The Structure of a Design Pattern

A pattern is presented in the form of a rule that establishes the relationship between a context, a system of forces that arises in the context and a configuration that allows these forces to resolve themselves in the context.

Component Elements of a Design Pattern

A design pattern should have a:

• Pattern name and a description
• Context outline - the contexts in which the pattern is effective in responding to the users needs.
• Problem statement - a statement of the problem being addressed.
• Solution - a description of how the problem is solved.
• Design - a description of pattern's design and the user's behavior in interacting with it.
• Implementation - a guide to how the pattern is implemented
• Illustrations - a visual representation of classes in the pattern
• Examples - an implementation of the pattern in the minimal form.
• Co-requisites - supporting patterns needed.
• Relations - other patterns that resemble this pattern.
• Known usage - where and how the pattern is used.
• Discussions - thoughts on the benefits of the pattern.

Though the initial cost for creating a pattern is really high, the value return from that can be quite worth it.