Software Odds and Ends

Software Engineering patterns, interesting tidbits, and other odds and ends collected over the years.

Recursion and Pagination

Part 1 of 3 in Software Odds and Ends

How a three-parameter recursive function handles pagination across almost any REST API — page numbers, next-link cursors, nested responses, and the cases where it still breaks.

— Written 24 July 2023 · Edited 28 March 2026 · Written by Benjamin Clark

The Python dictionary dispatch pattern

Part 2 of 3 in Software Odds and Ends

A little primer on said pattern, with some quite silly examples.

— Written 25 March 2024 · Edited 29 March 2026 · Written by Benjamin Clark

Database interoperability in Python utilising the Repository Enterprise Pattern

Part 3 of 3 in Software Odds and Ends

How I used the Repository pattern to decouple a hand-built monitoring platform from its database backend — and what that made possible when it came time to migrate.

— Written 05 September 2025 · Edited 27 March 2026 · Written by Benjamin Clark