Qué es un patrón de diseño y qué tipos existen

What is a design pattern?

Design patterns are proven solutions to common problems faced by software developers. They emerged when the famous group known as the "Gang of Four" realized that many challenges in software development were recurring. By implementing specific solutions to these problems, the group put together an essential book on design patterns.

What are the categories of design patterns?

Design patterns fall into three broad categories:

1. Creation Patterns: These patterns improve the way class instances are created within software development. They focus on encapsulating and hiding the creation of classes so that developers can use them without exposing internal details. The most common patterns in Android are:

   • Singleton
   • Builder
   • Factory

2. Structural Patterns: Their objective is to facilitate the structuring of projects, making software structures robust. They allow, when expanding a class, to have a solid base to develop new components. Common structural patterns include:

   • Adapter
   • Proxy
   • Facade (also known as "Facade")

3. Behavioral Patterns: These patterns focus on decoupling and delegating responsibility for communication between classes, facilitating better interaction between them. The most used in Android are:

   • Observer, which is fundamental in libraries such as LiveData.
   • Command

Why are design patterns important in Android?

In Android development, design patterns are crucial for several reasons:

• Standardization: They allow developers to follow a set of best practices, ensuring that code is clean, efficient and easy to understand.

• Reusability: They facilitate the reuse of proven solutions, saving time and effort in the development of new functionality.

• Maintainability: They help create code that is easier to maintain and scale over time, which is essential in an environment as dynamic as mobile development.

Practical tips for implementing design patterns

• Understand the problem: Before choosing a pattern, make sure you fully understand the problem to be solved.

• Follow examples: Review how other developers have applied patterns in similar projects and learn from their implementations.

• Prototyping: Before introducing a pattern in a large project, test its implementation in a controlled environment to make sure it meets your needs.

• Document your code: Explain why a certain pattern has been implemented and how, to facilitate maintenance and future developments.

As you advance in your development skills, these patterns will become essential tools that will allow you to approach the challenges of software development in a more structured and efficient way. Don't stop here, keep exploring and perfecting your mastery of the art of programming!