Thread: Design problems, help!

  1. #1
    Registered User
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    Design problems, help!

    Hey there,

    I'm taking a C++ class and got a two staged assignment to hand in soon. I'mhaving troubles
    with it and was wondering if anybody could lend me a hand?
    We are to design and implement a web forum in C++. It is supposed to be a stand-alone
    application, meaning no CGI, no browser, no client-server... the emphasis is on its functionality.

    Now... we first got to hand in a design, as complete as possible. That's the point I'm struggling
    with - I just don't have enough experience in object oriented design. My background is more
    procedural.

    Specs

    The user interface will be console driven, data is to be stored in files through serialization. There
    are to be different types of users(visitor,member,moderator,administrator); they can send
    private messages to each other and create/edit threads and posts.


    Components/Classes

    Anyway, I identified 4 "components" of the program; each should be implementable by itself:

    1) User Interface
    2) Functionality
    3) Data management
    4) Persistence/Serialization

    I can't really think of any class names there.. any suggestions?
    I also attached a class diagram (far from being complete) ... should I split the classes any
    further? The functionality class seems to grow and grow ...

    How should I organise the classes? What class is part of what? Is the data management
    #included in the functionality and then instantiated as part of it?

    Object management

    I was thinking that all objects are instantiated in the data management; the functionality
    classes and the user interface only work with references to them. Does that make sense?

    Further, how should I organise the forum/thread/posts...? Tree like with parent/child pointers?
    Composition/Aggregation (cant remember the difference, duh); "a thread is part of a forum"?


    HELP guys! I just don't have anybody to ask these things, our professor is an idiot who can't
    speak proper english, and my classmates are still struggling with concepts and syntax ... and the assignments themself isquite demanding I find.

    Thanks a lot in advance!

    Flo

  2. #2
    Ex scientia vera
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    477
    Off topic, but may I ask what software you are using to create these graphs? Been on a lookout for some nice software to do this for a while now..
    "What's up, Doc?"
    "'Up' is a relative concept. It has no intrinsic value."

  3. #3
    Registered User
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    Visual Paradigm. There's a community edition out there...

  4. #4
    Registered User
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    Heads up....cross-posted here.

    Bad form to go to multiple forums and post the same question. It shows a lack of respect for the time of others who are giving their time to you for free.

  5. #5
    Registered User
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    Well, sorry about that. My experience is that bigger questions/ projects regularly don't get alot of responses, sometimes none at all; so i posted it in several forums.

    I did not intend to waste anybodys time; and, frankly, can't see how posting it in several forums does. I'm open for enlightment though, on-topic and off-topic.

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