Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Adapter pattern
open-in-new
<p>In <a href="/facts/Software_engineering/KX6cE9kz">software engineering</a>, the adapter pattern is a <a href="/facts/Software_design_pattern/mV7r4egw">software design pattern</a> (also known as <a href="/facts/Wrapper_function/nyy4XUdb">wrapper</a>, an alternative naming shared with the <a href="/facts/Decorator_pattern/Pzove9TP">decorator pattern</a>) that allows the <a href="/facts/Interface_(computer_science)/zdfp8unT">interface</a> of an existing <a href="/facts/Class_(computer_science)/zvzkSAtE">class</a> to be used as another interface. It is often used to make existing classes work with others without modifying their <a href="/facts/Source_code/o9J6Jv23">source code</a>. </p><p>An example is an adapter that converts the interface of a <a href="/facts/Document_Object_Model/GglE6jGx">Document Object Model</a> of an <a href="/facts/XML/clNgUfWk">XML</a> document into a tree structure that can be displayed. </p>