Try to solve this real problem: Object Creation

// language: ruby
create :user, name: "John"
create :admin_user, name: "Jane"

• Complex Creation Logic: The creation logic for different user types can become complex and difficult to manage if implemented in a single place.
• Code Duplication: Without a proper structure, you might end up duplicating code when creating different types of user accounts.

An example of bad design

// language: ruby
class User
  attr_accessor :name, :role

  def initialize(name, role)
    @name = name
    @role = role
  end
end

def create_user(type, name)
  case type
  when :admin
    user = User.new(name, 'Admin')
    # Additional admin-specific initialization
  when :guest
    user = User.new(name, 'Guest')
    # Additional guest-specific initialization
  when :member
    user = User.new(name, 'Member')
    # Additional member-specific initialization
  else
    raise "Unknown user type: #{type}"
  end
  user
end

# Usage
admin = create_user(:admin, 'Alice')
guest = create_user(:guest, 'Bob')
member = create_user(:member, 'Charlie')

puts admin.role  # Output: Admin
puts guest.role  # Output: Guest
puts member.role # Output: Member

1. Poor Maintainability: The create_user method becomes hard to maintain as the logic for creating different types of users grows. Any change in the initialization logic must be manually updated in multiple places.
2. Code Duplication: Common initialization logic for different user types may be duplicated, leading to code bloat.
3. Violation of Single Responsibility Principle: The client code is responsible for both the creation and the business logic, making it harder to manage.
4. Scalability: Adding a new user type requires modifying the create_user method, which increases the risk of introducing bugs.

Factory Pattern

• Encapsulation of Object Creation: Encapsulates the object creation process to separate it from the code that uses the objects.
• Flexibility: Makes it easy to introduce new types of objects without changing the existing code.
• Single Responsibility Principle: Adheres to the Single Responsibility Principle by separating the object creation logic from the business logic.

Implementing Factory Pattern in Ruby

// language: ruby
class User
  attr_accessor :name, :role

  def initialize(name, role)
    @name = name
    @role = role
  end
end

class Admin < User
  def initialize(name)
    super(name, 'Admin')
    # Additional admin-specific initialization
  end
end

class Guest < User
  def initialize(name)
    super(name, 'Guest')
    # Additional guest-specific initialization
  end
end

class Member < User
  def initialize(name)
    super(name, 'Member')
    # Additional member-specific initialization
  end
end

class UserFactory
  def self.create_user(type, name)
    case type
    when :admin
      Admin.new(name)
    when :guest
      Guest.new(name)
    when :member
      Member.new(name)
    else
      raise "Unknown user type: #{type}"
    end
  end
end

# Usage
admin = UserFactory.create_user(:admin, 'Alice')
guest = UserFactory.create_user(:guest, 'Bob')
member = UserFactory.create_user(:member, 'Charlie')

puts admin.role  # Output: Admin
puts guest.role  # Output: Guest
puts member.role # Output: Member

More Practical Examples

// language: ruby
class Shape
  def draw
    raise 'Abstract method called'
  end
end

class Circle < Shape
  def draw
    puts "Drawing a Circle"
  end
end

class Square < Shape
  def draw
    puts "Drawing a Square"
  end
end

class Triangle < Shape
  def draw
    puts "Drawing a Triangle"
  end
end

class ShapeFactory
  def self.create_shape(type)
    case type
    when :circle
      Circle.new
    when :square
      Square.new
    when :triangle
      Triangle.new
    else
      raise "Unknown shape type: #{type}"
    end
  end
end

# Usage
circle = ShapeFactory.create_shape(:circle)
circle.draw  # Output: Drawing a Circle

square = ShapeFactory.create_shape(:square)
square.draw  # Output: Drawing a Square

triangle = ShapeFactory.create_shape(:triangle)
triangle.draw  # Output: Drawing a Triangle

// language: ruby
class Notification
  def send_message(message)
    raise 'Abstract method called'
  end
end

class EmailNotification < Notification
  def send_message(message)
    puts "Sending Email: #{message}"
  end
end

class SMSNotification < Notification
  def send_message(message)
    puts "Sending SMS: #{message}"
  end
end

class PushNotification < Notification
  def send_message(message)
    puts "Sending Push Notification: #{message}"
  end
end

class NotificationFactory
  def self.create_notification(type)
    case type
    when :email
      EmailNotification.new
    when :sms
      SMSNotification.new
    when :push
      PushNotification.new
    else
      raise "Unknown notification type: #{type}"
    end
  end
end

# Usage
email = NotificationFactory.create_notification(:email)
email.send_message("Hello via Email")  # Output: Sending Email: Hello via Email

sms = NotificationFactory.create_notification(:sms)
sms.send_message("Hello via SMS")  # Output: Sending SMS: Hello via SMS

push = NotificationFactory.create_notification(:push)
push.send_message("Hello via Push Notification")  # Output: Sending Push Notification: Hello via Push Notification

Conclusion