract methods representing the algorithm’s steps. Outline the algorithm’s structure in the template method by executing corresponding steps. Consider making the template method final to prevent subclasses from overriding it.

3. It’s okay if all the steps end up being abstract. However, some steps might benefit from having a default implementation. Subclasses don’t have to implement those methods.

4. Think of adding hooks between the crucial steps of the algorithm.

5. For each variation of the algorithm, create a new concrete subclass. It must implement all of the abstract steps, but may also override some of the optional ones.

Relations with Other Patterns

• Factory Method is a specialization of Template Method. At the same time, a Factory Method may serve as a step in a large Template Method.

• Template Method is based on inheritance: it lets you alter parts of an algorithm by extending those parts in subclasses. Strategy is based on composition: you can alter parts of the object’s behavior by supplying it with different strategies that correspond to that behavior. Template Method works at the class level, so it’s static. Strategy works on the object level, letting you switch behaviors at runtime.