Re: Ruby's take on S.O.L.I.D.

On Nov 5, 6:27=A0am, Karl von Laudermann <[e-mail]>
wrote:
> On Nov 4, 5:45=A0pm, Mike Lopke <[e-mail]> wrote:


>
> > For example, the typical Liskov Substitution example you see in Java ha=
s
> > the case where you have a Rectangle class and a derived Square class.
> > The Rectangle has an independent width and height. They have to be the
> > same for the Square.
>
> One guiding principle when designing a class heirarchy is that the
> class with fewer data members should be the superclass, and the class
> with more data members should be the subclass. This sometimes leads to
> cases which are counterintuitive with respect to the way we think of
> things in real life. For example, Rectangle should be a subclass of
> Square, not the other way around. This is because the Square class
> only needs one dimension member variable, e.g. "width", and the
> Rectangle subclass needs to add a second one, e.g. "height".

The guiding principle is wrong.  And it's an egregious error I keep
seeing repeated.  Lest a whole new generation of newbies follow this,
lets name the real principle involved in the design of superclasses:
abstraction based on common conceptual denominators, which in cs terms
means essential common datamembers and essential common behavior gets
aggregated to superclasses.  This has NOTHING to do with # of
datamembers.

Repeating: Superclasses are based on common conceptual denominators
(CCD)not on the number of data members.

That in many-to-most cases there are fewer datamembers in the
superclass is true, but not the guiding principle. And classically one
uses the hierarchy to enforce certain constraints based on those CCDs.
Also the simplicity of the example gives false security -- broadening
the problem in question regards general closed shapes.  For example.
if I were designing this, the hierarchy in Ruby psuedocode, to capture
the essential nature of the shapes, you have to encode that nature of
a closed polygon which means closure, no self intercept for any
enclosed area by arbitrary points.  THEN you encode regular polygon
behavior as sides of same length and then, if you need to, name
squares, pentagons, hexagons as regular polygons and rectangles and
similar as closed polygons.

Now purists will scream but "square ARE rectangles!".  Which is poor
thinking. The correct statement is "Squares and Rectangles are four-
sided closed shapes.  Squares have equal sides, rectangles do not."
As always, your *model* and its general power defines the flexibility
of your application.  Ruby pseudocode for clarity below.

class ClosedPolygon

@arrayPoints
@orientation
@anchor
def initialize(arrPoints)
    if NoSelfIntercept=3D=3Dtrue
        raise NotAClosedPolygonException
        end
    if MoreThanOneIntercept=3D=3Dtrue
        raise NotAProperPolygonException
end
def draw
end
def size
return @arrayPoints.length
end
def NoSelfIntercept
end
etc
end

class RegularPolygon < ClosedPolygon
def initialize(arrPoints)
     if checkSidesEqualLength(arrPoints)!=3Dtrue
        raise NotRegularPolygonException
     end
     @arrayPoints=3Darrpoints
end
def checkSidesEqualLength
end
end

class Square < RegularPolygon
def initialize(arrPoints)
    super.initialize(arrPoints)
    if self.size!=3D4
       raise NotASquareException
       end
end
end

class Rectangle < ClosedPolygon  # See!!!  CCD's properly
differentiate
                                 # Square from Rectangle on Essential
characteristics
etc
end

which allows of course the proper definitions of things like

class Pentagon < RegularPolygon
etc
end

class IsoTriangle < ClosedPolygon
etc
end

class EquiTriangle < RegularPolygon
etc
end

which has little to do with datamembers (most are in the superclasses)
and all to do with the common conceptual denominators of abstraction
and where behavior is properly defined.

My best to all.