Façade Pattern

Summary

• The role of the Façade pattern is to provide different high-level views of subsystems whose details are hidden from users.
• The Façade pattern is used to reorganize a system with many subsystems into identifiable layers with single entry points. Essentially, simplifies the interface to a complex subsystem.
• The Façade pattern can be used to make frequent use of a system faster, or to differentiate between novices and power users.
• Everything in the façade has to be public so that the Client, which is compiled into a different assembly, can access it. The classes all have the default internal visibility, limiting access to them to the assembly in which they were compiled (excluding the Client).
• The Façade pattern uses the C# concept of namespaces.

Alternative implementations of the Façade pattern

Transparent Façades

• Change all the internal modifiers to public, which will make the façade optional, or transparent.
• That is, as well as being able to go through the Façade, the client will be able to instantiate System classes directly.

Static Façades

• This implies that façade is a static class.
• No instantiation is necessary; the user interfaces with the façade class directly.

Class diagram: (see Façade Pattern code review)

Usage

Use the Façade pattern when:

• Subsystem operations can only be called through the Façade.
• Subsystem operations can be called directly as well as through the Façade.