Nuclex.Support/Source/Cloning/ICloneFactory.cs

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#region CPL License
/*
Nuclex Framework
Copyright (C) 2002-2017 Nuclex Development Labs
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the IBM Common Public License as
published by the IBM Corporation; either version 1.0 of the
License, or (at your option) any later version.
This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
IBM Common Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the IBM Common Public
License along with this library
*/
#endregion
using System;
namespace Nuclex.Support.Cloning {
/// <summary>Constructs new objects by cloning existing objects</summary>
public interface ICloneFactory {
/// <summary>
/// Creates a shallow clone of the specified object, reusing any referenced objects
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="TCloned">Type of the object that will be cloned</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToClone">Object that will be cloned</param>
/// <returns>A shallow clone of the provided object</returns>
/// <remarks>
/// Field-based clones are guaranteed to be complete - there will be no missed
/// members. This type of clone is also able to clone types that do not provide
/// a default constructor.
/// </remarks>
TCloned ShallowFieldClone<TCloned>(TCloned objectToClone);
/// <summary>
/// Creates a shallow clone of the specified object, reusing any referenced objects
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="TCloned">Type of the object that will be cloned</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToClone">Object that will be cloned</param>
/// <returns>A shallow clone of the provided object</returns>
/// <remarks>
/// <para>
/// A property-based clone is useful if you're using dynamically generated proxies,
/// such as when working with entities returned by an ORM like NHibernate.
/// When not using a property-based clone, internal proxy fields would be cloned
/// and might cause problems with the ORM.
/// </para>
/// <para>
/// Property-based clones require a default constructor because there's no guarantee
/// that all fields will are assignable through properties and starting with
/// an uninitialized object is likely to end up with a broken clone.
/// </para>
/// </remarks>
TCloned ShallowPropertyClone<TCloned>(TCloned objectToClone);
/// <summary>
/// Creates a deep clone of the specified object, also creating clones of all
/// child objects being referenced
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="TCloned">Type of the object that will be cloned</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToClone">Object that will be cloned</param>
/// <returns>A deep clone of the provided object</returns>
/// <remarks>
/// Field-based clones are guaranteed to be complete - there will be no missed
/// members. This type of clone is also able to clone types that do not provide
/// a default constructor.
/// </remarks>
TCloned DeepFieldClone<TCloned>(TCloned objectToClone);
/// <summary>
/// Creates a deep clone of the specified object, also creating clones of all
/// child objects being referenced
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="TCloned">Type of the object that will be cloned</typeparam>
/// <param name="objectToClone">Object that will be cloned</param>
/// <returns>A deep clone of the provided object</returns>
/// <remarks>
/// <para>
/// A property-based clone is useful if you're using dynamically generated proxies,
/// such as when working with entities returned by an ORM like NHibernate.
/// When not using a property-based clone, internal proxy fields would be cloned
/// and might cause problems with the ORM.
/// </para>
/// <para>
/// Property-based clones require a default constructor because there's no guarantee
/// that all fields will are assignable through properties and starting with
/// an uninitialized object is likely to end up with a broken clone.
/// </para>
/// </remarks>
TCloned DeepPropertyClone<TCloned>(TCloned objectToClone);
}
} // namespace Nuclex.Support.Cloning