Visitor Design Pattern

What is the Visitor Design Pattern? 

• Allows us to add methods to classes of different types without much altering to those classes. 
• We can make completely different methods depending on the class used
• Allows us to define external classes that can extend other classes

Below is an example on the Diagram :

 

 

Step 1. ComputerPart Interface 

public interface ComputerPart {

   public void accept(ComputerPartVisitor computerPartVisitor);

}

Step2 

Create concrete classes extending the above class.

Keyboard.java

public class Keyboard implements ComputerPart {

   @Override
   public void accept(ComputerPartVisitor computerPartVisitor) {
      computerPartVisitor.visit(this);
   }

}

Monitor.java

public class Monitor implements ComputerPart {

   @Override
   public void accept(ComputerPartVisitor computerPartVisitor) {
      computerPartVisitor.visit(this);
   }
}

Computer.java

public class Computer implements ComputerPart {
    
   ComputerPart[] parts;

   public Computer(){
      parts = new ComputerPart[] {new Mouse(), new Keyboard(), new Monitor()};        
   } 


   @Override
   public void accept(ComputerPartVisitor computerPartVisitor) {
      for (int i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
         parts[i].accept(computerPartVisitor);
      }
      computerPartVisitor.visit(this);
   }
}

Step 3

Define an interface to represent visitor.

ComputerPartVisitor.java

 

public interface ComputerPartVisitor {
    public void visit(Computer computer);
    public void visit(Mouse mouse);
    public void visit(Keyboard keyboard);
    public void visit(Monitor monitor);
}

Step 4

Create concrete visitor implementing the above class.

ComputerPartDisplayVisitor.java

public class ComputerPartDisplayVisitor implements ComputerPartVisitor {

   @Override
   public void visit(Computer computer) {
      System.out.println("Displaying Computer.");
   }

   @Override
   public void visit(Mouse mouse) {
      System.out.println("Displaying Mouse.");
   }

   @Override
   public void visit(Keyboard keyboard) {
      System.out.println("Displaying Keyboard.");
   }

   @Override
   public void visit(Monitor monitor) {
      System.out.println("Displaying Monitor.");
   }
}

Step 5

Use the ComputerPartDisplayVisitor to display parts of Computer.

VisitorPatternDemo.java

public class VisitorPatternDemo {
   public static void main(String[] args) {

      ComputerPart computer = new Computer();
      computer.accept(new ComputerPartDisplayVisitor());
   }
}

 

Another Example: