[BangPypers] designing programs

[steve]

On 06/25/2010 11:04 AM, Kenneth Gonsalves wrote:
> On Friday 25 June 2010 10:57:00 Elvis Joel D'Souza wrote:
>>  >  program
>>  >  has to do something one has to sketch out the data structures and
>>  >  functions that are needed to get the thing done with the least possible
>>  >  effort.
>>
>>  I think you are referring to Design Patterns
>>  Head First Design Patterns can help...
>>  http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596007126
>>
>
> I am not referring to Design Patterns - I think flow charting is the word I am
> looking for

Like Noufal said, nothing beats pen and paper. What I usually do is:

a. Draw boxes -- Start from the most high-level components that you can identify 
and draw separate boxes for each one. Connect them up with lines to describe 
relationships. Then start with each individual box on a new piece of paper and 
break it down the same way.

b. Sometimes it helps to draw a mind map[1]. There are of course mind mapping 
software too. Google for those.

c. Once i reach a point where drawing boxes and maps doesn't make things any 
clearer and the only thing that will clarify it further is code, I make a 
skeletal file+class+methods -- if possible, I also write test cases (with the 
skeletal classes/functions returning dummy data so that tests pass).

d. I start coding :).

The problem with trying to create a complete and authoritative design using 
formal tools is, the design just gets obsolete almost as soon as you start 
coding, since updating the design to reflect changes introduced by reality (as 
opposed to abstract ideas, which is what one works with during design) is 
painful, nobody does it (at least not by the end when the product is almost ready).

Here is something I'll always remember because it changed my thoughts on the 
matter of design completely:
  http://www.developerdotstar.com/mag/articles/reeves_design_main.html

hth,
cheers,
- steve

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map
-- 
random spiel: http://lonetwin.net/
what i'm stumbling into: http://lonetwin.stumbleupon.com/