To implement a property or to implement a subclass

Question

I've got a class called List_Field that, as the name suggests, builds list input fields. These list input fields allow users to select a single item per list.

I want to be able to build list input fields that would allow users to select multiple items per list, so I have the following dilemma:

Should I do that through implementing a multiple_choice_allowed property into the existing List_Field property, or should I implement a Multiple_Choice_List_Field subclass of the List_Field class?

What's the engineering principle that I should follow when confronted with dilemmas like this one?

Answer 1

Take a look at the SOLID principles. They'll help you in your designs. In particular, the single responsibility principle will tell you not to mix the two concerns in one class, and the Liskov substitution principle will tell you not to create subclasses that break the contract of superclasses, like what you're also proposing.

So what would be the solution in your case? You could create an abstract base class that would be agnostic to the type of selection and then create 2 subclasses, one for single selection and another for multiple selection.

Answer 2

Depends on presence/lack of object evolution - if you want special case, sub-classing or injecting (DI) "select" behaviour (strategy) is good.

But if you also want to allow Field_List to change its behaviour dynamically, then property or mutating method is the only way to go.

Example: Sign-up screen with different "plans" - basic, where you can only select one thing and premium, where you can select as much as you want. Change of plan will switch between drop-down and multiple checkboxes, while still having the very same object including its contents.

I would vote for property/mutate method.