copy /constructor vs. clone

copy vs. clone

constructor

Basics - Must Read

1. Constructor And Destructors In C#

A constructor can be used, where every time an object gets created and if we want some code to be executed automatically. The code that we want to execute must be put in the constructor. The general form of a C# constructor is as follows

2. Working With Constructor in C#

A constructor is used to initialize class fields. A class constructor is automatically called when an instance of a class is created. Whenever a class or struct is created, its constructor is called.

A class or struct may have multiple constructors that take different arguments. Constructors enable the programmer to set default values, limit instantiation and write code that is flexible and easy to read.

If you do not provide a constructor for your object, C# will create one by default that instantiates the object and sets member variables to the default values as listed in Default Values Table (C# Reference).

1. A constructor has the same name of the class or struct.
2. Contructors do not have a return type.
3. C# will create one by default that instantiates the object and sets the member variables to the default values as listed.
4. Constructors can be overloaded by the number and type of parameter.
3. C# This Constructor Initializer

This C# example uses the this keyword in constructor initializers.

4. When initializing in C# constructors what's better: initializer lists or assignment?

Class A uses an initializer list to set the member to the paramter value, while Class B uses assignment within the constructor's body.

5. Constructors In C#

Many good points to note: Base constructor without parameter call sequenceL\:

A constructor in C# is a member of a class. It is a method in the class which gets executed when a class object is created. Usually we put the initialization code in the constructor. The name of the constructor is always is the same name as the class. A C# constructor can be public or private. A class can have multiple overloaded constructors.

Note: that only this and base (we will see it further) keywords are allowed in initializers, other method calls will raise the error.

Very first of all let us see what is this syntax:

public mySampleClass(): this(10)

Here this refers to same class, so when we say this(10), we actually mean execute the public mySampleClass(int Age) method.The above way of calling the method is called initializer. We can have at the most one initializer in this way in the method.

Now what will be the execution sequence here: If I create the object of the Derived class as

myDerivedClass obj = new myDerivedClass();

Then the sequence of execution will be,
1. public myBaseClass() method
2. and then public myDerivedClass() method.

Note: If we do not provide initializer referring to the base class constructor then it executes the no parameter constructor of the base class.

Note one thing here: We are not making any explicit call to the constructor of base class neither by initializer nor by the base() keyword, but it is still executing. This is the normal behavior of the constructor.

Notes for Static Constructors,

1. There can be only one static constructor in the class.
2. The static constructor should be without parameters.
3. It can only access the static members of the class.
4. There should be no access modifier in static constructor definition.
6. CONSTRUCTOR AND THIS KEYWORD 2020

Constructor The class type is the most fundamental programming construct in the .NET platform.

A class is a user-defined type that is composed of field data (member variables and members that operate on this data such as constructors, properties, method, events, and so forth. The set of field data represents the state of a class instance (object). By grouping data and related functionality in a class definition, we are able to model our software after entities in the real world.

Constructor

7. base() and this() constructors best practices

Under what conditions am I supposed to make the :base() and :this() constructor calls following my constructor's parentheses (or even in other places in the code). When are these calls good practices and when are they mandatory?

8. Constructors and Its Types in C#

What is a constructor in C#? A special method of the class that is automatically invoked when an instance of the class is created is called a constructor. The main use of constructors is to initialize the private fields of the class while creating an instance for the class. When you have not created a constructor in the class, the compiler will automatically create a default constructor of the class. The default constructor initializes all numeric fields in the class to zero and all string and object fields to null.

Constructor Some of the key points regarding constructor are
1. A class can have any number of constructors.
2. A constructor doesn't have any return type, not even void.
3. A static constructor can not be a parametrized constructor.
4. Within a class, you can create one static constructor only.
static constructor: Some key points of a static constructor are:
1. A static constructor does not take access modifiers or have parameters.
2. A static constructor is called automatically to initialize the class before the first instance is created or any static members are referenced.
3. A static constructor cannot be called directly.
4. The user has no control over when the static constructor is executed in the program.
5. A typical use of static constructors is when the class is using a log file and the constructor is used to write entries to this file.
Private Constructor in C# When a constructor is created with a private specifier, it is not possible for other classes to derive from this class, neither is it possible to create an instance of this class. They are usually used in classes that contain static members only. Some key points of a private constructor are:
1. One use of a private constructor is when we have only static members.
2. It provides an implementation of a singleton class pattern
3. Once we provide a constructor that is either private or public or any, the compiler will not add the parameter-less public constructor to the class.
9. Copy constructor versus Clone()

In C#, what is the preferred way to add (deep) copy functionality to a class? Should one implement the copy constructor, or rather derive from ICloneable and implement the Clone() method?

10. Private Constructors in C#

Private Constructor is a special instance constructor present in C# language. Basically, private constructors are used in class that contains only static members. The private constructor is always declared by using a private keyword.

Important points:

1. It is the implementation of a singleton class pattern.
2. Use private constructor when class have only static members.
3. Using private constructor, prevents the creation of the instances of that class.
4. If a class contains only private constructor without parameter, then it prevents the automatic generation of default constructor.
5. If a class contains only private constructors and does not contain public constructor, then other classes are not allowed to create instances of that class except nested class.

Copy Constructor

11. Base class for cloning an object in C#

This class implements the ICloneable for you.

12. C# | Copy Constructor

A constructor that creates an object by copying variables from another object or that copies the data of one object into another object is termed as the Copy Constructor. It is a parameterized constructor that contains a parameter of the same class type. The main use of copy constructor is to initialize a new instance to the values of an existing instance. Normally, C# does not provide a copy constructor for objects, but if you want to create a copy constructor in your program you can create according to your requirement.

13. Constructors in C# - A Tutorial

Pros and Cons of Different Constructor Usage in C#

14. An Intro to Constructors in C#

This is an article on Constructors in C#, for the beginner level programmers. It covers simple constructors, constructors overloading, behaviour of constructors in inheritance, constructor chaining and static constructors. At the end, it contains the general FAQs about constructors.

15. Structs in C#, Structs vs. Classes, Heap or Stack? Structs Constructors

This article describes Structs in C#, Structs vs. Classes, Heap or Stack? Structs Constructors

16. Generating constructors at compile time

This is an alternative for "C# Convert DataTable to List of Objects Dynamically"

17. Shallow Copy vs. Deep Copy in .NET

Shallow and deep copy are used for copying data between objects.

18. Static constructors and way forward (.NET optimized Singleton pattern)

A simple guide to static constructors in C# and its uses in the >NET optimized Singleton pattern.

Good tips

19. Protecting an Application's Unauthorized Copy

To protect your application's unauthorized copy by using image integrity functions (Platform SDK's ImageHlp APIs) and to manage certificates in a portable executable (PE) image file.

20. Static Constructor and Performance

.Net Performance Tip - 1

21. Refactoring Tips - Tip 2

Refactoring Tips - Tip 2Tip 2Avoid temporary variable declaration, if the variable is just a place holder as shown below.Bad practiceprivate string GetData(){ string temp; temp = expression + ( var1 * var2).ToString();//Some expression which calculate the desired...

22. Constructor .NET

Types of constructors available in C#