What makes a good pattern?
Just filling in the template does not make a pattern. Patterns should have the following properties (taken directly from [Lea]): Encapsulation Each pattern encapsulates a well defined problem/solution. Patterns are independent, specific, and precisely formulated enough to make clear when they apply and whether they capture real problems and issues, and to ensure that each step of synthesis results in the construction of a complete, recognizable entity, where each part makes sense as an in-the-small whole. Generativity Each entry contains a local, self-standing process prescription describing how to construct realizations. Pattern entries are written to be usable by all development participants, not merely trained designers. Many patterns are unashamedly “recipes”, mirroring the “unselfconscious” procedures characteristic of traditional methodless construction. An expert may still use a pattern in the same way that an expert chef uses a cooking recipe — to help create a personal vi
