• Specify the kind of objects to create using a prototypical instance, and create new objects by copying this prototype.
• This pattern is used to:
  • Avoid sub-classes of an object creator in the client application, like the factory method pattern does.
  • Avoid the inherent cost of creating a new object in the standard way (like using the 'new') when it is expensive for a given application.
• Prototype design pattern hides object creation from the client.
  • However, instead of creating a non-initialized object, it returns a new object that is initialized with values it copied from a prototype - or sample - object.
• The Prototype design pattern is not commonly used in the construction of business applications.
  • The Prototype design pattern creates clones of pre-existing sample objects.
• Prototype pattern can be found in object serialization scenarios.
  • Let’s say you have a prototypical object that has been serialized to persistent storage, such as, disk or a database.
  • Having this serialized representation as a prototype you can then use it to create copies of the original object.

Cloning Types

• There are two different types of cloning: deep copy & shallow copy.
• Shallow copy is easier but only copies data fields in the object itself and not the objects the prototype refers to.
• Deep copy copies the prototype object and all the objects it refers to.
• The best way to implement this in .NET is to use the built-in ICloneable interface on the objects that are used as prototypes.
  • The ICloneable interface has a method called Clone that returns an object that is a copy, or clone, of the original object.

Participants

• Prototype (ICloneableModel)
  • Declares an interface for cloning itself,
• ConcretePrototype (Model)
  • Implements an operation for cloning itself.

var mainModel = new Model
{
	Data = 1
};
var copyModel = mainModel.Clone() as Model;

public interface ICloneableModel
{
	ICloneableModel Clone();
}

public class Model : ICloneableModel
{
	public int Data { get; set; }

	public ICloneableModel Clone() => MemberwiseClone() as ICloneableModel;
}

Rules of Thumb

• Abstract Factory classes are often implemented with Factory Methods, but they can be implemented using Prototype.
  • Factory Method: creation through inheritance.
    • Factory Method requires sub-classing, but doesn't require Initialize.
  • Prototype: creation through delegation.
    • Prototype doesn't require sub-classing, but it does require an "initialize" operation.
• Designs that make heavy use of the Composite and Decorator patterns often can benefit from Prototype as well.
• Prototype co-opts one instance of a class for use as a breeder of all future instances.
• Prototypes are useful when object initialization is expensive, and you anticipate few variations on the initialization parameters.
• In this context, Prototype can avoid expensive "creation from scratch", and support cheap cloning of a pre-initialized prototype.
• Prototype is unique among the other creational patterns in that it doesn't require a class but only an object.
  • Object-oriented languages like Self and Omega that do away with classes completely rely on prototypes for creating new objects.