Interface Segregation Principle

No client should be forced to depend on a method it does not use

Consider example of office space where various output devices are represented using objects

Before Interface Segregation Principle:

IMultiFunction Interface

/**
 * @ImultiFunction interface has methods related to all output devices present in office space
 * for devices like Printer, Scanner, Fax machines, etc
*/
public interface IMultiFunction {
    public void print();
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails();
    public void scan();
    public void scanPhoto();
    public void fax();
    public void internetFax();
}

Now implementing the above common interface for various devices

XeroxWorkCenter class having all capabilities

/**
 * 
 * You must have seen Xerox work station device which has all the features in one like printing, scanning, xerox,
 * fax etc
*/
public class XeroxWorkCenter implements IMultiFunction {

    @Override
    public void print() {
        // real printing code
    }

    @Override
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails() {
        // real get print spool details code
    }

    @Override
    public void scan() {
        // read scanning code
    }

    @Override
    public void scanPhoto() {
        // real scan photo code 
    }

    @Override
    public void fax() {
        // real fax code
    }

    @Override
    public void internetFax() {
        // real internet fax code
    }

}

HpPrinterNScanner class has printing and scanning capabilities

public class HpPrinterNScanner implements IMultiFunction {

    @Override
    public void print() {
        // real printing code
    }

    @Override
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails() {
        // real get print spool details code
    }

    @Override
    public void scan() {
        // read scanning code
    }

    @Override
    public void scanPhoto() {
        // real scan photo code 
    }

    //Since HpPrinterNScanner has only printing and scanning abilities fax() and internetFax() will have empty body
    @Override
    public void fax() {}

    @Override
    public void internetFax() {}

}

CanonPrinter class has only printing capability

public class CanonPrinter implements IMultiFunction {

    @Override
    public void print() {
        // real printing code
    }

    @Override
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails() {
        // real get print spool details code
    }

    //Since the CanonPrinter has only printing ability rest of the method will have an empty body
    @Override
    public void scan() {}

    @Override
    public void scanPhoto() {}

    @Override
    public void fax() {}

    @Override
    public void internetFax() {}

}

Techniques to identify the violation of ISP

Fat interfaces (Interfaces having two many method declarations)
Interfaces with low cohesion (interfaces having methods that are not likely to be related to each other)
*Empty methods implementation *( when classes are forced to implement methods that they don't use, they leave the implementation of the methods with blank body)

After Interface segregation principle:

public interface IPrint {
    public void print();
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails();
}

public interface IScan {
    public void scan();
    public void scanPhoto();
}

public interface IFax {
    public void fax();
    public void internetFax();
}

/**
 * 
 * You must have seen the Xerox workstation device which has all the features in one like printing, scanning, xerox, fax, etc.
*/
public class XeroxWorkCenter implements IPrint,IScan,IFax {

    @Override
    public void print() {
        // real printing code
    }

    @Override
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails() {
        // real get print spool details code
    }

    @Override
    public void scan() {
        // read scanning code
    }

    @Override
    public void scanPhoto() {
        // real scan photo code ̰
    }

    @Override
    public void fax() {
        // real fax code
    }

    @Override
    public void internetFax() {
        // real internet fax code
    }

}

public class HpPrinterNScanner implements IPrint,IScan {

    @Override
    public void print() {
        // real printing code
    }

    @Override
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails() {
        // real get print spool details code
    }

    @Override
    public void scan() {
        // read scanning code
    }

    @Override
    public void scanPhoto() {
        // real scan photo code 
    }
}

public class CanonPrinter implements IPrint {

    @Override
    public void print() {
        // real printing code
    }

    @Override
    public void getPrintSpoolDetails() {
        // real get print spool details code
    } 
}

Each Interface has a single responsibility and is much cleaner now.

Relation that ISP holds with other SOLID principles

Single responsibility
After the segregation of the interfaces into different interfaces, now all the interfaces like IPrint, IScan have a single responsibility

Liskov substitution
Due to the segregation now all the classes (implementing the interfaces) follow Liskov substitution, as all the subtypes or implementing classes can be replaced with their interface reference variable

Blog

Interface Segregation Principle

Prashant Mishra

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