Pattern : PATTERN LANGUAGE SUMMARY
- PROBLEM : How do you give the reader an overview of a set of
patterns?
- CONTEXT : You are writing a pattern language describing
the solution for a complex problem.
- FORCES :
- A pattern language should be more than
just the sum of its parts.
- The connections
between patterns (how they relate with one another) are
not always obvious.
- Inter-pattern
relationships are sometimes difficult to understand
solely from the perspective of the patterns involved in
the relationships.
- Describing the
relationships between many patterns in one place takes
extra effort and increases the bulk of the language.
- SOLUTION : Identify the set of patterns as a pattern language and write a summary which introduces the larger problem and the
patterns which contribute to solving it. This summary explains why the patterns belong together, the common threads found in more than one
pattern, and how the patterns can be used together to do something useful.
- RATIONALE : A Pattern Language Summary provides the "big picture" while the related patterns section of each pattern provide
the detailed linkages.
