Patterns and Templates

Patterns and templates are pluggable extensions for Together enabling you to:

• Create new and frequently used elements
• Modify existing elements
• Implement source code constructions and solutions in your project.

Conceptually, patterns and templates are very similar in that they are used to create and modify elements. But each pattern describes a problem which occurs in your code, and then describes the core of the solution to that problem.

Templates, in contrast, do not pertain to concrete problems and solutions. For templates, the "solution" is usually fully specified outside a template extension in a template source. For patterns, the solution is hard-wired in the pattern extension, and can only be parameterized using pattern parameters.

Patterns and templates are, in general, independent of any programming or mark-up language. You can use them to create or modify any type of element. However, concrete patterns or templates are designed to work with elements of a specific type.