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The class Object's clone() method creates and returns a copy of the object, with the same class and with all the fields having the same values. However, Object.clone() throws a CloneNotSupportedException unless the object is an instance of a class that implements the marker interface Cloneable.
The resulting object is called an object copy or simply copy of the original object. Copying is basic but has subtleties and can have significant overhead. There are several ways to copy an object, most commonly by a copy constructor or cloning. Copying is done mostly so the copy can be modified or moved, or the current value preserved.
In Java, the Object class contains the clone() method, which copies the object and returns a reference to that copied object. Since it is in the Object class, all classes defined in Java will have a clone method available to the programmer (although to function correctly it needs to be overridden at each level it is used). Cloning an object in ...
But, unlike C++, Java doesn't create a default copy constructor if you don't write your own. Copy constructors define the actions performed by the compiler when copying class objects. A Copy constructor has one formal parameter that is the type of the class (the parameter may be a reference to an object). It is used to create a copy of an ...
Class variables – belong to the class as a whole; there is only one copy of each variable, shared across all instances of the class; Instance variables or attributes – data that belongs to individual objects; every object has its own copy of each one. All 4 variables mentioned above (first_name, position etc) are instance variables.
Define a Prototype object that returns a copy of itself. Create new objects by copying a Prototype object. This enables configuration of a class with different Prototype objects, which are copied to create new objects, and even more, Prototype objects can be added and removed at run-time. See also the UML class and sequence diagram below.
How can an object's instantiation be deferred to a subclass? Create an object by calling a factory method instead of directly calling a constructor. This enables the creation of subclasses that can change the way in which an object is created (for example, by redefining which class to instantiate).
In other words, they create independency for objects and classes. Consider applying creational patterns when: A system should be independent of how its objects and products are created. A set of related objects is designed to be used together. Hiding the implementations of a class library or product, revealing only their interfaces.