MapGuide tidbits: Maximizing .net code reuse

Code reuse is always a good thing. If you use the .net MapGuide API, you may want to consider some options that can enhance re-usability of your code.

For those who don't know, the MapGuide API is an extension of a common subset known as the Geospatial Platform API. AutoCAD Map3D extends this subset to integrate with AutoCAD Map3D, MapGuide extends this common subset to support web applications and mg-desktop extends this subset to give you a portable MapGuide environment for your desktop applications.

As you can see from the diagram there are key abstract classes in the Geospatial Platform API that are derived by the various implementations (bolded for emphasis). It just so happens that these classes are the key classes for working with maps and layers and the rest of the API through service classes.

By writing your .net code to work against the abstract classes in the Geospatial Platform API, you get to maximize its reuse against the various extensions of this common subset. For example, have your code:

• Work against MgMapBase instead of MgMap, MgdMap or AcMapMap
• Work against MgLayerBase instead of MgLayer, MgdLayer or AcMapLayer
• Work against MgResourceService instead of AcMapResourceService or MgdResourceService

You hopefully get the idea. Where possible, work against the abstract class instead of the concrete implementation.

Writing code this way makes the code more amenable to easy manual dependency injection, with your MapGuide, mg-desktop or AutoCAD Map3D specific code doing the actual injecting, but the dependency injectee not having to care because it works against the abstract class and not the concrete implementations, thus allowing this injectee code to be re-used anywhere that can provide a concrete implementation of the class.

Of course, each extension of the common subset has their own implementation quirks. AutoCAD Map3D has some, mg-desktop has some too. But if such quirks do not affect you, then this coding strategy is something to consider if you want to re-use such code beyond MapGuide web applications.