Strategy pattern

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A strategy pattern can be used in Javascript in many cases to replace a switch statement. It is especially helpful when the number of conditions is dynamic or very large. It allows the code for each condition to be independent and separately testable.

Strategy object is simple an object with multiple functions, representing each separate condition. Example:

const AnimalSays = {
    dog () {
        return 'woof';
    },

    cat () {
        return 'meow';
    },

    lion () {
        return 'roar';
    },

    // ... other animals

    default () {
        return 'moo';
    }
};

The above object can be used as follows:

function makeAnimalSpeak (animal) {
    // Match the animal by type
    const speak = AnimalSays[animal] || AnimalSays.default;
    console.log(animal + ' says ' + speak());
}

Results:

makeAnimalSpeak('dog') // => 'dog says woof'
makeAnimalSpeak('cat') // => 'cat says meow'
makeAnimalSpeak('lion') // => 'lion says roar'
makeAnimalSpeak('snake') // => 'snake says moo'

In the last case, our default function handles any missing animals.

Found a mistake? Have a question or improvement idea? Let me know.

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