Implementing the First-Class ADT Pattern
Explore how to implement the First-Class ADT pattern in C by decoupling interfaces from implementations using incomplete types. Learn to enforce data abstraction, manage object creation and destruction, and ensure clients interact only through defined interfaces for better software design.
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Definition of a FIRST-CLASS ADT
ADT stands for Abstract Data Type and it is a set of values and operations on these values. When we have many unique instances of ADT, it is considered first-class.
It is similar to the interface listed example mentioned in the previous section. However, the data type in the example is not abstract as it fails to hide its implementation details. To make ADT truly abstract, we have to utilize a powerful feature of C: the ability to specify incomplete types.
Incomplete types
The ...