CMSC 341 -- Fall 2002 -- Project 1

Copy this file into your directory and edit it to add your answers to the
following questions about project 1.

These questions count for 10% of your project grade.


1. (10 points) In this project the AListElement class was completely
distinct from the AList class.  What problems might this cause?  How does
this approach run counter to the principles of object-oriented programming?
Suggest a better way to structure the relationship between the AList and
AListElement classes.


2. (10 points) The AList class was defined as a template so that it could
use any pair of classes for keys and values.  However, in the main routine
we had to figure out what these types were and call a special routine for
each.  Using this approach, if there are M possible key types and N
possible value types, we would potentially need to implement MN routines
for handling command files.  Given that ALists are templated, why were we
forced to have one routine for each combination of key and value types?
Please be clear and explicit.  Suggest a way that the assignment could have
been restructured to avoid this problem, or argue that no such
restructuring is possible.