CSE687 - Object Oriented Design

Design Note #6
Executive Control Flow Narrative

Design Note #6:

Most applications are structured to have an Executive package that is responsible for carrying out all the tasks for the application. It does this through a set of helper packages where often each helper is responsible for one of the major tasks.

The Executive is responsible for creating and activating the helper objects. If we name the helper packages and classes effectively, the text of the Executive is simply a narrative description of its activities, making learning and maintaining the application much easier than it might otherwise be.

• If we think of a class's interface as a language we develop, then client code simply uses that language to carry out its responsibilities.
• An Executive uses its helper package languages to execute the application. Often, the helpers may themselves be lower-level executives, so the text of the top several package layers of the application are self describing. They display to the reader their activities through text narrative in the language of the packages they use.
• Code is read much more often than it is compiled. A team can become very productive if each of its developers makes the effort to write self describing code in just the sense described above.

  When you use my code, think about how much harder it would be if I didn't write self describing code.

Conclusions: