"Elwin Estle" <chrysalis_reb...@yahoo.com> wrote
Is it better to have one large sort of "do it all" class,
or break the larger class up into smaller classes?
Usually the latter. But remember that classes model objects.
Objects usually have a direct relationship to some kind of
"real world" entity - even if its an abstract conceptual entity.
So if the attributes and behaviours are all exhibited by the
thing you are modelling then they should maybe stay together.
But uasually the big thing can be modelled as a composition
of smaller things...
Seems to me like the one large class would be clearer
in some ways.
Very rarely is a big lump of code clearer than several small
single purpose lumps of code. And big lumps of code are
nearly always harder to reuse - one of the other reasons
to create classes...
I have something I am trying to do that have somewhere
in the neighborhood of 20 attributes that all relate together,
however there are sort of "clumps" of attributes that have
a sub-relationship to each other
Without specifics we can't be sure. But it sounds like you
have a composite structure. OTOH 20 attributes is not
enormous - 200 would be, but not 20. But even 20 is enough
to challenge.
I have only the foggiest notion of inheritance
It doesn't sound like inheritance is an issue here. It sounds
like we are talking about composition. But without specific
details we can't be sure.
Remember that the thing that defines a class should be
its operations not its data. Do these smaller "clumps of attributes"
have common behaviour associated with them? The data
should only be there to support the operations.
HTH,
--
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/
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