Topic 3:

Model-View-Controller
(MVC)

ITE-18 APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Model-View-Control
Architecture

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture is a widely used design

pattern in software development, particularly for building user
interfaces in applications.
It is designed to separate an application into three interconnected
components, each with distinct responsibilities.

Databas
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The main goal of MVC is to enhance an application's modularity,
maintainability, and scalability.

Here's an overview of each component in the MVC architecture:

Model:
• The Model represents the application's data and business logic. It
encapsulates the core functionality and data of the application.
• It is responsible for managing data storage, retrieval, manipulation,
and validation. In some cases, it communicates with a database or
external APIs to fetch or update data.
• The Model component is independent of the user interface (View)
and the user input (Controller). This separation ensures that data or
business logic changes don't directly affect the user interface.
Here's an overview of each component in the MVC architecture:

View:
• The View represents the presentation layer of the application. It is
responsible for rendering the user interface and displaying data.
• Views can be any form of visual representation, such as web pages,
graphical user interfaces (GUIs), or command-line interfaces.
• In the MVC architecture, Views are passive and contain no business
logic. Instead, they retrieve data from the Model and display it to the
user.
• Multiple views can exist for the same Model, allowing for different
ways of presenting the same data to the user.
Here's an overview of each component in the MVC architecture:
Controller:
• The Controller acts as an intermediary between the Model and the View.
It handles user input and translates it into actions that affect the Model
or the View.
• Controllers receive user interactions (e.g., button clicks and form
submissions) and decide how to process them. They may update the
Model's data or request a different View to be displayed.
• Controllers ensure that the Model and View remain separate and
communicate with each other through well-defined interfaces.
• In modern web applications, the Controller often corresponds to the
server-side logic, which handles HTTP requests and interacts with the
Model to generate responses sent to the client's browser.
The key benefits of the MVC architecture included:

• Separation of Concerns: It promotes a clear separation between data

management (Model), user interface (View), and user input handling
(Controller), making the codebase more organized and maintainable.
• Reusability: Each component (Model, View, and Controller) can be reused
independently in different parts of the application or even in other
projects.
• Testability: Separating the components makes it easier to write unit tests
for each part of the application, enhancing overall software quality.
• Scalability: MVC architecture makes scaling and extending an application
easier since changes in one component are less likely to affect the
others.
 VIew Controller Model

In this diagram:
• The "View" represents the user interface responsible for displaying
data to the user.
• The "Controller" is the intermediary between the View and the Model,
handling user input and controlling the data flow.
• The "Model" represents the application's data and business logic,
managing data storage and manipulation.
 VIew Controller Model

Here's how the interactions typically flow within the MVC architecture:
• The user interacts with the View by clicking a button or filling out a form.
• The View sends the user's input to the Controller.
• The Controller processes the input and decides how to update or manipulate the Model.
• The Controller interacts with the Model, which performs the necessary data operations.
• If data is changed in the Model, the Model notifies the View (often through a mechanism
like observers or events).
• The View updates its display based on the changes in the Model.
 VIew Controller Model

This separation of responsibilities and the flow of interactions help

maintain a clean and organized architecture in software applications,
making it easier to develop, test, and maintain complex systems.
Web Application (Classic MVC):

In a web application, MVC can structure both the front-end and back-end
components.
• Model: Represents the application's data and business logic, often interacting
with a database. For example, it could be an object-relational mapping (ORM)
model in a framework like Django for Python.
• View: Represents the user interface, typically using HTML templates, CSS for
styling, and JavaScript for interactivity. In a framework like Ruby on Rails, the
View templates are written in HTML with embedded Ruby code.
• Controller: Handles incoming HTTP requests, processes user input, and manages
the Model and View interaction. In Rails, the Controller actions are responsible
for responding to routes and rendering views.
Desktop Application (Java Swing):

Java Swing is a framework for building desktop applications that often

follows the MVC pattern.
• Model: Represents the application's data and logic. For example, it could
be a data model for a spreadsheet application.
• View: Represents the graphical user interface (GUI) components, such as
windows, buttons, and text fields.
• Controller: Manages user input and updates the Model and View
accordingly. In Swing, event listeners and handlers play the role of
Controllers.
Mobile Application (iOS - UIKit):
When building iOS applications using UIKit, you can follow the MVC pattern.
• Model: Represents the data and business logic, objects representing data fetched from
a web service or a local database.
• View: Represents the user interface elements, including screens, buttons, labels, and
images, created using UIKit components.
• Controller: Acts as an intermediary between the Model and the View, handling user
interactions and updating both as needed. In iOS, View Controllers fulfill the role of
Controllers.
Game Development (Unity3D):

In game development using Unity3D, you can implement MVC-like architecture.

• Model: Represents game data, physics, and game logic. For example, it could be a script
managing player health and game progression.
• View: Represents the game's visuals and UI elements, such as 3D models, textures, and the
heads-up display (HUD).
• Controller: Handles user input (e.g., keyboard, mouse, or touch events) and updates the
Model and View accordingly. Unity's MonoBehaviour scripts often act as Controllers.

https://www.toptal.com/unity-unity3d/unity-with-mvc-how-to-level-up-your-game-development

https://unity.com/how-to/build-modular-codebase-mvc-and-mvp-programming-patterns
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/programming/mvc-in-unity
Embedded Systems (IoT):

Even in embedded systems, the MVC pattern can be applied.

• Model: Represents the device's data and control logic, such as sensor
readings and actuators.
• View: Represents the user interface if the device has a screen or display.
Alternatively, it could involve communication with a mobile app or a web-
based dashboard.
• Controller: Manages user input, interacts with the Model to control the
device, and updates the View if applicable.
These examples demonstrate the versatility of the MVC architecture, which
can be adapted to various programming languages, frameworks, and
application domains to improve code organization and maintainability.

However, it's important to note that in some contexts, variations of MVC (such
as Model-View-Presenter, Model-View-ViewModel, or Model-View-Adapter)
may be used to address specific requirements and constraints.
Here are some of the common disadvantages associated with using MVC:

• Complexity: MVC can introduce complexity to a project, especially for small

or straightforward applications. For simple applications, the additional
layers and separation of concerns might be overkill and lead to
unnecessary development time.
• Learning Curve: Developers new to MVC may need time to learn and
understand the architecture and its conventions. This can slow down the
development process, particularly for teams with limited experience in
MVC.
• Boilerplate Code: In some MVC frameworks, developers may write a
significant amount of boilerplate code to set up controllers, routes, and
views. This can be time-consuming and potentially error-prone.
Here are some of the common disadvantages associated with using MVC:

• Performance Overhead: MVC frameworks often come with some

performance overhead due to the need to route requests through
controllers and maintain a separation of concerns. For high-performance
applications, this overhead may be a concern.
• Tight Coupling in Some Cases: In traditional MVC implementations, the
View and Controller can sometimes become tightly coupled, making it
challenging to change one without affecting the other. This can lead to
maintenance difficulties and hinder code reusability.
• Over-Engineering: In cases where a project is relatively small or doesn't
require extensive separation of concerns, adopting MVC might lead to
over-engineering, resulting in more complexity than necessary.
Here are some of the common disadvantages associated with using MVC:

• Not Ideal for All Applications: MVC is well-suited for many applications but may not
be the best fit for all scenarios. For example, real-time applications or applications
with complex client-side interactivity may benefit from other architectural patterns
like the Flux pattern (for React applications) or WebSocket-based approaches.
• Potential for Inconsistent Implementation: In some projects, especially when
multiple developers are involved, there's a risk of inconsistent implementation of the
MVC pattern. This can lead to varying coding styles and practices that make the
codebase less maintainable.
• Testing Challenges: While MVC promotes testability, writing unit tests for certain
parts of the architecture, especially the View layer, can be challenging. In some
cases, achieving full test coverage may require additional testing frameworks and
tools.
Here are some of the common disadvantages associated with using MVC:

• Versioning and Compatibility: Older versions may have compatibility issues

as MVC frameworks evolve. This can require updates and maintenance
efforts to keep the application current.

It's important to note that many of these disadvantages can be mitigated with proper
training, good coding practices, and careful consideration of whether the MVC pattern
fits a particular project.

In some cases, alternative architectural patterns or lightweight frameworks may be more

appropriate, depending on the project's size and complexity.
 MVC (Model-View-Controller) and N-Tier are two different architectural patterns used in software
development, and they serve different purposes. Let's compare them to understand their differences:

MVC (Model-View-Controller): N-Tier:

• Purpose: MVC primarily organizes the code within a single • Purpose: N-Tier (or N-Layer) architecture separates an application into
application, improving its maintainability and separation of multiple layers, each with specific responsibilities. It's often employed
concerns. It focuses on separating the user interface (View) from in larger, more complex applications to improve scalability,
the application's data and logic (Model), with the Controller maintainability, and flexibility.
managing user input and mediating between the View and Model. • Layers: In N-Tier architecture, you typically have three main layers
• Components: In MVC, you have three main components: (though more layers can be added):
⚬ Model: Represents the application's data and business logic. ⚬ Presentation Layer: Represents the user interface and handles
⚬ View: Represents the user interface and presentation of data. user interactions.
⚬ Controller: Handles user input, processes requests, and ⚬ Business Logic Layer: Contains the application's business rules
updates the Model and View. and processing logic.
• Scope: MVC is typically used for structuring a single application or ⚬ Data Access Layer: Manages data storage and retrieval, often
module within an application. It's about organizing the code and interacting with databases or external services.
ensuring a clean separation of concerns within that • Scope: N-Tier architecture structures large applications into multiple,
application/module. distinct layers. These layers can be distributed across servers or
• Communication: The components in MVC communicate directly components to improve scalability and maintainability.
with each other. The Controller interacts with the Model and View, • Communication: The layers in N-Tier architecture communicate in a
facilitating data flow between them. layered fashion, with each layer interacting with the one directly above
or below it. For example, the Presentation Layer communicates with
the Business Logic Layer, which, in turn, communicates with the Data
Access Layer.
Key Differences:
• Scope: MVC focuses on organizing code within a single application or module, whereas
N-Tier is used to structure larger applications into multiple layers.
• Responsibilities: MVC primarily addresses the separation of concerns within a single
application, while N-Tier focuses on separating different functional aspects of a large
application, such as presentation, business logic, and data access.
• Communication: MVC components communicate directly with each other, while N-Tier
layers communicate in a layered fashion, with each layer interacting with adjacent layers.

In summary, MVC and N-Tier are architectural patterns with different goals and
applications. MVC is suitable for organizing code within a single application or module.
At the same time, N-Tier is more appropriate for structuring large, complex applications
into separate layers to improve scalability and maintainability.

Depending on the size and complexity of your project, you may choose one pattern over
the other or even use them together when appropriate.
 This ends Topic 3

Thank you!