What are the differences between the Abstract Factory and Factory patterns?

Can you explain the differences between the Abstract Factory and Factory patterns?

Sure! The Abstract Factory pattern provides an interface for creating families of related or dependent objects without specifying their concrete classes. In contrast, the Factory pattern is focused on creating a single product or a family of related products.

What are some use cases for each pattern?

The Abstract Factory is useful when your code needs to work with various families of products, like UI components for different platforms. The Factory pattern is great for situations where you need to create objects without exposing the instantiation logic to the client.

Can you give me a code example for both?

Absolutely! For the Factory pattern, you might have a ShapeFactory that creates Circle or Square objects. For the Abstract Factory, you could have a GUIFactory that creates Button and Checkbox objects for different operating systems.

How do I decide which pattern to use?

Choose the Factory pattern when you need a simple object creation mechanism. Opt for the Abstract Factory when you need to create families of related objects and want to ensure that they are compatible.