How do you design for portability in object-oriented design?

1 Use abstraction

Abstraction is the process of hiding the implementation details of a software component and exposing only its essential features and behavior. Abstraction can help you design for portability in object-oriented design, by decoupling the interface of an object from its concrete realization. This way, you can change the underlying platform-specific code without affecting the rest of the system that depends on the object. For example, you can use abstract classes or interfaces to define the common behavior of a family of objects, and then implement them using different platform-specific subclasses or classes that conform to the interface.

2 Apply design patterns

Design patterns are reusable solutions to common problems in software design. Design patterns can help you design for portability in object-oriented design, by providing you with proven and flexible structures that can adapt to different contexts and requirements. For example, you can use the bridge pattern to separate the abstraction of an object from its implementation, and then vary them independently. This way, you can support multiple platforms without creating a complex hierarchy of classes. Another example is the adapter pattern, which allows you to convert the interface of an existing class into another interface that is expected by the system. This way, you can reuse existing platform-specific code without modifying it.

3 Avoid hard-coding

Hard-coding is the practice of embedding platform-specific or constant values directly into the source code of a software component. Hard-coding can reduce the portability of your object-oriented design, by making it difficult to modify or reuse the component in different environments or scenarios. For example, hard-coding a file path, a database connection string, or a user interface element can cause errors or inconsistencies when you move the component to another platform or change the configuration. To avoid hard-coding, you should use external resources or configuration files to store these values, and then access them dynamically at runtime.

5 Use frameworks and libraries

Frameworks and libraries are collections of reusable code that provide common functionality or services for software development. Frameworks and libraries can help you design for portability in object-oriented design, by abstracting away the platform-specific details and offering you a consistent and standardized interface to work with. For example, you can use frameworks and libraries that support cross-platform development, such as Java, .NET, Qt, or Flutter, to create software that can run on multiple platforms with minimal or no changes. You can also use frameworks and libraries that follow the object-oriented design principles and patterns, such as Spring, Django, Ruby on Rails, or Laravel, to simplify and accelerate your development process.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?