What is MVC?
MVC is a software structure that is commonly used in the industry as a framework for creating efficient web applications.
Definition
It is an architectural pattern that consists of three components Model, View, and Controller that effectively separates Business Logic from the user interface of an application.
Understanding MVC
MVC consists of three components
- Model
- View
- Controller
- Model: In simple words, the Model contains data about the application. All the information that is essential to be shown or displayed, its requirements with respect to access and other validations are all specified here.
- View: View displays the data in the Model component. Any response from the user is also recognized and sent to the Controller component.
- Controller: The Controller is responsible for providing the data present in the Model to the View component and interpreting the user responses that get recognized by the View component.
How does MVC make working so easy?
Architecture like MVC makes working easier because
- It helps in a simplified and faster development process.
- Since it has a definite structure, this architecture can be used for a well-rounded plan to finish the development process with each member in a team handling one of the components of the architecture thereby making the process less complicated.
- Once a very complicated process, now MVC makes life easier for programmers to provide multiple Views for the same data (Model).
- Unlike other architectures, Modifications can be done with greater ease.
- Assume if there is any change in Business logic, then only the Model component can be altered and the components can be left untouched.
- If there is any change in the user interface, we could just change the code in View component thereby making it clear that the business logic is unaffected as there was no change made in the Model component in regards to this scenario.
- Because of the simplicity, it brings to the table, many programming language frameworks follow this architecture and provides a good understanding to the developer on how the web application needs to be developed.
What can you do with MVC?
- Using MVC, we can actually make the Web development process interesting with an uncomplicated setup.
- Each and every step of the Software development life cycle is made easier and less tedious.
- During Development, this architecture helps in a way that each component can be taken care of by a person and time consumption will get reduced as a result.
- The development code gets less complicated as we can easily understand the flow of code functionality when using MVC.
Working with MVC
- The Controller is perhaps the most important component in the architecture as it is responsible for the interactions between the Model and the View.
- The Model and the View are independent of each other and the Controller hence becomes the mediator wherein any interaction from Model to View or vice versa will be done by the Controller.
- The importance of the Model component cannot be devalued as it is the source of business logic represented by the application.
- The View is responsible for the data being displayed on the screen and if any user input or response is encountered, then it is the responsibility of the View to bring the response to the attention of the Controller, which then decides the exact response necessary by interacting the same communication from View to Model and thus provides information to the View to display the associated screen for the response accompanied by the necessary data from Model
- Diagrammatic representation of MVC is shown above
- Take for example an ATM machine which can be useful for understanding the architecture.
- The usual procedure is as follows.
- The customer inserts the card inputs his password and the amount that is necessary and he gets the money he wanted.
- Now, what we can understand is that the customer interacts only with the View of the application.
- Once the card is entered, an event is recognized that prompts the Controller to start the proceedings.
- The Controller at once interacts the event to the Model component which contains the business logic and data.
- The Model communicates the necessary data to keep the flow of the action and the Controller promptly interacts with the View to display the necessary data to the customer.
- The customer selects the desired action and the response from the customer is delivered to the Controller from View and the Controller interacts the situation to the Model which in turn provides the data related to the current response and again Controller gets back to View so that View can display the response to the customer.
- Like this, the customer tells the View the amount of money he/she requires by providing it as input. The View tells the Controller that the customer requires the amount and the Controller goes to the Model.
- The Model where we refer to as the Business logic prompts the Controller to ask for the password and the Controller tells the View to get the password from customer and when the customer inputs the password, the Model component processes the validation and other access requirements and if all the response from the customer matches with the necessities and accuracy of the data, then Model tells the Controller to allow the machine to provide the specified amount which the Controller readily does, thus bringing an end to the task.
Advantages
It has the following advantages
- It has the architecture to provide multiple Views.
- It helps in developing an application that loads in an extremely faster rate.
- Modification of user interface does not affect the Business Logic.
- It helps in developing larger applications with a definite structure.
Required Skills
- Complete understanding of the architectural pattern
- Understanding how to use the framework
- Basic knowledge of an object-oriented programming language
- Ability to separate contents of logic and display ensuring that the Model and View are independent of each other.
Why should we use MVC?
We should use MVC because
- There is no need to type the code again. Thus it enables Reusability.
- It helps in efficient testing of the application during the Testing phase.
- If there are any modifications, then there is no need to edit the entire code of the application.
- It helps in better maintenance of the application.
- It reduces ambiguity and uncertainty
- The most important thing we can do with MVC is an abstraction of logic from View.
Scope
- There will always be a future for MVC.
- The programming language or the framework may change, but the architecture will still be used.
- You may stop using Dot net MVC but could still use Python with the Django framework that uses the MVC principles.
Why do we need MVC?
- It may be complex, but it helps in providing definiteness and clean code.
- We need MVC for development of one or more applications simultaneously at a faster rate.
- It helps the organization in better maintenance and support for the applications.
Who is the right audience for learning MVC technologies?
Anyone who aspires to become a developer with good control and ability to write complex and clean code.
How this technology will help you in career growth?
- The programming language and framework you use has a greater dependency on your career growth based on its demand, but MVC as an architecture will always be present as a viable option for your career growth. Hence MVC is necessary and useful for your career.
- For example, people have started to move from Dot net MVC to Dot net Core but there is demand for Django which uses MVC.
Conclusion
- The Model – View – Controller architecture was introduced by Trygve Reenskaug and in the 1970s.
- The popularity peaked during 1996 and from then on it has been in use for developing user interfaces and applications
- It can be integrated with JavaScript and Jquery as well.
- It is important to know that anyone who works in MVC has to be updated with the current trend of technologies as the architecture will certainly be embedded into the future languages that are going to boom into the industry.
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