public interface ICloneWithContext
CopyContext instance. Objects that implement this interface enable
a great deal of flexibility in how "deeply" they are copied.
See ICloneWithContext.clone(agi.foundation.infrastructure.CopyContext) for details on how to implement this interface.
| Modifier and Type | Method and Description |
|---|---|
Object |
clone(CopyContext context)
Clones this object using the specified context.
|
@Nonnull Object clone(@Nonnull CopyContext context)
This method should be implemented to call a copy constructor on the class of the
object being cloned. The copy constructor should take the CopyContext as a parameter
in addition to the existing instance to copy. The copy constructor should first call
CopyContext.addObjectMapping(T, T) to identify the newly constructed instance
as a copy of the existing instance. It should then copy all fields, using
CopyContext.updateReference(T) to copy any reference fields.
A typical implementation of ICloneWithContext:
public static class MyClass implements ICloneWithContext {
public MyClass(MyClass existingInstance, CopyContext context) {
context.addObjectMapping(existingInstance, this);
someReference = context.updateReference(existingInstance.someReference);
}
@Override
public final Object clone(CopyContext context) {
return new MyClass(this, context);
}
private Object someReference;
}
In general, all fields that are reference types should be copied with a call to
CopyContext.updateReference(T). There are a couple of exceptions:
If one of these exceptions applies, the CopyContext should be given an opportunity
to update the reference before the reference is copied explicitly. Use
CopyContext.updateReference(T) to update the reference. If CopyContext.updateReference(T) returns
the original object, indicating that the context does not have a replacement registered,
then copy the object manually by invoking a Clone method, a copy constructor, or by manually
constructing a new instance and copying the values.
alwaysCopy = context.updateReference(existingInstance.alwaysCopy);
if (existingInstance.alwaysCopy != null && alwaysCopy == existingInstance.alwaysCopy) {
alwaysCopy = (AlwaysCopy) existingInstance.alwaysCopy.clone(context);
}
If you are implementing an evaluator (a class that implements IEvaluator), the
IEvaluator.updateEvaluatorReferences(agi.foundation.infrastructure.CopyContext) method shares some responsibilities with the
copy context constructor. Code duplication can be avoided by doing the following:
CopyContext.updateReference(T). You should still call CopyContext.updateReference(T) on any references to
non-evaluators.
IEvaluator.updateEvaluatorReferences(agi.foundation.infrastructure.CopyContext) as the last line in the constructor and pass it the
same CopyContext passed to the constructor.
IEvaluator.updateEvaluatorReferences(agi.foundation.infrastructure.CopyContext) as normal. See the reference documentation for
IEvaluator.updateEvaluatorReferences(agi.foundation.infrastructure.CopyContext) for more information on implementing that method.
public MyClass(MyClass existingInstance, CopyContext context) {
super(existingInstance, context);
someReference = context.updateReference(existingInstance.someReference);
evaluatorReference = existingInstance.evaluatorReference;
updateEvaluatorReferences(context);
}
@Override
public void updateEvaluatorReferences(CopyContext context) {
evaluatorReference = context.updateReference(evaluatorReference);
}
@Override
public Object clone(CopyContext context) {
return new MyClass(this, context);
}
private Object someReference;
private IEvaluator evaluatorReference;context - The context to use to perform the copy.