4
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I am developing a WPF designer where visual elements (rectangles, ellipses, ...) can be inserted, moved, resized and so on. Similar to a simple PowerPoint control.

All the actions should be undo-able, so all modifications to the drawing area's state are implemented as Operations. An operation looks like:

public abstract class Operation
{
    protected Operation(string title) 
    {
        Title = title;
    }

    internal abstract void Do();
    internal abstract void Undo();
    public string Title { get; }
}

There are other classes used in the code below:

  • The IFormDesigner interface is the abstraction of the desinger surface
  • The FormItem class represents the model for one element on the designer and has (beside some other properties) an Order property of type Int32 which determines the element's Z order.

I would like you to take a look on the arrange operation (SendToBack, SendBackward, BringToFront, BringForward). My first approach was, to implement a class ArrangeOperation with an abstract method CalculateNewOrder followed by 4 derived classes (SendToBack, SendBackward, BringToFront, BringForward) that implemented the abstract method. Because the method was called in contructor, I ran into ReSharper's virtual member call in constructor warning. Actually, the warning wasn't a problem in my case, but I want to avoid it anyway because it may become a problem if the code grows...

Finally I end up with a more functional solution:

internal class ArrangeOperation : Operation
{
    private readonly IFormDesigner myDesigner;
    private readonly Dictionary<FormItem, int> myOrdersBefore;
    private readonly Dictionary<FormItem, int> myOrdersAfter;

    private ArrangeOperation(IFormDesigner designer, string title, Action calculateNewOrder) : base(title)
    {
        myDesigner = designer;
        myOrdersBefore = designer.FormElements.ToDictionary(e => e.Model, e => e.Model.Order);
        calculateNewOrder();
        myOrdersAfter = designer.FormElements.ToDictionary(e => e.Model, e => e.Model.Order);
    }

    internal override void Do()
    {
        ApplyOrders(myOrdersAfter);
        myDesigner.InvalidateOrders();
    }

    internal override void Undo()
    {
        ApplyOrders(myOrdersBefore);
        myDesigner.InvalidateOrders();
    }

    private static void ApplyOrders(Dictionary<FormItem, int> elementOrderDictionary)
    {
        foreach (var element in elementOrderDictionary)
            element.Key.Order = element.Value;
    }

    public static Operation CreateSendToBack(IFormDesigner designer)
    {
        var formItems = designer.Selection.Select(i => i.Model).ToArray();
        return new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationSendToBack,
            () =>
            {
                var otherItems = designer.FormElements
                    .Where(i => !formItems.Contains(i.Model))
                    .OrderBy(i => i.Model.Order)
                    .Select(f => f.Model)
                    .ToArray();

                var newOrderdItems = formItems.OrderBy(i => i.Order).ToList();
                newOrderdItems.AddRange(otherItems);
                for (int i = 0; i < newOrderdItems.Count; i++)
                    newOrderdItems[i].Order = i + 1;
            });
    }

    public static Operation CreateSendBackward(IFormDesigner designer)
    {
        var formItems = designer.Selection.Select(i => i.Model).ToArray();
        return new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationSendBackward,
            () =>
            {
                var allFormItems = designer.FormElements.Select(f => f.Model).ToArray();
                for (int i = 1; i < allFormItems.Length; i++)
                {
                    if (formItems.Contains(allFormItems[i]))
                        allFormItems.Swap(i, i - 1);
                }
                for (int i = 0; i < allFormItems.Length; i++)
                    allFormItems[i].Order = i + 1;
            });
    }

    public static Operation CreateBringToFront(IFormDesigner designer)
    {
        var formItems = designer.Selection.Select(i => i.Model).ToArray();
        return new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationBringToFront,
            () =>
            {
                var newOrderdItems = designer.FormElements
                    .Where(i => !formItems.Contains(i.Model))
                    .OrderBy(i => i.Model.Order)
                    .Select(f => f.Model).ToList();

                newOrderdItems.AddRange(formItems.OrderBy(i => i.Order));

                for (int i = 0; i < newOrderdItems.Count; i++)
                    newOrderdItems[i].Order = i + 1;
            });
    }

    public static Operation CreateBringForward(IFormDesigner designer)
    {
        var formItems = designer.Selection.Select(i => i.Model).ToArray();
        return new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationBringForward,
            () =>
            {
                var allFormItems = designer.FormElements.Select(f => f.Model).ToArray();
                for (int i = allFormItems.Length - 2; i >= 0; i--)
                {
                    if (formItems.Contains(allFormItems[i]))
                        allFormItems.Swap(i, i + 1);
                }
                for (int i = 0; i < allFormItems.Length; i++)
                    allFormItems[i].Order = i + 1;
            });
    }
}

What do you think about the class design and the the logic for calculating the new order?

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2
  • \$\begingroup\$ Your CreateBringToFront action seems pointless. Are you trying to edit the original collection? \$\endgroup\$
    – Denis
    Jun 19, 2017 at 23:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ The code creates a temporary collection with the correct order and the last for loop resets the Order property based on the order of the items. \$\endgroup\$
    – JanDotNet
    Jun 20, 2017 at 6:07

2 Answers 2

3
\$\begingroup\$
public static Operation CreateBringToFront(IFormDesigner designer)
{
    var formItems = designer.Selection.Select(i => i.Model).ToArray();
    return new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationBringToFront,
        () =>
        {
            var newOrderdItems = designer.FormElements
                .Where(i => !formItems.Contains(i.Model))
                .OrderBy(i => i.Model.Order)
                .Select(f => f.Model).ToList();

            newOrderdItems.AddRange(formItems.OrderBy(i => i.Order));

            for (int i = 0; i < newOrderdItems.Count; i++)
                newOrderdItems[i].Order = i + 1;
        });
}

I like lambdas very much but putting this much code into a constructor seem like way too much. In all four cases you should encpasulate them in separate funcitons/classes and pass them to the constructor like a strategy pattern. This would make the logic easier to test (I guess) without having to be a part of an ArrangeOperation.

You already pass the designer to the constructor so there's no need for closures here. The Action could take one more parameter to work with later.

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3
  • \$\begingroup\$ Hmm, I think you are right. After reflecting it again, the OOP approach (encapsulate logic in separate classes) seems to fit better even it required more boilerplate code. I am often torn between the succinct functional style and the bloated but more meaningfully OOP style. In the end, I often prefer OOP because that is the way I have learned to think... I am wonder if it just my personal preference or a general one of the human's brain :D. \$\endgroup\$
    – JanDotNet
    Jun 20, 2017 at 8:33
  • 2
    \$\begingroup\$ @JanDotNet this is no longer functional because you have statements there. If you encapsulated everything and just do F1().F2(x => x.F3()) etc then it would be funcitonal but the newOrderdItems.AddRange and the for-loop break the pattern. If you had only this query designer.FormElements then I would say it's funcitonal but not properly ecapsulated, currently it's a mix of both. I think it's not just you. Somehow it's hard do see the flaws in your own code like my stupid dictionary for grouping. If I saw this by someone else I would screem haha ;-) \$\endgroup\$
    – t3chb0t
    Jun 20, 2017 at 8:41
  • \$\begingroup\$ @JanDotNet I find It's ok to mix both styles but it needs be clean. \$\endgroup\$
    – t3chb0t
    Jun 20, 2017 at 8:41
2
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As suggested from t3chb0t, I refactored the code to a more OOP style solution which seems to fit better :):

internal class ArrangeOperation : Operation
{
    private abstract class Sorter
    {
        public void Sort(IFormDesigner designer)
        {
            var selectedItems  = designer.Selection.Select(s => s.Model).ToArray();
            var sortedItems = GetSortedItems(designer, selectedItems);
            for (int i = 0; i < sortedItems.Count; i++)
                sortedItems[i].Order = i + 1;
        }
        protected abstract List<FormItem> GetSortedItems(IFormDesigner designer, FormItem[] selectedItems);
    }

    private class SendToBackSorter : Sorter
    {
        protected override List<FormItem> GetSortedItems(IFormDesigner designer, FormItem[] selectedItems)
        {
            var otherItems = designer.FormElements
                .Where(i => !selectedItems.Contains(i.Model))
                .OrderBy(i => i.Model.Order)
                .Select(f => f.Model)
                .ToArray();

            return selectedItems
                .OrderBy(i => i.Order)
                .Concat(otherItems)
                .ToList();
        }
    }

    private class SendBackwardSorter : Sorter
    {
        protected override List<FormItem> GetSortedItems(IFormDesigner designer, FormItem[] selectedItems)
        {
            var allFormItems = designer.FormElements.Select(f => f.Model).ToList();
            for (int i = 1; i < allFormItems.Count; i++)
                if (selectedItems.Contains(allFormItems[i]))
                    allFormItems.Swap(i, i - 1);
            return allFormItems;
        }
    }

    private class BringToFrontSorter : Sorter
    {
        protected override List<FormItem> GetSortedItems(IFormDesigner designer, FormItem[] selectedItems)
        {
            return designer.FormElements
                .Where(i => !selectedItems.Contains(i.Model))
                .OrderBy(i => i.Model.Order)
                .Select(f => f.Model)
                .Concat(selectedItems.OrderBy(i => i.Order))
                .ToList();
        }
    }

    private class BringForwardSorter : Sorter
    {
        protected override List<FormItem> GetSortedItems(IFormDesigner designer, FormItem[] selectedItems)
        {
            var allFormItems = designer.FormElements.Select(f => f.Model).ToList();
            for (int i = allFormItems.Count - 2; i >= 0; i--)
                if (selectedItems.Contains(allFormItems[i]))
                    allFormItems.Swap(i, i + 1);
            return allFormItems;
        }
    }

    private readonly IFormDesigner myDesigner;
    private readonly Dictionary<FormItem, int> myOrdersBefore;
    private readonly Dictionary<FormItem, int> myOrdersAfter;

    private ArrangeOperation(IFormDesigner designer, string title, Sorter sorter) : base(title)
    {
        myDesigner = designer;
        myOrdersBefore = designer.FormElements.ToDictionary(e => e.Model, e => e.Model.Order);
        sorter.Sort(designer);
        myOrdersAfter = designer.FormElements.ToDictionary(e => e.Model, e => e.Model.Order);
    }

    internal override void Do()
    {
        ApplyOrders(myOrdersAfter);
        myDesigner.InvalidateOrders();
    }

    internal override void Undo()
    {
        ApplyOrders(myOrdersBefore);
        myDesigner.InvalidateOrders();
    }

    private static void ApplyOrders(Dictionary<FormItem, int> elementOrderDictionary)
    {
        foreach (var element in elementOrderDictionary)
            element.Key.Order = element.Value;
    }

    public static Operation CreateSendToBack(IFormDesigner designer)
        => new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationSendToBack, new SendToBackSorter());

    public static Operation CreateSendBackward(IFormDesigner designer)
        => new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationSendBackward, new SendBackwardSorter());

    public static Operation CreateBringToFront(IFormDesigner designer)
        => new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationBringToFront, new BringToFrontSorter());

    public static Operation CreateBringForward(IFormDesigner designer)
        => new ArrangeOperation(designer, Resources.OperationBringForward, new BringForwardSorter());
}
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4
  • \$\begingroup\$ Looks much cleaner now and is really easy to follow but why are the sorters nested classes? \$\endgroup\$
    – t3chb0t
    Jun 20, 2017 at 11:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ To hide them ;) Its internal stuff that should not be visible to the rest of the code. \$\endgroup\$
    – JanDotNet
    Jun 20, 2017 at 11:26
  • \$\begingroup\$ It worked, I almost didn't find them :-P put them in a namespace like Sorters. Each class should have its own file (in most cases) - there are of course exceptions but this isn't one of them ;-] \$\endgroup\$
    – t3chb0t
    Jun 20, 2017 at 11:31
  • \$\begingroup\$ The project has enough files and the classes are not used outside the ArrangeOperation class. Therefore I don't see a reason to put them in its own files / namespace. There is also a special "magic key" called F12 that can be used to find them ;P \$\endgroup\$
    – JanDotNet
    Jun 20, 2017 at 11:52

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