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Design Patterns
A Design Pattern is a template for solving commonly recurring design problems. A Design Pattern consists of a series of elements and connectors that can be reused in a new context. The advantage of using these Patterns is they have been tested and refined in a number contexts and so are typically robust solutions to common problems.
Enterprise Architect provides extensive support for both creating and using Design Patterns. Patterns are typically created by experienced modelers who can see how to distil an abstract problem and solution from a concrete model. The Pattern user must be able to identify the correct Pattern to use and must select appropriate names for the elements of the Pattern in the context.
Patterns can be saved from any diagram, creating an XML file that describes the Pattern; these files can be imported into a repository as a resource that can then be used in any context.
Sparx-Created GoF Patterns
To help you start using Design Patterns in Enterprise Architect, Sparx Systems provides you with an MDG Technology for the Patterns originally published in the book Design Patterns - Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma et al., referred to as the 'Gang of Four' or GoF Patterns. When the Technology is enabled, you can access these Patterns through a set of Toolbox pages.
Notes
- You can transport all Patterns listed in the Resources window between projects, using the 'Configure > Model > Transfer > Export Reference Data' and 'Import Reference Data' ribbon options