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The builder pattern

Ashish Jaiman
02.14.2003
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The builder pattern allows a client object to construct a complex object by specifying only its type and content. The client is shielded from the details of the object's construction. It is a pattern for step-by-step creation of a complex object so that the same construction process can create different representations. It is the routine in the builder pattern that also makes for finer control over the construction process. All the different builders generally inherit from an abstract builder class that declares the general functions to be used by the director to let the builder create the product in parts.

Builder has a similar motivation to the abstract factory but, whereas in that pattern the client uses the abstract factory class methods to create its own object, in builder the client instructs the builder class on how to create the object and then asks it for the result. How the class is put together is up

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to the builder class. It's a subtle difference.

The builder pattern is applicable when the algorithm for creating a complex object should be independent of the parts that make up the object and how they are assembled, and the construction process must allow different representations for the object that's constructed.

Example

Below is an example of creating a house. The clients asks the director (CDirector class) to create a house by calling BuildHouse method, which takes a boolean parameter (blnBackyard). The director then creates an apartment (Concrete Builder) if the blnBackyard is false or a single family home (Concrete Builder) if the blnBackyard is true (both of them implements IHouse interface) and returns IHouse (Abstract Builder) Interface. The director does the complex building of a house and the client gets back IHouse interface that it codes against without worrying about the creation of house, rooms, backyard, etc.

Diagram [IMAGE]

VB.NET implementation

Source: DotNetExtreme.com

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