i050803 TROST InfoNote  Pattern Templates Description Approach 0.50

TROSTing>info> 2005>08> i050803g> 0.50 2006-08-08 -22:19 -0700

• Latest version: The latest version of the TROST Pattern Templates Approach is available on the Internet at 
  <http://TROSTing.org/info/2005/08/i050803b.htm>.
• This portion:  Description Approach 0.50 <http://TROSTing.org/info/2005/08/i050803g.htm>.  Consult that page for the latest status and for the most-recent electronic copies of the material.
• Previous version: 0.31 <http://TROSTing.org/info/2005/08/i050803e.htm> provided the initial organization that has now been refactored for progressive disclosure and easier navigation.

A. TROST Pattern-Description Template
     A.1 Pattern-Description Approach
     A.2 Pattlet Summary Structure
     A.3 Full Pattern Description Organization

     Table 1. Principal Topics in TROST Pattern Descriptions
     Table 2. Full TROST Pattern Description Organization

see also:

2005-12-21 Professor von Clueless, Patterns: Starting in the Meta-Middle

A. TROST Pattern-Description Template

A consistent pattern-description format is used for expressing the TROST pattern language as it develops.  The formats includes a pattlet summary form that can be used as a cover in front of the detailed pattern descriptions.  The pattlet may also be used as a fledgling pattern description awaiting the provision of further details.  Pattlets are also useful for providing summaries of patterns that are fully-described in other work.  And sometimes a pattern is so straightforward that the pattlet provides the complete description.

A.1  Pattern-Description Approach

A.1.1 TROST pattern descriptions are based on a detailed template that is designed to be consistent with the variety of other pattern templates in common usage. 

A.1.2 The minimal TROST pattern description consists of a pattlet providing a compact summary of a pattern's essential characteristics.  The principles of the overall template are honored but the content is abbreviated.

A.1.3 For pattern descriptions with extensive content, a pattlet summary is used as a cover, with detailed description and supporting materials on supplemental pages.  In these cases, the pattern description will provide detailed coverage of topics and subtopics.  Variations will often be introduced at the detail level to accommodate different situations and methodologies.

A.1.4 There is provision for patterns being specialized variations of more general patterns.  It is also possible for patterns that are focused on realization in concrete implementations to be based on more-abstract patterns.  The different forms will be cross-referenced.  The differences are in placement of emphasis and detail.  The same pattern description structure is drawn upon.

see also:

i050803d: Pattern Comparisons
i050901: TROST Pattern Language

A.2 Pattlet Summary Structure

A.2.1 Pattlets are summaries of TROST pattern descriptions.  The ten key topics of the full TROST pattern template are addressed briefly and selectively (Table 1).   The Pattlet Format guide provides further detail for each of the main topics.

Table 1. Principal Topics in TROST Pattern Descriptions

  1. Identification - how the pattern is known
  2. Situation - the setting in which the pattern can occur or be desired
  3. Intention - what is to be accomplished
  4. Concerns - issues to be balanced and addressed
  5. Approach - how to satisfy the intention - what to do
  6. Realization - strategy for specific implementations of the approach
  7. Considerations - additional matters to be aware of
  8. Consequences - the result of achieving the pattern: benefits and limitations
  9. Usage - actual cases, related patterns involved in completing the approach
10. Sources - acknowledgment of source materials and contributions

See TROST Pattlet Format for detail.

A.2.2 The pattlet format is convenient for determining whether it is promising to examine the complete pattern description.

A.2.3 Pattlets are also convenient as summaries of patterns having detailed descriptions provided elsewhere.  In that case, the summary saves the reader from having to track down additional sources simply to see how the pattern is being applied in an immediate situation.  The pattlet is a summary-level stand-in and connection to further detail.

A.3 Full Pattern Description Organization

The following table identifies the complete set of currently-specified subtopics (Table 2).  The entries are linked to the corresponding TROST Pattern Description Template descriptions:

Table 2.  Full TROST Pattern Description Organization

1. Identification     1.1 Name     1.2 Version     1.3 Summary     1.4 Also Known As     1.5 Type     1.6 Archetype     1.7 Keywords     2. Situation     2.1 Perspectives     2.2 Context     2.3 Applicability     2.4 Indications

3. Intention     3.1 Intent     3.2 Background    4. Concerns     5. Approach     5.1 Key Statement     5.2 Rationale     5.3 Rationale     5.4 Sketches     5.5 Detail     5.6 Models     5.7 Diagrams

6. Realization     7. Considerations     7.1 Testing     7.2 Safety/Failure     7.3 Deployment     7.4 Security     7.5 Operations     7.6 Usability     7.7 Support/Repair     7.8 Performance/Scale     7.9 Trustworthiness

8. Consequences     8.1 Benefits     8.2 Limitations     8.3 Trade-Offs     8.4 Risks     8.5 Next Challenges     9. Usage     9.1 Known Examples     9.2 Variants     9.3 Related Patterns     10. Sources     10.1 References     10.2 Contributors     10.3 Attribution

See TROST Pattern Description Template for detail.

Revision History:

0.50 2005-12-23-09:43 Simplify Using Dissertation Approach

The refinements made in the summary appendix of the TROST dissertation draft are back-factored to this page, with additional restructuring to be more compact.  Simple editorial correction and addition of links and cross-references continues on an ad hoc basis.

0.31 2005-09-25-18:58 Incorporate Errata

Simple errata and improvements noticed while working on the version in the thesis are edited back into this version.

0.30 2005-09-23-21:07 Provide initial Pattlet Summary Format

The 0.30 i050803c document is summarized.  Any insights in doing that are applied back to the full template description before these two are published together.  This version is the basis for thesis Appendix A.

0.00 2005-09-23-14:11 Create Initial Placeholder

Make a copy of an i050803c 0.30 draft for distilling down to the initial pattlet format.

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created 2005-08-21-16:31 -0700 (pdt) by orcmid $$Author: Orcmid $ $$Date: 06-08-08 22:19 $ $$Revision: 9 $