Abstract factory pattern

<p>The abstract factory pattern in <a href="/facts/Software_engineering/KX6cE9kz">software engineering</a> is a design pattern that provides a way to create families of related objects without imposing their concrete classes, by encapsulating a group of individual <a href="/facts/Factory_object/o3rz6Rgu">factories</a> that have a common theme without specifying their concrete classes. According to this pattern, a client software component creates a concrete implementation of the abstract factory and then uses the generic <a href="/facts/Interface_(object-oriented_programming)/jDMpXoLN">interface</a> of the factory to create the concrete <a href="/facts/Object_(computer_science)/eX99dtAw">objects</a> that are part of the family. The <a href="/facts/Client_(computing)/u0wlVsWI">client</a> does not know which concrete objects it receives from each of these internal factories, as it uses only the generic interfaces of their products. This <a href="/facts/Software_design_pattern/mV7r4egw">pattern</a> separates the details of implementation of a set of objects from their general usage and relies on object composition, as object creation is implemented in methods exposed in the factory interface.
</p><p>Use of this pattern enables interchangeable concrete implementations without changing the code that uses them, even at <a href="/facts/Run_time_(program_lifecycle_phase)/lCxKsrzB">runtime</a>. However, employment of this pattern, as with similar <a href="/facts/Design_pattern_(computer_science)/mV7r4egw">design patterns</a>, may result in unnecessary complexity and extra work in the initial writing of code. Additionally, higher levels of separation and abstraction can result in systems that are more difficult to debug and maintain.
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Abstract factory pattern open-in-new

Abstract factory pattern