Prototype in C++

Prototype in C++

Why read if you can watch?

Watch Prototype's video tutorial
read full article

Prototype design pattern demo

Discussion. Image base class provides the mechanism for storing, finding, and cloning the prototype for all derived classes. Each derived class specifies a private static data member whose initialization "registers" a prototype of itself with the base class. When the client asks for a "clone" of a certain type, the base class finds the prototype and calls clone() on the correct derived class.

#include <iostream.h>

enum imageType
{
LSAT, SPOT
};

class Image
{
public:
virtual void draw() = 0;
static Image *findAndClone(imageType);
protected:
virtual imageType returnType() = 0;
virtual Image *clone() = 0;
// As each subclass of Image is declared, it registers its prototype
static void addPrototype(Image *image)
{
_prototypes[_nextSlot++] = image;
}
private:
// addPrototype() saves each registered prototype here
static Image *_prototypes[10];
static int _nextSlot;
};

Image *Image::_prototypes[];
int Image::_nextSlot;

// Client calls this public static member function when it needs an instance
// of an Image subclass
Image *Image::findAndClone(imageType type)
{
for (int i = 0; i < _nextSlot; i++)
if (_prototypes[i]->returnType() == type)
return _prototypes[i]->clone();
}

class LandSatImage: public Image
{
public:
imageType returnType()
{
return LSAT;
}
void draw()
{
cout << "LandSatImage::draw " << _id << endl;
}
// When clone() is called, call the one-argument ctor with a dummy arg
Image *clone()
{
return new LandSatImage(1);
}
protected:
// This is only called from clone()
LandSatImage(int dummy)
{
_id = _count++;
}
private:
// Mechanism for initializing an Image subclass - this causes the
// default ctor to be called, which registers the subclass's prototype
static LandSatImage _landSatImage;
// This is only called when the private static data member is inited
LandSatImage()
{
addPrototype(this);
}
// Nominal "state" per instance mechanism
int _id;
static int _count;
};

// Register the subclass's prototype
LandSatImage LandSatImage::_landSatImage;
// Initialize the "state" per instance mechanism
int LandSatImage::_count = 1;

class SpotImage: public Image
{
public:
imageType returnType()
{
return SPOT;
}
void draw()
{
cout << "SpotImage::draw " << _id << endl;
}
Image *clone()
{
return new SpotImage(1);
}
protected:
SpotImage(int dummy)
{
_id = _count++;
}
private:
SpotImage()
{
addPrototype(this);
}
static SpotImage _spotImage;
int _id;
static int _count;
};

SpotImage SpotImage::_spotImage;
int SpotImage::_count = 1;

// Simulated stream of creation requests
const int NUM_IMAGES = 8;
imageType input[NUM_IMAGES] =
{
LSAT, LSAT, LSAT, SPOT, LSAT, SPOT, SPOT, LSAT
};

int main()
{
Image *images[NUM_IMAGES];

// Given an image type, find the right prototype, and return a clone
for (int i = 0; i < NUM_IMAGES; i++)
images[i] = Image::findAndClone(input[i]);

// Demonstrate that correct image objects have been cloned
for (i = 0; i < NUM_IMAGES; i++)
images[i]->draw();

// Free the dynamic memory
for (i = 0; i < NUM_IMAGES; i++)
delete images[i];
}

LandSatImage::draw 1 LandSatImage::draw 2 LandSatImage::draw 3 SpotImage::draw 1 LandSatImage::draw 4 SpotImage::draw 2 SpotImage::draw 3 LandSatImage::draw 5