Iterator Pattern

Provides a standard way to traverse elements of a collection without exposing its internal structure.

#behavioral#iterator#traversal

Field Note - Real-world Analogy

Think of it like this

“Like a music playlist player. No matter if you're playing a Spotify playlist, a local folder, or a radio station, you use the same controls: Next track, Previous track. The player doesn't care how the underlying collection stores songs — it just uses the iterator.”

Field Observations - Key Topics Covered

The problem: different collections store data differently — arrays use indices, linked lists use pointers, trees use nodes, graphs use adjacency lists. If traversal logic is inside each collection, every consumer needs to know the internals. If traversal is in the consumer, you have to rewrite it for every collection type.

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