Changing method signature according to the new business logic

[Ostin Night]

Dear java community,

Recently I'm confronted with one issue and I want to know your opinion about this.

ISSUE DESCRIPTION:

In one of my business tier class I had method register user:

public RegistrationStatus registerUser(User user, RegistrationType type, boolean confirmationRequired) throws MyBusinessException;

According to new business rules I need to add 2 arguments to this methods (boolean isCustomBank and String customBankName).

All arguments in method are mandatory and I need them in registration process. It is also possible that in future it would be needed to pass more arguments to registerUser method (according to changes in business logic).

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

A) Create userContext (as map) and collect there some arguments that needed in registration process (it would be used not only in this method, so it also would contain some other arguments not needed in registration). Signature of this method would look like this:

   
public RegistrationStatus registerUser(User user, RegistrationType type, Map userContext) throws MyBusinessException;

Invocation would look like this:

Map userContext = new HashMap();
userContext.put(UserCostants.CONFIRMATION_REQUIRED, form.isConfirmationRequired());
userContext.put(UserCostants.CUSTOM_BANK, form.isCustomBank());
userContext.put(UserCostants. CUSTOM_BANK_NAME, form.getCustomBankName);
myRegistrationService.registerUser(form.getUser, form.getRegistrationType(), userContext);

And UserCostants:

public interface UserCostants {
   String CUSTOM_BANK = "customBank";
   
   .........
   // other constants
}

B) Create userContext (as class � wrapper of map from previous solution) and collect there some arguments that needed in registration process (it would be used not only in this method, so it also would contain some other arguments not needed in registration). Signature of this method would look like this:

public RegistrationStatus registerUser(User user, RegistrationType type, UserContext ctx) throws MyBusinessException;

Wrapper class:

public class UserContext {
   Map userContext = new HashMap();
 
   public Boolean isCustomBank() { return (Boolean) userContext.get("customBank"); }
   public void setCustomBank(Boolean customBank) { userContext.put("customBank", customBank);}
 
   .........
   // other get and set metods
}

C) Create value object UserRegistrationData that would hold data ONLY for user registration method. Example of the signature:

public RegistrationStatus registerUser(User user, RegistrationType type, UserRegistrationData registrationData) throws MyBusinessException;

And value object class:

public class UserRegistrationData {
   public boolean customBank;
   public boolean confirmationRequired;
   public String customBankName;
 
   public boolean isCustomBank() { return this.customBank; }
   public void setCustomBank(boolean customBank) { this.customBank = customBank;}
 
   .........
   // other get and set metods
}

D) Just add new arguments to method's signature:

public RegistrationStatus registerUser(User user, RegistrationType type, Boolean confirmationRequired, boolean isCustomBank, String customBankName) throws MyBusinessException;

E) your solution....

QUESTIONS:

I don't tell you my opinion and pros and cons because I want to know your independent opinion.

Which of these solutions are good and why do you think they are good?
Which of these solutions are bad and why do you think they are bad?

Thanks.

[Stan James]

I think I like C, but wonder why you didn't roll user and type into the new class, too. Of course now the new class is going to be just complex to build as the method signature you're trying to avoid. Consider making it immutable (lose all the setters) and load it entirely in the constructor.

Map arguments like you sketched out offer a lot of flexibility but communicate nothing. This will certainly let clients know the signature has changed this time and any time in the future.

Will you be able to leave the old signature and default the new fields to false and none?