What is the Composite Pattern in C++?

Can you explain the Composite Pattern in C++?

Sure! The Composite Pattern is a structural design pattern that lets you compose objects into tree structures to represent part-whole hierarchies.

How does it work in practice?

In practice, it allows clients to treat individual objects and compositions of objects uniformly. For example, you can have a Component interface, and both Leaf and Composite classes implement this interface.

Can you give me a code example?

Absolutely! Here's a simple example:

class Component {
public:
    virtual void operation() = 0;
};

class Leaf : public Component {
public:
    void operation() override {
        // Leaf-specific operation
    }
};

class Composite : public Component {
    std::vector<Component*> children;
public:
    void operation() override {
        for (auto child : children) {
            child->operation();
        }
    }
    void add(Component* component) {
        children.push_back(component);
    }
};

What are the benefits of using this pattern?

The benefits include easier management of complex tree structures, the ability to treat individual objects and compositions uniformly, and improved code readability.