Q-1). What is the Abstract Factory Design Pattern?
A-1). The Abstract Factory Pattern is a creational design pattern that provides an interface for creating families of related or dependent objects without specifying their concrete classes.
Q-2). How does the Abstract Factory Pattern differ from the Factory Method Pattern?
A-2). The Factory Method Pattern creates a single product, whereas the Abstract Factory Pattern creates families of related products. The Factory Method Pattern relies on inheritance to delegate object creation to subclasses, while the Abstract Factory Pattern uses composition to delegate object creation to factory classes.
Q-3). What are the key components of the Abstract Factory Pattern?
A-3). The key components are as follows:
- Abstract Factory Interface – Declares methods for creating abstract products.
- Concrete Factories – Implement the abstract factory interface to create specific products.
- Abstract Product Interfaces – Declare interfaces for a set of related products.
- Concrete Products – Implement the abstract product interfaces.
- Client – Uses the factory and product interfaces without knowing their concrete implementations.
Q-4). What are the advantages of using the Abstract Factory Pattern?
A-4). The advantages of using the Abstract Factory Pattern are as follows:
- It isolates the generated concrete classes, making it easier to exchange product families.
- It promotes consistency among products by creating families of related objects.
- It provides a way to encapsulate a group of individual factories.
Q-5). What are the disadvantages of the Abstract Factory Pattern, and how can they be mitigated?
A-5). The disadvantages of using the Abstract Factory Pattern are as follows:
- Increased Complexity – The pattern introduces additional layers of abstraction, which can complicate the code. To mitigate this, use the pattern only when necessary and keep the factory classes well-documented.
- Difficulty in Adding New Products – Adding new product families requires modifying the abstract factory interface and all its concrete implementations. Mitigate this by using default methods or designing for extension.
Q-6). Explain a scenario where the Abstract Factory Pattern might not be the best choice.
A-6). Using the Abstract Factory Pattern may introduce unnecessary complexity in a simple system where the object creation logic is straightforward and unlikely to change. In such cases, direct instantiation of objects or using simpler patterns like the Factory Method would be more appropriate.
Q-7). How can you dynamically switch between different factories in the Abstract Factory Pattern at runtime?
A-7). This can be achieved by using a configuration-based approach or dependency injection. The client can load the appropriate factory implementation based on configuration files, environment variables, or runtime conditions. This promotes flexibility and reduces tight coupling.
Q-8). How would you implement the Abstract Factory Pattern in a language that does not support interfaces (e.g., C)?
A-8). In languages like C, you can use function pointers or structs containing function pointers to simulate interfaces. Define a struct for the abstract factory with function pointers for each product creation method. Concrete factories would then provide implementations of these function pointers.