docs: Added Explanation for Combinators pattern along with benefits (#2028)

2026-05-24 04:24:51 +00:00 · 2022-10-04 22:47:32 +05:30
parent 7e87cf9005
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@@ -10,12 +10,178 @@ tags:
 ---

 ## Also known as
+
 Composition pattern

 ## Intent
-The functional pattern representing a style of organizing libraries centered around the idea of combining functions.  
-Putting it simply, there is some type T, some functions for constructing "primitive" values of type T, 
-and some "combinators" which can combine values of type T in various ways to build up more complex values of type T.
+
+The functional pattern representing a style of organizing libraries centered around the idea of combining functions.
+Putting it simply, there is some type T, some functions for constructing “primitive” values of type T, and some “combinators” which can combine values of type T in various ways to build up more complex values of type T.
+
+## Explanation
+
+Real world example
+
+> In computer science, combinatory logic is used as a simplified model of computation, used in computability theory and proof theory. Despite its simplicity, combinatory logic captures many essential features of computation.
+> 
+
+In plain words
+
+> The combinator allows you to create new "things" from previously defined "things".
+> 
+
+Wikipedia says
+
+> A combinator is a higher-order function that uses only function application and earlier defined combinators to define a result from its arguments.
+> 
+
+**Programmatic Example**
+
+Translating the combinator example above. First of all, we have a interface consist of several methods `contains`, `not`, `or`, `and` .
+
+```java
+// Functional interface to find lines in text.
+public interface Finder {
+
+	// The function to find lines in text.
+	List<String> find(String text);
+
+	// Simple implementation of function {@link #find(String)}.
+	static Finder contains(String word) {
+    		return txt -> Stream.of(txt.split("\n"))
+        		.filter(line -> line.toLowerCase().contains(word.toLowerCase()))
+        		.collect(Collectors.toList());
+  	}
+
+	// combinator not.
+	default Finder not(Finder notFinder) {
+    		return txt -> {
+      			List<String> res = this.find(txt);
+      			res.removeAll(notFinder.find(txt));
+      			return res;
+    			};
+  	}
+
+	// combinator or.
+	default Finder or(Finder orFinder) {
+    		return txt -> {
+      			List<String> res = this.find(txt);
+      			res.addAll(orFinder.find(txt));
+      			return res;
+    			};
+	}
+
+	// combinator and.
+	default Finder and(Finder andFinder) {
+    		return
+        	txt -> this
+            		.find(txt)
+            		.stream()
+            		.flatMap(line -> andFinder.find(line).stream())
+            		.collect(Collectors.toList());
+  	}
+	...
+}
+```
+
+Then we have also another combinator for some complex finders `advancedFinder`, `filteredFinder`, `specializedFinder` and `expandedFinder`.
+
+```java
+// Complex finders consisting of simple finder.
+public class Finders {
+
+	private Finders() {
+  	}
+
+	// Finder to find a complex query.
+	public static Finder advancedFinder(String query, String orQuery, String notQuery) {
+    		return
+        		Finder.contains(query)
+            			.or(Finder.contains(orQuery))
+            			.not(Finder.contains(notQuery));
+	}
+
+	// Filtered finder looking a query with excluded queries as well.
+	public static Finder filteredFinder(String query, String... excludeQueries) {
+		var finder = Finder.contains(query);
+
+    		for (String q : excludeQueries) {
+      			finder = finder.not(Finder.contains(q));
+    		}
+    		return finder;
+	}
+
+	// Specialized query. Every next query is looked in previous result.
+	public static Finder specializedFinder(String... queries) {
+    		var finder = identMult();
+
+		for (String query : queries) {
+      			finder = finder.and(Finder.contains(query));
+    		}
+    		return finder;
+  	}
+
+	// Expanded query. Looking for alternatives.
+	public static Finder expandedFinder(String... queries) {
+    		var finder = identSum();
+
+    		for (String query : queries) {
+      			finder = finder.or(Finder.contains(query));
+    		}
+   		return finder;
+  	}
+	...
+}
+```
+
+Now we have created the interface and methods for combinators. Now we have an application working on these combinators.
+
+```java
+var queriesOr = new String[]{"many", "Annabel"};
+var finder = Finders.expandedFinder(queriesOr);
+var res = finder.find(text());
+LOGGER.info("the result of expanded(or) query[{}] is {}", queriesOr, res);
+
+var queriesAnd = new String[]{"Annabel", "my"};
+finder = Finders.specializedFinder(queriesAnd);
+res = finder.find(text());
+LOGGER.info("the result of specialized(and) query[{}] is {}", queriesAnd, res);
+
+finder = Finders.advancedFinder("it was", "kingdom", "sea");
+res = finder.find(text());
+LOGGER.info("the result of advanced query is {}", res);
+
+res = Finders.filteredFinder(" was ", "many", "child").find(text());
+LOGGER.info("the result of filtered query is {}", res);
+
+private static String text() {
+    return
+        "It was many and many a year ago,\n"
+            + "In a kingdom by the sea,\n"
+            + "That a maiden there lived whom you may know\n"
+            + "By the name of ANNABEL LEE;\n"
+            + "And this maiden she lived with no other thought\n"
+            + "Than to love and be loved by me.\n"
+            + "I was a child and she was a child,\n"
+            + "In this kingdom by the sea;\n"
+            + "But we loved with a love that was more than love-\n"
+            + "I and my Annabel Lee;\n"
+            + "With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven\n"
+            + "Coveted her and me.";
+  }
+```
+
+**Program output:**
+
+```java
+the result of expanded(or) query[[many, Annabel]] is [It was many and many a year ago,, By the name of ANNABEL LEE;, I and my Annabel Lee;]
+the result of specialized(and) query[[Annabel, my]] is [I and my Annabel Lee;]
+the result of advanced query is [It was many and many a year ago,]
+the result of filtered query is [But we loved with a love that was more than love-]
+```
+
+Now we can design our app to with the queries finding feature `expandedFinder`, `specializedFinder`, `advancedFinder`, `filteredFinder` which are all derived from `contains`, `or`, `not`, `and`.
+

 ## Class diagram
 ![alt text](./etc/combinator.urm.png "Combinator class diagram")
@@ -25,6 +191,14 @@ Use the combinator pattern when:

 - You are able to create a more complex value from more plain values but having the same type(a combination of them)

+## Benefits
+
+- From a developers perspective the API is made of terms from the domain.
+- There is a clear distinction between combining and application phase.
+- One first constructs an instance and then executes it.
+- This makes the pattern applicable in a parallel environment.
+
+
 ## Real world examples

 - java.util.function.Function#compose