Decorator

This is a UML class diagram example for the Decorator design pattern.

Purpose

Allows for the dynamic wrapping of objects in order to modify their existing responsibilities and behaviors.

Use When

• Object responsibilities and behaviors should be dynamically modifiable.
• Concrete implementations should be decoupled from responsibilities and behaviors.
• Subclassing to achieve modification is impractical or impossible.
• Specific functionality should not reside high in the object hierarchy.
• A lot of little objects surrounding a concrete implementation is acceptable.