Methodtomethod

Methodtomethod (often written methodtomethod or MtM) is a term used in software engineering and systems integration to describe a relationship in which one method delegates to, or maps into, another method to complete a task. The concept emphasizes composition and interoperability between callable units, rather than the internal logic of a single method. In programming, MtM commonly appears as a wrapper or adapter pattern: a method A accepts a certain input type and transforms or forwards it to the input form expected by method B, then calls B and returns B's result. This creates a bridge between components with different interfaces or responsibilities.

In data processing and orchestration, MtM describes the linkage between processing steps: method X generates an intermediate representation consumed by method Y, forming a pipeline. MtM may span process boundaries, for example when a service exposes an API that is fulfilled by a downstream library method or by another service. The emphasis is on how methods connect and cooperate rather than on the implementation details of each method.

Advantages of the MtM approach include increased modularity, reuse of existing functionality, and decoupling of components, which can simplify testing and cross-language or cross-interface integration. Challenges include potential performance overhead from additional indirection, complexity in error propagation and tracing, and versioning or compatibility issues between method interfaces.

See also: adapter pattern, delegation, wrapper, function composition, pipeline, bridge pattern, method chaining.