Intro to PBE Patterns and Guidelines

Earlier we posted details on the PBE Practice and the case study from the book (both of which are available for download). Another important component from the book is the PBE Patterns and Guidelines. The PBE Patterns and Guidelines support the adoption and execution of PBE focusing on the identification, production, management and consumption of patterns. The PBE Patterns provide proven best practice solutions to recurring issues – that is they’re just like any other pattern, except they apply to the patterns domain (i.e. they’re meta-patterns). The PBE Guidelines are less formal – providing advice and recommendations.

We’ve dedicated a section of the book to providing a reference on the PBE Patterns and Guidelines – and to help understand how to use them they are discussed in both the case study and the PBE Practice. With the case study, each chapter highlights the patterns and guidelines used and then details when and how the patterns and guidelines help the Oslec (the fictional company within the case study) team achieve their goals. For the PBE Practice we highlight the PBE Patterns and Guidelines used to succeed in completing each of the tasks.

Here’s a simple categorized list of the PBE Patterns and Guidelines:

• Foundational: End-to-End Pattern Use, Piecemeal Pattern Creation, Simple Solution Space, Single Pattern-Varied Use Cases, Domain-Driven Patterns, Pattern Search
• Discovering Patterns: Antipatterns, Pattern Opportunity, Recurring Solution, Determine Business Impact, Pattern Description, Pattern Harvest, Update Existing Patterns
• Designing Patterns: Compound Pattern, Exemplar Analysis, Meet-in-the-Middle Pattern Design, Pattern Implementation, Limited Points of Variability, Pattern Creation Lifecycle, Pattern Implementation Extensibility, Team Pattern Implementation Use
• Creating Patterns: Model-to-Model Pattern Implementation, Model-to-Text Pattern Implementation, UML Pattern Implementation, Automate Creation of Pattern Implementation, Pattern Specification, Pattern Testing
• Packaging Patterns: Embed Pattern Implementation Guidance, Provisionable Pattern Implementation, Document Pattern, Document Pattern Relationships, Make Pattern Documentation Easily Accessible, Package Related Patterns Together, Pattern Packaging, Pattern Version, Use Models in Documenting Patterns
• Using DSLs and Patterns: DSL Model Template, Integrated Patterns and DSLs, Create a DSL, Design a DSL, Meaningful Icons in a DSL
• Consuming Patterns: Communicate Design with Patterns, Design Solutions with Patterns, Pattern Density, Pattern Selection Driven by Requirements, Refactor with Patterns, Select Large-Scope Patterns First, Use an Asset Repository, Use Pattern Definitions to Understand Existing Solutions, Use Patterns to Find Patterns