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Introduction to Low Level Design

Low level design is an essential part of software development as it focuses on the detailed implementation and structure of the system. It involves designing the components and interactions at a granular level, considering factors such as performance, efficiency, and scalability.

Low level design plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of a software project. It helps in identifying potential bottlenecks, optimizing resource utilization, and improving system performance. By delving into the specifics of the system architecture, low level design enables developers to make informed decisions and build robust and maintainable software.

In the context of building a payment app, low level design would involve designing the classes, relationships, and database schema required to handle payment transactions efficiently and securely. It would also consider aspects such as error handling, data validation, and integration with external systems.

To illustrate the importance of low level design, let's consider a simple example. Imagine you are tasked with building a payment app that processes transactions in a distributed environment. Without proper low level design, you may encounter issues such as data inconsistency, performance bottlenecks, or security vulnerabilities. However, by analyzing the system requirements and applying low level design principles, you can ensure that the payment app is capable of handling high transaction volumes, guaranteeing data consistency, and protecting sensitive information.

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class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Low level design is an essential part of software development as it focuses on the detailed implementation and structure of the system. It involves designing the components and interactions at a granular level, considering factors such as performance, efficiency, and scalability. Understanding low level design principles and methodologies is crucial for building robust and maintainable software.");
    }
}

Let's test your knowledge. Is this statement true or false?

Low level design focuses on the detailed implementation and structure of the system.

Press true if you believe the statement is correct, or false otherwise.

Problem Statement

Defining the problem statement is the first step in low level design. It involves identifying the primary objective of the payment app and outlining the key functionalities.

In the case of our payment app, the problem statement can be defined as follows:

Design a payment app that allows users to make secure and convenient online transactions.

To further clarify the requirements and scope of the payment app, we can identify the following key requirements:

User authentication: Users should be able to create an account and log in securely.
Payment methods: The app should support multiple payment methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets.
Transaction history: Users should be able to view their transaction history.

By defining a clear problem statement and identifying the requirements, we can proceed to the next steps in the low level design process.

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}
 
package com.example.paymentapp;
​
public class PaymentApp {
​
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Define the problem statement
        String problemStatement = "Design a payment app that allows users to make secure and convenient online transactions."
​
        // Identify the requirements
        Requirement[] requirements = new Requirement[]{
            new Requirement("User authentication: Users should be able to create an account and log in securely."),
            new Requirement("Payment methods: The app should support multiple payment methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets."),
            new Requirement("Transaction history: Users should be able to view their transaction history.")
        };
​
        // Print the problem statement
        System.out.println("Problem Statement:");
        System.out.println(problemStatement);
​
        // Print the requirements
        System.out.println("Requirements:");
        for (Requirement requirement : requirements) {
            System.out.println(requirement.getDescription());
        }
    }
​
    public static class Requirement {
        private String description;
​

Try this exercise. Is this statement true or false?

A problem statement defines the problem to be solved and outlines the key functionalities of the application.

Press true if you believe the statement is correct, or false otherwise.

Creating a Class Diagram

A class diagram is a visual representation of the structure and relationships between classes in a system. It provides an overview of the objects and their interactions.

In the case of our payment app, we can create a class diagram to represent the main classes involved in the system. Let's start by identifying the key classes:

PaymentApp: Represents the payment application itself. It contains the user, payment methods, and transaction history.
User: Represents a user of the payment app. It contains the username and password.
PaymentMethod: Represents a payment method, such as a credit card or digital wallet. It contains the type and details of the payment method.
TransactionHistory: Represents the transaction history of a user. It contains a list of transactions.
Transaction: Represents a single transaction. It contains the order ID, payment method ID, amount, and status.

Here's an example of a class diagram for our payment app:

In this class diagram, we can see the relationships between the main classes. The PaymentApp has a composition relationship with User, PaymentMethod, and TransactionHistory. User has an association relationship with PaymentApp, and TransactionHistory has an aggregation relationship with Transaction.

By visualizing the structure and relationships between classes in a class diagram, we can better understand how the objects interact in our payment app.

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}
 
class PaymentApp {
    private User user;
    private List&lt;PaymentMethod&gt; paymentMethods;
    private TransactionHistory transactionHistory;
    // constructor, getters, and setters
}
​
class User {
    private String username;
    private String password;
    // constructor, getters, and setters
}
​
class PaymentMethod {
    private String type;
    private String details;
    // constructor, getters, and setters
}
​
class TransactionHistory {
    private List&lt;Transaction&gt; transactions;
    // constructor, getters, and setters
}
​
class Transaction {
    private String orderId;
    private String paymentMethodId;
    private double amount;
    private String status;

Let's test your knowledge. Fill in the missing part by typing it in.

In a class diagram, the class Transaction has a(n) ____ relationship with the class TransactionHistory.

Write the missing line below.

Establishing the Entity Relationship

In low-level design, establishing the entity relationship is an important step in defining the structure and interactions between objects. In our payment app, there are several main entities involved:

PaymentApp: Represents the payment application itself. It contains the user, payment methods, and transaction history.
User: Represents a user of the payment app. It contains the username and password.
PaymentMethod: Represents a payment method, such as a credit card or digital wallet. It contains the type and details of the payment method.
TransactionHistory: Represents the transaction history of a user. It contains a list of transactions.
Transaction: Represents a single transaction. It contains the order ID, payment method ID, amount, and status.

To establish the entity relationship between these objects, we can define the following relationships:

PaymentApp has a composition relationship with User, PaymentMethod, and TransactionHistory. This means that the existence of PaymentApp depends on these entities.
User has an association relationship with PaymentApp. This represents the relationship between a user and the payment app.
TransactionHistory has an aggregation relationship with Transaction. This means that a transaction history is made up of multiple transactions.

By establishing these entity relationships, we can better understand how the objects interact and collaborate within our payment app.

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}
 
// Establishing the entity relationship between the objects
​
public class PaymentApp {
    private User user;
    private List<PaymentMethod> paymentMethods;
    private TransactionHistory transactionHistory;
​
    // ... constructors, getters, and setters
}
​
public class User {
    private String username;
    private String password;
​
    // ... constructors, getters, and setters
}
​
public class PaymentMethod {
    private String type;
    private String details;
​
    // ... constructors, getters, and setters
}
​
public class TransactionHistory {
    private List<Transaction> transactions;
​
    // ... constructors, getters, and setters
}

Build your intuition. Click the correct answer from the options.

Which relationship best represents the association between User and PaymentApp?

Click the option that best answers the question.

Composition
Inheritance
Association
Aggregation

Designing the Database Schema

When designing a payment app, it is essential to carefully design the database schema to store and retrieve data efficiently. The database schema defines the structure of the database, including tables, columns, and relationships between tables.

In our payment app, we can design the following tables:

users: This table stores user information, including their username and password.
payment_methods: This table stores payment method information, including the type of payment method (e.g., credit card, digital wallet) and the details of the payment method.
transactions: This table stores transaction information, including the user ID, amount, and status of the transaction.

To create the database schema, we can use Java and JDBC to connect to the database and execute SQL statements to create the tables. Here's an example:

TEXT/X-JAVA

1// Import the required packages
2import java.sql.Connection;
3import java.sql.DriverManager;
4import java.sql.Statement;
5
6public class DatabaseSchema {
7
8  public static void main(String[] args) {
9    // Define the database URL
10    String url = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/payment_app";
11    // Define the database credentials
12    String username = "root";
13    String password = "password";
14
15    try {
16      // Register the MySQL JDBC driver
17      Class.forName("com.mysql.jdbc.Driver");
18
19      // Establish a connection to the database
20      Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url, username, password);
21
22      // Create a statement
23      Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
24
25      // Create the users table
26      stmt.executeUpdate("CREATE TABLE users (id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT, username VARCHAR(255), password VARCHAR(255))");
27
28      // Create the payment_methods table
29      stmt.executeUpdate("CREATE TABLE payment_methods (id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT, user_id INT, type VARCHAR(255), details VARCHAR(255), FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id))");
30
31      // Create the transactions table
32      stmt.executeUpdate("CREATE TABLE transactions (id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT, user_id INT, amount DECIMAL(10,2), status VARCHAR(255), FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id))");
33
34      // Close the statement and connection
35      stmt.close();
36      conn.close();
37
38      System.out.println("Database schema created successfully!");
39    } catch (Exception e) {
40      System.out.println("Error creating database schema: " + e.getMessage());
41    }
42  }
43}

In this example, we establish a connection to the database using the JDBC driver for MySQL. We then create a statement and execute SQL statements to create the users, payment_methods, and transactions tables. Finally, we close the statement and connection.

By designing the database schema with the appropriate tables and relationships, we can efficiently store and retrieve data in our payment app.

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}
 
// Import the required packages
import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.Statement;
​
public class DatabaseSchema {
​
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Define the database URL
    String url = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/payment_app";
    // Define the database credentials
    String username = "root";
    String password = "password";
​
    try {
      // Register the MySQL JDBC driver
      Class.forName("com.mysql.jdbc.Driver");
​
      // Establish a connection to the database
      Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url, username, password);
​
      // Create a statement
      Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
​
      // Create the users table
      stmt.executeUpdate("CREATE TABLE users (id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT, username VARCHAR(255), password VARCHAR(255))");
​
      // Create the payment_methods table
      stmt.executeUpdate("CREATE TABLE payment_methods (id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT, user_id INT, type VARCHAR(255), details VARCHAR(255), FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id))");

Are you sure you're getting this? Is this statement true or false?

A database schema defines the structure of the database, including tables, columns, and relationships between tables.

Press true if you believe the statement is correct, or false otherwise.

Design Patterns

Design patterns are reusable solutions to common design problems in software development. They provide a way to standardize and organize code, making it more maintainable and scalable. In the context of the payment app, we can utilize various design patterns to improve the overall design and architecture.

One commonly used design pattern in the payment app is the Factory Method pattern. This pattern provides an interface for creating instances of a class, allowing subclasses to decide which class to instantiate. By using the Factory Method pattern, we can decouple the client code from the specific implementation of payment methods.

Here's an example of how the Factory Method pattern can be implemented in Java:

TEXT/X-JAVA

1interface PaymentMethod {
2  void pay(double amount);
3}
4
5class CreditCardPayment implements PaymentMethod {
6  public void pay(double amount) {
7    System.out.println("Paying with credit card: " + amount);
8  }
9}
10
11class DigitalWalletPayment implements PaymentMethod {
12  public void pay(double amount) {
13    System.out.println("Paying with digital wallet: " + amount);
14  }
15}
16
17class PaymentMethodFactory {
18  public static PaymentMethod createPaymentMethod(String type) {
19    switch (type) {
20      case "credit card":
21        return new CreditCardPayment();
22      case "digital wallet":
23        return new DigitalWalletPayment();
24      default:
25        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid payment method type");
26    }
27  }
28}
29
30public class Main {
31  public static void main(String[] args) {
32    // Create a credit card payment method
33    PaymentMethod creditCardPayment = PaymentMethodFactory.createPaymentMethod("credit card");
34    creditCardPayment.pay(50.0);
35
36    // Create a digital wallet payment method
37    PaymentMethod digitalWalletPayment = PaymentMethodFactory.createPaymentMethod("digital wallet");
38    digitalWalletPayment.pay(100.0);
39  }
40}

In this example, we define an interface PaymentMethod that includes a pay method. We then implement this interface with two concrete classes: CreditCardPayment and DigitalWalletPayment. The PaymentMethodFactory class serves as the factory for creating instances of the payment methods based on the given type.

By utilizing the Factory Method pattern, we can easily add new payment methods in the future without modifying the client code. This helps promote flexibility and maintainability in the design of the payment app.

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class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Replace with your Java logic here
    System.out.println("Hello, World!");
  }
}

Try this exercise. Click the correct answer from the options.

Which design pattern is used in the payment app example? (Options without codes.)

Click the option that best answers the question.

Singleton pattern
Observer pattern
Factory Method pattern
Builder pattern

Coding in Java

In this section, we will dive into implementing the payment app using the Java programming language. Java is a popular choice for building enterprise-level applications due to its strong ecosystem, extensive libraries, and scalability.

To start, let's look at an example of a simple Java program that prints numbers from 1 to 100. This program demonstrates the basic syntax and control flow of Java:

TEXT/X-JAVA

1class Main {
2  public static void main(String[] args) {
3    // replace with your Java logic here
4    for(int i = 1; i <= 100; i++) {
5      if(i % 3 == 0 && i % 5 == 0) {
6          System.out.println("FizzBuzz");
7      } else if(i % 3 == 0) {
8          System.out.println("Fizz");
9      } else if(i % 5 == 0) {
10          System.out.println("Buzz");
11      } else {
12          System.out.println(i);
13      }
14    }
15  }
16}

This program uses a for loop to iterate from 1 to 100 and checks if each number is divisible by 3, 5, or both. Based on the conditions, it prints out either "Fizz", "Buzz", "FizzBuzz", or the number itself.

As you can see, Java provides a clear and concise syntax for expressing logic. You can leverage this simplicity to implement the various components of the payment app, such as handling payment methods, managing user accounts, and processing transactions.

In the upcoming lessons, we will explore specific concepts related to low-level design in Java and apply them to build the payment app. Stay tuned!

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class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // replace with your Java logic here
    for(int i = 1; i <= 100; i++) {
      if(i % 3 == 0 && i % 5 == 0) {
          System.out.println("FizzBuzz");
      } else if(i % 3 == 0) {
          System.out.println("Fizz");
      } else if(i % 5 == 0) {
          System.out.println("Buzz");
      } else {
          System.out.println(i);
      }
    }
  }
}

Let's test your knowledge. Fill in the missing part by typing it in.

In Java, a method that has the same name as the class it belongs to, and does not have a return type, is called a ___.

Write the missing line below.

Generating complete for this lesson!

Introduction to Low Level Design

Let's test your knowledge. Is this statement true or false?

Problem Statement

Try this exercise. Is this statement true or false?

Creating a Class Diagram

Let's test your knowledge. Fill in the missing part by typing it in.

Establishing the Entity Relationship

Build your intuition. Click the correct answer from the options.

Click the option that best answers the question.

Designing the Database Schema

Are you sure you're getting this? Is this statement true or false?

Design Patterns

Try this exercise. Click the correct answer from the options.

Click the option that best answers the question.

Coding in Java

Let's test your knowledge. Fill in the missing part by typing it in.

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