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In class-based, object-oriented programming, a constructor (abbreviation: ctor) is a special type of function called to create an object.It prepares the new object for use, often accepting arguments that the constructor uses to set required member variables.
In class-based programming, a factory is an abstraction of a constructor of a class, while in prototype-based programming a factory is an abstraction of a prototype object. A constructor is concrete in that it creates objects as instances of one class, and by a specified process (class instantiation), while a factory can create objects by instantiating various classes, or by using other ...
According to Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software: "Define an interface for creating an object, but let subclasses decide which class to instantiate. Factory method lets a class defer instantiation to subclasses." [2] Creating an object often requires complex processes not appropriate to include within a composing object.
Generally, the concept of a "class" does not even exist. Rather, the prototype or parent of an object is just another object to which the object is linked. In Self, an object may have multiple or no parents, [34] but in the most popular prototype-based language, Javascript, every object has one prototype link (and only one). New objects can be ...
(In the JavaScript language, one can do this by using a null prototype, i.e. Object.create(null).) Cloning refers to a process whereby a new object is constructed by copying the behavior of an existing object (its prototype). The new object then carries all the qualities of the original. From this point on, the new object can be modified.
The term inheritance is loosely used for both class-based and prototype-based programming, but in narrow use the term is reserved for class-based programming (one class inherits from another), with the corresponding technique in prototype-based programming being instead called delegation (one object delegates to another). Class-modifying ...
Class-based object-oriented programming languages support objects defined by their class. Class definitions include member data. Class definitions include member data. Message passing is a key concept, if not the main concept, in object-oriented languages.
In object-oriented programming, a class defines the shared aspects of objects created from the class. The capabilities of a class differ between programming languages , but generally the shared aspects consist of state ( variables ) and behavior ( methods ) that are each either associated with a particular object or with all objects of that class.