The Mooc: Advanced Object-Oriented Design and Development with Pharo

Testimonies

What the participants are saying :)

I love this course so much. I remember how difficult it was to understand OOD concepts in the early 2000s. There were a lot of aphorisms flowing around, but when I asked the people stating them to explain it, no one really did. It is so satisfying to see lecture after lecture explaining those object-oriented principles while refactoring examples. This is the course I wanted 24 years ago. So happy that it exists today. bambooer
Hi, thank you for the excellent MOOC. I just completed Module 1. The quizzes really help. I am going to say this a lot. I am warning you. What a great course this is. The lectures are solid. I am working through the first exercise, and I have been learning so much and consolidating the information from the lectures along with practicing pharo. I believe this course will be my model whenever I write training in the future. stfan10
In my opinion, this MOOC is a must-learn for any developer using Object-Oriented Programming. It teaches the essential concepts common to most OOP languages in a concise and well-paced way. The choice of Pharo as an illustrative language definitely felt appropriate, and was never an obstacle to understanding the content of the course. I would definitely recommend completing the companion exercises, whether in Pharo or your OOP language of choice.
High-level course stimulate your brain and gives you lots of inputs to go on learning more and more...
The knowledge, syllabus and pacing are excellent. Recording is of good quality (minus the occasional typos), even at an accelerated speed (I used 1.5x). Thank you so much for giving me the rationales to finally understand the OOP paradigm after years of working with it using heuristics and half-understood notions. It feels like a new beginning for me.
Modules 1-4 should be taught to and understood by anyone programming with an OOP language. I appreciate that these pieces of invaluable knowledge keep being repeated in the other modules.
My most sincere compliments. It is rare to find a course that is so specialized and practical at the same time.

About this MOOC

This MOOC is about Advanced Object-Oriented Design. You will get to know and understand the key mechanisms and the essence of OOD. Either you are a beginner or an expert in object-oriented programming, this MOOC immerses you in advanced object-oriented design. We are sure that you will not develop the same way after following this unique lecture. It is built on more than 60 years of expert teaching object-oriented design. This MOOC invites you to a journey around 10 modules (with over 60 videos) covering the following topics:

The Mooc proposes several design exercises ranging from little interpreters to games and quizzes.

Why the Pharo programming language?
This MOOC uses Pharo as a pedagogical vehicle but all the concepts you will learn are language independent and can be applied to any object-oriented language. We use Pharo because it is a pure object-oriented programming language. It offers a unique developing experience in constant interaction with live objects. Pharo is elegant, fun to use, and very powerful. It is very easy to learn and enables to understand advanced concepts in a natural way. When programming in Pharo, you are immersed in a world of live objects. You have immediate feedback at any moment of your development on objects representing web applications, code itself, graphics, and network. So Pharo is the perfect environment to teach deep object-oriented programming.

Note that there is a full MOOC on Pharo but it is not a requirement. If you already followed it and liked it, this MOOC on Advanced Object-Oriented Design will bring you to the next level ;-)

How to follow this MOOC?

Join the next session on FUN: Opening May 2024.

Or get all the material http://rmod-pharo-mooc.lille.inria.fr/AdvancedDesignMooc/.

Mooc Exercises

We designed a set of exercises that you can do to train yourself on object-oriented design and we packaged them as a nice little bookCompanion exercise book in PDF. If you find mistakes please open issues at: https://github.com/SquareBracketAssociates/booklet-AdvancedMicroProjects. This will help us improve the book and soon release a real book.

Mooc Map

The following picture shows the different modules. You can see the mooc overview PDF / VIDEO

Pharo

Module 0: Little Warm up with Pharo

This first optional module presents some lectures from the Pharo Mooc. It helps the reader who wants to follow the syntax used in the slides and do the exercises to learn fast Pharo. We suggest to execute the expression ProfStef new go and perform the proposed exercises.

Teaching objectives Core elements The following short videos explain the full language.
  1. M0-1 LecturePharo Object Model in a Nutshell PDF / VIDEO
  2. M0-2 LecturePharo Syntax in a Nutshell PDF / VIDEO
  3. M0-3 LectureClass and Method Definitions PDF / VIDEO
  4. M0-4 LectureUnderstanding Messages PDF / VIDEO
  5. M0-5 LectureMessages for Java Programmers PDF / VIDEO
  6. M0-6 LectureMessages: Composition and Precedence PDF / VIDEO
  7. M0-7 LectureUnderstanding Messages: Sequence and Cascade PDF / VIDEO
  8. M0-8 LectureIntroduction to Blocks PDF / VIDEO
Extras The following short videos explain some extra points.
  1. M0-9 LectureLoops PDF / VIDEO
  2. M0-10 LectureYourself PDF / VIDEO
  3. M0-11 LectureClass methods PDF / VIDEO
  4. M0-12 LectureParenthesis Vs Square Brackets PDF / VIDEO
  5. M0-12 LectureIterators PDF / VIDEO

Module 1: Understanding messages

This first module revisits elementary concepts around self, super, and the power of dispatching to dedicated objects. The case study shows how to go from a monolithic design with one kind of format to the handling of optional different formats in the Pillar document compilation chain.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M1-1 LectureEssence of Dispatch: Taking Pharo Booleans as Example PDF / VIDEO
  2. M1-2 LectureEssence of Dispatch: Let the receiver decide PDF / VIDEO
  3. M1-3 LectureInheritance Basics PDF / VIDEO
  4. M1-4 LectureInheritance and Lookup: Self - Understand lookup once for all PDF / VIDEO
  5. M1-5 LectureAbout super PDF / VIDEO
  6. M1-6 LectureReification and delegation - A case study: Microdown in Pillar PDF / VIDEO

Module 2: Tests

This module covers an important aspect: testing applications and how to take advantage of test driven design. It shows in particular the power of eXtreme Test Driven Design and how writing tests first and coding in the debugger is empowering the designer.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M2-1 LectureTest 101: The minimum you should know PDF / VIDEO
  2. M2-2 LectureTests: Why testing is Important? PDF / VIDEO
  3. M2-3 LectureTest-Driven Development PDF / VIDEO
  4. M2-4 LectureXtreme Test Driven Development: Getting a productivity boost PDF / VIDEO
  5. M2-5 LectureParametrized Tests: Getting more tests out of test cases PDF / VIDEO

Module 3: Hooks

In this module we will start to look at design patterns. In parallel, we will discuss a key point of object-oriented design which is how to design abstractions that are extensible using hooks. The case study is about going from monolithic to parametrized objects.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M3-1 LectureAn introduction to design patterns PDF / VIDEO
  2. M3-2 LectureMessage Sends are Plans for Reuse PDF / VIDEO
  3. M3-3 LectureHooks and Template: One of the cornerstones of OOP PDF / VIDEO
  4. M3-4 LectureUsing well asString and printString: A Pharo code idiom PDF / VIDEO
  5. M3-5 LectureGlobal to parameter PDF / VIDEO

Module 4: Objects: state and behavior

In this module we will focus on basic principle showing for example the difference between data and objects. We will start also to present some design patterns such as Singleton and Decorator.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M4-1 LectureMethods: the elementary unit of reuse PDF / VIDEO
  2. M4-2 LectureObjects vs. Data - An API perspective studying the class Point PDF / VIDEO
  3. M4-3 LectureAbout global variables PDF / VIDEO
  4. M4-4 LectureFat classes are bad - A large class vs. a class hierarchy PDF / VIDEO
  5. M4-5 LectureSingleton: a Highly Misunderstood Pattern PDF / VIDEO
  6. M4-6 LectureDecorator Design Pattern PDF / VIDEO

Module 5: Elementary design patterns

In this module we will present some important and simple design patterns such as composite or state. We will then propose to compare use versus inheritance a way to understand the forces in presence.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M5-1 LectureComposite: a Nice and Common Design Pattern PDF / VIDEO
  2. M5-2 LectureAbout State Design Pattern PDF / VIDEO
  3. M5-3 LectureCommand Design Pattern: Actions as objects PDF / VIDEO
  4. M5-3 LectureApplication of Command Design Pattern PDF / VIDEO
  5. M5-4 LectureDelegation vs. Inheritance PDF / VIDEO
  6. M5-5 LectureTurning Procedures to Objects PDF / VIDEO
  7. M5-6 LectureBlocks vs. Objects: Rethinking common abstractions PDF / VIDEO
  8. M5-7 LectureAvoid Null Checks PDF / VIDEO
  9. M5-8 LectureAbout Fluid API PDF / VIDEO

Module 6: About double dispatch

This module presents the double dispatch mechanism and the Visitor design pattern which is based on it.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M6-1 LectureA double dispatch starter: Stone Paper Scissors PDF / VIDEO
  2. M6-2 LectureDouble dispatch: Does not have to be symmetrical PDF / VIDEO
  3. M6-3 Lecturea Die + a DieHandle: Practicing dispatch more PDF / VIDEO
  4. M6-4 LectureVisitor: Modular and extensible first class actions PDF / VIDEO
  5. M6-5 LectureSome discussions on Visitor PDF / VIDEO
  6. M6-6 LectureStone Paper Scissors: The case of results PDF / VIDEO
  7. M6-7 LectureDouble Dispatch: Adding numbers as a Kata PDF / VIDEO

Module 7: Creation

This module focuses on patterns to create and initialize objects.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M7-1 LectureAbout Null Check: The case of lazy initialization PDF / VIDEO
  2. M7-2 LectureCustomization degree of hooks: Class vs. instance hooks PDF / VIDEO
  3. M7-3 LectureDieHandle new vs. self class new: When classes are first class citizen PDF / VIDEO
  4. M7-4 LectureDelegation of actions and accumulator: Form validation as an example PDF / VIDEO
  5. M7-5 LectureBehavior delegation at work: The case of the class printer PDF / VIDEO
  6. M7-6 LectureBuilder Design Pattern: Encapsulating object creation PDF / VIDEO
  7. M7-7 LectureBuilder API variations PDF / VIDEO
  8. M7-8 LectureDid You Really Understand Super? PDF / VIDEO
Sessions

Module 8: Sharing

This module presents different techniques and design patterns to share objects.

Teaching objectives
  1. M8-1 LectureShared variables: A Pharo code idiom PDF / VIDEO
  2. M8-2 LectureSharing with instance specific possibilities PDF / VIDEO
  3. M8-3 LectureShared Pools: Static sharing between hierarchies PDF / VIDEO
  4. M8-4 LectureAbout magic literals PDF / VIDEO
  5. M8-5 LectureFlyweight PDF / VIDEO
  6. M8-6 LectureTypeObject PDF / VIDEO
  7. M8-7 LectureA variation on sharing PDF / VIDEO

Module 9: About Inversion of control / Registration

In this module, we present the law of demeter and different techniques to achieve Inversion of control.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M9-1 LectureAbout coupling and encapsulation PDF / VIDEO
  2. M9-2 LectureClass Methods At Work PDF / VIDEO
  3. M9-3 LectureAbout Registration: When class method-based registration is too much PDF / VIDEO
  4. M9-4 LectureApplication settings: From a monolithic to a modular architecture PDF / VIDEO
  5. M9-5 LectureLearning from a Sokoban implementation PDF / VIDEO
  6. M9-6 LectureClass vs. Object-Oriented Programming PDF / VIDEO

Module 10: About Types

This modules focuses on typing and their relation with object-oriented design.

Teaching objectives Sessions
  1. M10-1 LectureThe two interfaces: In presence of delta programming PDF / VIDEO
  2. M10-2 LectureSubclassing vs. Subtyping PDF / VIDEO
  3. M10-3 LectureAbout type and method lookup PDF / VIDEO
  4. M10-4 LecturePolymorphic objects: Support for software evolution PDF / VIDEO
  5. M10-5 LectureAbout defensive programming PDF / VIDEO

Get started

Install Pharo

Download and install the Pharo Launcher for your OS

External resources

You can find free and online resources in the Documentation page.

We recommend the Updated Pharo by Example book, the Pharo cheat-sheet, and the new book Learning Object-Oriented Programming, Design and TDD with Pharo on http://books.pharo.org

Join the discord server of the community There is newbie help channel and people are friendly.

Authors

Stéphane Ducasse

Stéphane Ducasse

Stéphane Ducasse is directeur de recherche at Inria. He leads the RMoD team. He is expert in two domains: object-oriented language design and reengineering. His works on traits have been introduced in AmbientTalk, Slate, Pharo, Perl-6, PHP 5.4 and Squeak. They have also influenced JavaScript, Scala and Fortress. Stéphane is also expert on software quality, program understanding, program visualisations, reengineering and metamodeling. He is one of the developers of Pharo. He is also one of the developers of Moose, an open-source software analysis platform. He created Synectique a company building dedicated tools for advanced software analysis. Stéphane wrote several books on programming learning and other topics such as web programming.

Luc Fabresse

Luc Fabresse

Luc Fabresse is currently professor in computer science at IMT Nord Europe. His researches focus on dynamic and reflective languages such as Pharo to better support programming in the context of mobile robotics and IoT. It involves deployment, code update, memory management and bootstrapping. He also works on fleet of collaborating mobile robots involving challenges such as: localization, navigation and distributed coordination. Luc's long-term vision is to be able to use Jedi mind trick on mobile robots ;-) Meanwhile, Luc gives many computer science lectures, co-organizes events (technical days, conferences, ...), promotes Smalltalk (ESUG board member) and participates to its open-source implementation Pharo.

Guillermo Polito

Guillermo Polito

Guille Polito is a permanent researcher at Inria of the University of Lille, within the EVREF team. Guille’s main research interests are programming language implementations, Virtual machines, testing, programming tools, and modular systems. He has more than 15 years in teaching advanced OOP.

Pablo Tesone

Pablo Tesone

Pablo Tesone is Pharo consortium engineer. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Lille. Prior to that, Pablo was during 10 years an engineer in large corporates. Pablo has a large spectrum of skills ranging from low-level assembly to high-level reflective systems. He is one of the engineers behind the Pharo Virtual machines. He is the father of stateful traits as available in Pharo. He has more than 15 years in teaching advanced OOP.

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