Design Patterns Resources

Summary: This module contains links to additional resources for Design Patterns in object-oriented programming.

Links

Connexions lens on Design Patterns

This collection of modules covers most of the design patterns used in introductory and intermediate level object-oriented programming and design. This lens was created as a resource for the CNX "Principles of Object-Oriented Design" course. The modules are separate from the course materials and contain reference and supplemental information.

Research papers by D. X. Nguyen and S. Wong

These are the research papers upon which much of the CNX "Principles of Object-Oriented Design" course is based. Some of the papers cover more advanced material however. All of the papers are in Java.

Books

Design Patterns, Elements Of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, by Gamma, Helm, Johnson, and Vlissides, Addison-Wesley, 1995. ISBN 0201633612

This is the bible of the pattern community. It predates Java. The authors are affectionately referred to as the Gang of Four (GoF). All examples are written in C++ and/or Smalltalk. It can be hard to read if you are not familiar with these two languages, though the ideas are language independent. The "pattern language" used in this book also requires a lot of getting used to. We have learned so much from this book, and we are still reading it and learning from it. There is a version on CD-ROM which is cheaper (and perhaps, more versatile). We strongly recommend it, especially to any student considering further work in object-oriented programming.

Head First Design Patterns, First Edition, by Eric Freeman and Elizabeth Freeman, O'Reilly, 2004. ISBN 0-596-00712-4

A very approachable, easy-reading book on design patterns for beginners that is written in Java. highly recommended for anyone just starting out with design patterns.