Polymorphism

Kind: mechanism

Layer: Structural Core

Record: architecture:polymorphism

Severity: recommended

Scope: class, interface, runtime

Canonical: Ontology

A mechanism that lets one interface have several implementations, with the implementation chosen by the object that receives the call.

Listed in Architecture principles, after Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP) and before Event-Driven Architecture.

Requires

• Abstraction
• Substitutability

Reinforces

• Open/Closed Principle (OCP)
• Strategy Pattern

Enables

• Dynamic Dispatch
• Interchangeability

Conflicts with

• Type Switching

In tension with

• Traceability

Tensions

• Polymorphism / Traceability

Violated by

• Type Switching

Refactored by

• Replace Conditional with Polymorphism

Severity

• recommended

Category

• SOLID / Object-Oriented Design

Reinforced by

• Dynamic Binding
• Liskov Substitution Principle
• State Pattern
• Null Object Pattern

Linked from

• Runtime Discovery / Dynamic Binding
• Core Modular Design
• SOLID / Object-Oriented Design
• Observability / Auditability / Traceability
• Behavioral Patterns
• Quality Attributes
• Runtime Discovery / Dynamic Binding
• SOLID / Object-Oriented Design
• Severity levels
• The resolutions