INDEX:

SI. NO CONTENT PAGE NO.

1 Introduction 1
2 Exploring the MVC Architecture 2
3 Use case tables 5
4 Challenges and Limitations 8
5 Future Scope 9
6 Conclusion 10
7 Geo Tag Photos 11
References 12
 1. INTRODUCTION
The Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern is a widely adopted framework for
organizing software applications. Originally introduced in the Smalltalk programming
language, MVC divides an application into three core components:
1. Model: Manages the application’s data and business logic. It ensures data consistency
and notifies the View of changes.
2. View: Responsible for rendering and presenting the Model’s data to users, focusing
solely on the user interface without handling logic.
3. Controller: Processes user input, updates the Model accordingly, and directs the View
to refresh the display.
This separation of concerns results in high cohesion within components and low coupling
between them, making systems more flexible, maintainable, and scalable. MVC is particularly
effective in applications requiring multiple representations of the same data, such as
interactive systems.
The pattern’s modular design also promotes parallel development, as different teams can
work on the View, Controller, and Model independently. This feature proves particularly
beneficial in projects where scalability and adaptability are crucial. Additionally, MVC
simplifies debugging and testing, as each component operates with clear boundaries and
defined roles, reducing complexity during development and maintenance.
We explore the application of the MVC architecture through the design of a simple drawing
program. The program incorporates key functionalities, such as drawing geometric shapes,
adding text labels, saving and editing drawings, and undoing actions. Using the MVC pattern
ensures that the design remains structured and extensible, allowing for the seamless
integration of new features and future enhancements without disrupting existing
components.

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 2. Exploring the MVC architecture
a. Concept of MVC
The Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern divides an application into three
distinct components:
• Model: Manages the application’s data and business logic. It notifies the View of
changes and provides mechanisms to access or update data. For example, in a banking
application, the Model stores account details and transaction history.
• View: Displays data to the user. It observes the Model for changes and updates the
presentation accordingly. For instance, in a library system, the View can show book
availability as a list or detailed grid.
• Controller: Handles user inputs, interacts with the Model to update data, and instructs
the View to refresh. For example, in an e-commerce application, the Controller
updates the Model when a user adds an item to the cart and triggers the View to show
the updated cart.
The core advantage of MVC is the separation of concerns, enabling independent
development of components, easier debugging, and scalability.

Figure 2.1: MVC Architecture Pattern: A Modular Approach

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b. Interaction in MVC
The interaction in MVC follows a structured flow:
1. User Input Handling: The user interacts with the View (e.g., clicking a button or
entering text).
2. Controller Actions: The Controller processes the input and updates the Model.
3. Model Update: The Model notifies the View about data changes.
4. View Refresh: The View reflects the updated data.
For example:
• In a drawing program, clicking on "Draw Line" triggers the Controller, which updates
the Model with new line coordinates. The Model notifies the View, which then displays
the updated drawing.

Figure 2.2: Alternate View of MVC Architecture

c. Benefits of MVC
The MVC architecture offers several advantages:
• High Cohesion and Low Coupling: Each component has a distinct responsibility,
ensuring modularity.
• Flexibility: The same Model can support multiple Views.
• Scalability: New features can be added with minimal impact on existing components.
• Ease of Maintenance: Debugging and updates are easier due to the clear separation
of components.

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d. Application: Drawing Program
The MVC pattern was applied to a simple drawing program, demonstrating its practical utility.
The program supports:
• Functionalities:

• Drawing geometric shapes like lines and circles.

• Adding text labels with font customization.
• Saving, editing, and undoing actions.
Use Cases:

• Drawing Shapes: The user clicks two points to draw a line or specifies a
circle by selecting two diametrically opposite points.
• Adding Labels: The user clicks a location, types the desired text, and
customizes font and size.
• Undo: Users can revert the last action for flexibility in editing.
This program showcases how MVC ensures modularity, simplifies adding new features, and
enhances maintainability.

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 3. Use case tables
(1) Use Case: Drawing a Line

Explanation:
• Model: Stores the line data (coordinates of two points).
• View: Displays the line on the canvas.
• Controller: Captures user input (mouse clicks), updates the Model, and triggers the
View to refresh.
(2) Use Case: Adding a Label

Explanation:
• Model: Stores the label's position and text.

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 • View: Renders the label at the given coordinates.
• Controller: Handles text input, updates the Model, and triggers a refresh in the View.
(3) Use Case: Undoing the Last Action

Explanation:
• Model: Tracks changes and allows rollback to previous states.
• View: Updates the canvas to reflect the undone action.
• Controller: Processes the undo request and instructs the Model to revert to the
previous state.
(4) Use Case: Saving a Drawing

Explanation:
• Model: Serializes the current drawing data and stores it in a file.
• View: Displays a success message or updates to indicate the file has been saved.
• Controller: Manages the save process, ensuring the Model’s data is stored
appropriately.

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 (5) Use Case: Changing the Font of a Label

Explanation:
• Model: Stores the font settings that are applied to labels.
• View: Reflects the updated font on the labels.
• Controller: Manages font selection and ensures the Model is updated with the new
font style.

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 4. Challenges and Limitations
While the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture offers several advantages, including
modularity and separation of concerns, it also presents certain challenges and limitations
when applied to a drawing program.
1. Managing Responsibilities between View and Controller
The View and Controller often overlap in their responsibilities, especially when
handling user input. For example, deciding whether the View or the Controller
should capture mouse clicks or process text input for labels can lead to ambiguity,
increasing complexity in maintaining the system.
2. Performance Overhead
MVC’s separation of components can result in performance overhead. For example,
frequent updates to the Model trigger updates in the View, leading to potential slowdowns,
particularly in a drawing program with numerous interactive elements, like multiple shapes
or labels.

3. Complexity in Implementing Undo/Redo

Tracking the state for undo/redo actions is difficult with MVC. The Model must
maintain a history of all changes, making the system complex and memory-intensive,
especially when dealing with multiple user actions such as drawing shapes or adding
labels.
4. Scalability Issues for Larger Applications
While MVC is effective for smaller applications, scaling it for larger, feature-rich
systems can be challenging. As new tools and interactions are added, managing
these interactions between View, Controller, and Model can lead to increased
complexity and longer development cycles.
5. Tight Coupling Between View and Controller
The View and Controller can become tightly coupled, especially in complex user
interfaces. For instance, UI elements like buttons or sliders, and their respective
actions, may require significant changes in the Controller when the View is modified,
reducing the flexibility of the system.
6. Learning Curve for Developers
MVC requires a clear understanding of software architecture, which can present a
learning curve for developers unfamiliar with the pattern. This may delay
development, especially when dealing with a simple system where MVC’s complexity
may be unnecessary.

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 5. Future Scope
While the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture effectively supports the drawing
program, several enhancements could further improve its functionality:
1. Advanced Drawing Tools

• Introduce more shapes like polygons and freehand drawing.

• Add features like shape resizing and rotation.

2. Improved User Interaction

• Implement multi-touch support for touch-enabled devices.

• Add drag-and-drop functionality for easier manipulation of shapes.
3. Enhanced Undo/Redo

• Implement multi-level undo/redo for more granular control over actions.

4. File Handling Improvements

• Support exporting drawings to formats like JPEG, PNG, and SVG.

• Allow importing and editing external images.

5. Collaboration Features

• Enable real-time collaboration and commenting for shared drawing tasks.

6. Modern UI Framework Integration

• Transition to JavaFX for improved performance and graphics.

• Consider a web-based version using HTML5 and JavaScript for cross-device

compatibility.

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 6. Conclusion

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture is a powerful and flexible design pattern that offers
clear separation of concerns, enabling modular development and easy maintenance. In the case of the
drawing program, MVC has successfully organized the application by dividing responsibilities between
the Model, View, and Controller, allowing for a scalable and extensible system.

While challenges such as performance overhead and managing responsibilities between the View and
Controller exist, MVC remains highly suitable for interactive systems. The drawing program
demonstrates how MVC facilitates the development of a system with dynamic user interaction,
efficient data handling, and easy UI updates. The design also makes it easier to add new features or
modify existing ones without affecting other components of the application.

Looking forward, future enhancements like advanced drawing tools, real-time collaboration, and
better file export options will make the program more versatile and user-friendly. The MVC
architecture will continue to provide the solid foundation required to implement such improvements
effectively.

In conclusion, MVC proves to be a valuable and reliable architecture for building interactive and
scalable software systems. Its flexibility in handling complex user interfaces while maintaining system
modularity makes it ideal for both small-scale and large-scale applications

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7. Geo Tag photos

Figure 7.1: Seminar presentation in the classroom

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References
[1] https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/mvc-design-pattern/
[2] https://www.tutorialspoint.com/design_pattern/mvc_pattern.htm
[3] Ramnath, S., & Dathan, B. (2010). Object-Oriented Analysis and Design.
Springer Science & Business Media. (Textbook)

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