• Table of Contents

  Page X

• Intro

  Page XXV

• Chapter 1: Intro to Design Patterns

  Page 1

• Chapter 2: the Observer Pattern

  Page 37

• Chapter 3: the Decorator Pattern

  Page 79

• Chapter 4: the Factory Pattern

  Page 109

• Chapter 5: the Singleton Pattern

  Page 169

• Chapter 6: the Command Pattern

  Page 191

• Chapter 7: the Adapter and Facade Patterns

  Page 235

• Chapter 8: the Template Method Pattern

  Page 275

• Chapter 9: the Iterator and Composite Patterns

  Page 315

• Chapter 10: the State Pattern

  Page 385

• Chapter 11: the Proxy Pattern

  Page 429

• Chapter 12: Compound Patterns

  Page 499

• Chapter 13: Better Living with Patterns

  Page 577

• Appendix: Leftover Patterns

  Page 611

• Index

  Page 631

You're not alone.

At any given moment, somewhere in the world someone struggles with the same software design problems you have. You know you don't want to reinvent the wheel (or worse, a flat tire), so you look to Design Patterns--the lessons learned by those who've faced the same problems. With Design Patterns, you get to take advantage of the best practices and experience of others, so that you can spend your time on...something else. Something more challenging. Something more complex. Something more fun.

You want to learn about the patterns that matter--why to use them, when to use them, how to use them (and when NOT to use them). But you don't just want to see how patterns look in a book, you want to know how they look "in the wild". In their native environment. In other words, in real world applications. You also want to learn how patterns are used in the Java API, and how to exploit Java's built-in pattern support in your own code.

You want to learn the real OO design principles and why everything your boss told you about inheritance might be wrong (and what to do instead). You want to learn how those principles will help the next time you're up a creek without a design pattern.

Most importantly, you want to learn the "secret language" of Design Patterns so that you can hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions his stunningly clever use of Command, Facade, Proxy, and Factory in between sips of a martini. You'll easily counter with your deep understanding of why Singleton isn't as simple as it sounds, how the Factory is so often misunderstood, or on the real relationship between Decorator, Facade and Adapter.

With Head First Design Patterns, you'll avoid the embarrassment of thinking Decorator is something from the "Trading Spaces" show. Best of all, in a way that won't put you to sleep! We think your time is too important (and too short) to spend it struggling with academic texts.

If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First Design Patterns will load patterns into your brain in a way that sticks. In a way that lets you put them to work immediately. In a way that makes you better at solving software design problems, and better at speaking the language of patterns with others on your team.