Design Pattern Comparison

A comparison of implementation patterns between two applications: the production-ready frontend and the prototype UX.

Project Overview

This project showcases side-by-side comparisons of key architectural decisions and implementation patterns:

• Wizard vs Modal workflows
• Redux + RTK Query vs React useState
• Enterprise validation vs Basic form validation
• Comprehensive status handling vs Simple indicators
• PatternFly tables vs Custom HTML tables

Architecture Comparison

frontend (Production)

• PatternFly 4.x components
• Redux + RTK Query state management
• Multi-step wizard workflows (15+ steps)
• Comprehensive validation system with custom hooks
• Enterprise data tables with sorting, filtering, pagination
• Detailed error handling with structured error objects

UX (Prototype)

• PatternFly 4.x components
• React useState hooks for state management
• Modal-based workflows with tabs
• Basic form validation
• Custom HTML tables with simple interactions
• Streamlined error handling with toast notifications

Project Structure

/src
├── app/
│   ├── App.tsx                    # Main application shell
│   ├── AppNavigation.tsx          # Sidebar navigation
│   └── AppRoutes.tsx             # Route configuration
├── components/
│   ├── Overview.tsx              # Project introduction
│   ├── WizardComparison.tsx      # Wizard vs Modal patterns
│   ├── StateManagementComparison.tsx  # Redux vs useState
│   ├── FormValidationComparison.tsx   # Validation systems
│   ├── StatusIndicatorsComparison.tsx # Status handling
│   └── DataTablesComparison.tsx       # Table implementations
└── index.tsx                     # Application entry point

Key Insights

When to Use Enterprise Patterns (Frontend)

• Building production applications
• Complex state management requirements
• Need for comprehensive error handling
• Long-term maintainability
• Team collaboration at scale

When to Use Prototype Patterns (UX)

• Rapid prototyping and iteration
• Simple state requirements
• Demo and proof-of-concept projects
• Learning and experimentation
• Quick time-to-market

Getting Started

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm start

# Build for production
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

Design System

Built with PatternFly 5.x components for modern design consistency and accessibility.

Technologies Used

• React 18 with TypeScript
• PatternFly React design system
• React Router for navigation
• Webpack for bundling
• Jest for testing

Learning Outcomes

This project demonstrates:

• Architectural trade-offs between enterprise and prototype approaches
• State management pattern comparisons
• Form validation strategy differences
• UI/UX pattern implementations
• Code organization and maintainability considerations

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This project compares different implementation approaches for similar functionality, helping developers understand when to choose different architectural patterns.