Dependencies
Introduction
In this chapter you will explore the dependency mechanisms of Smalltalk.
The dependency mechanism is one of the most powerful features of the Smalltalk
environment, yet it is often not used or used poorly in Smalltalk programs.
When applied properly it can speed the development process and insulate
classes from the changes that occur during an evolutionary development process.
We will discuss:
- How the dependency mechanism works
- Some real-world examples of the dependency mechanism
- The steps involved in using the dependency mechanism
- Reasons to use the dependency mechanism
- Common methods to call
- Common methods to implement
- Special methods available in some versions of Smalltalk
- Some pitfalls to avoid in using the dependency mechanism
- How dependencies are used in the Model-View-Controller (MVC) paradigm
present in the initial version of Smalltalk-80
- How dependencies are used in some of the alternatives to MVC.
more to follow...