Skip to main content

Python Example

"""
Strategy Design Pattern

Intent: Lets you define a family of algorithms, put each of them into a separate
class, and make their objects interchangeable.
"""


from __future__ import annotations
from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
from typing import List


class Context():
"""
The Context defines the interface of interest to clients.
"""

def __init__(self, strategy: Strategy) -> None:
"""
Usually, the Context accepts a strategy through the constructor, but
also provides a setter to change it at runtime.
"""

self._strategy = strategy

@property
def strategy(self) -> Strategy:
"""
The Context maintains a reference to one of the Strategy objects. The
Context does not know the concrete class of a strategy. It should work
with all strategies via the Strategy interface.
"""

return self._strategy

@strategy.setter
def strategy(self, strategy: Strategy) -> None:
"""
Usually, the Context allows replacing a Strategy object at runtime.
"""

self._strategy = strategy

def do_some_business_logic(self) -> None:
"""
The Context delegates some work to the Strategy object instead of
implementing multiple versions of the algorithm on its own.
"""

# ...

print("Context: Sorting data using the strategy (not sure how it'll do it)")
result = self._strategy.do_algorithm(["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"])
print(",".join(result))

# ...


class Strategy(ABC):
"""
The Strategy interface declares operations common to all supported versions
of some algorithm.

The Context uses this interface to call the algorithm defined by Concrete
Strategies.
"""

@abstractmethod
def do_algorithm(self, data: List):
pass


"""
Concrete Strategies implement the algorithm while following the base Strategy
interface. The interface makes them interchangeable in the Context.
"""


class ConcreteStrategyA(Strategy):
def do_algorithm(self, data: List) -> List:
return sorted(data)


class ConcreteStrategyB(Strategy):
def do_algorithm(self, data: List) -> List:
return reversed(sorted(data))


if __name__ == "__main__":
# The client code picks a concrete strategy and passes it to the context.
# The client should be aware of the differences between strategies in order
# to make the right choice.

context = Context(ConcreteStrategyA())
print("Client: Strategy is set to normal sorting.")
context.do_some_business_logic()
print()

print("Client: Strategy is set to reverse sorting.")
context.strategy = ConcreteStrategyB()
context.do_some_business_logic()
Client: Strategy is set to normal sorting.
Context: Sorting data using the strategy (not sure how it'll do it)
a,b,c,d,e

Client: Strategy is set to reverse sorting.
Context: Sorting data using the strategy (not sure how it'll do it)
e,d,c,b,a