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Decorator Pattern Tutorial

This tutorial is aimed to guide the definition and application of Gang of Four (GoF) decorator design pattern. By reading this tutorial, you will know how to develop a model for the decorator pattern, and how to apply it in practice.

Compatible edition(s): Enterprise, Professional, Standard

  • October 8, 2009
  • Views: 27,369
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Modeling Design Pattern with Class Diagram

  1. Create a new project Design Patterns.
  2. Create a class diagram Decorator.
    new diagram
  3. Select Class from diagram toolbar. Click on the diagram to create a class. Name it as Component.
    new component class
  4. Right-click on Component, and select Model Element Properties > Abstract to set it as abstract.
    set component abstract
  5. Right-click on the Component class, and select Add > Operation from the popup menu.
    add operation
  6. Name the operation Operation().
  7. Right-click on Operation, and select Model Element Properties > Abstract to set it as abstract.
    set oper abstract
  8. Move the mouse cursor over the Component class, and drag out Generalization > Class to create a subclass ConcreteComponent. Repeat this step to create another subclass Decorator.
    concrete component decorator created
  9. ConcreteComponent should inherit the operations from Component. Select ConcreteComponent, right-click on and select Related Elements > Realize all Interfaces from the popup menu.
    realizeInterface
  10. Decorator is an abstract class. Right-click on the Decorator class, and select Model Element Properties > Abstract to set it as abstract.
    set decorator abstract
  11. Decorator should also inherit the operations from Component. Select Decorator, right-click on and select Related Elements > Realize all Interfaces from the popup menu.
    realize decorator
  12. Move the mouse cursor over the Decorator class, and drag out Aggregation > Class to Component. Name the Component's role as component.
    create association between decorator and component
  13. Move the mouse cursor over the Decorator class, and drag out Generalization > Class to create a subclass ConcreteDecorator.
  14. We shall make ConcreteDecorator implements the decorator operation. Select Operation in Decorator.
    select oper
  15. Press the Ctrl key, and drag to ConcreteDecorator.
    concrete decorator
  16. In practice, there may be added behaviors in concrete decorators. To represent this, stereotype the class ConcreteDecorator as PTN Members Creatable. Right-click on ConcreteDecorator and select Stereotypes > Stereotypes... from the popup menu.
    stereotype concrete decorator
  17. In the Stereotypes tab of the Class Specification dialog box, select PTN Members Creatable and click > to assign it to Component class. Click OK to confirm.
    set members creatable
    Up to now, the diagram should look like this:
    set concrete decorator members creatable

Defining Pattern

  1. Select all classes on the class diagram.
    select all classes
  2. Right-click on the selection and select Define Design Pattern... from the popup menu.
    define design pattern
  3. In the Define Design Pattern dialog box, specify the pattern name Decorator. Keep the file name as it. Click OK to proceed.
    name decorator

Applying Design Pattern on Class Diagram

In this section, we are going to apply the decorator pattern to model a domain model of diagram editor.

  1. Create a new project Diagram Editor.
  2. Create a class diagram Domain Model.
  3. Right-click on the class diagram and select Utilities > Apply Design Pattern... from the popup menu.
    apply design pattern
  4. In the Design Pattern dialog box, select Decorator from the list of patterns.
    select decorator
  5. Click on Component in the overview.
    select component
  6. Rename Component to Shape at the bottom pane, and operation Operation to Draw.
    rename component
  7. Select ConcreteComponent in overview, and rename it to LineShape, and its operation Operation to Draw at the bottom pane.
    rename concrete component
  8. Select Decorator in overview, and rename it to ShapeDecorator, and its operation Operation to Draw at the bottom pane.
    rename decorator
  9. Select ConcreteDecorator in overview, and rename it to BorderedShape, and its operation Operation to Draw at the bottom pane.
    rename concrete decorator
  10. We need several operations for additional behaviors in BorderedDecorator. Click on the + button at the bottom pane and select New Operation... from the popup menu.
    new oper
  11. In the Operation Specification dialog box, enter RenderBorder as operation name. Click OK to confirm.
    render border
  12. Click OK to apply the pattern to diagram. This is the final diagram:
    result



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