Re: what is the RIGHT THING to make a constructor of a subclass,
using super()
Daniel Pitts wrote:
.....
It sounds like you're trying to create a new class that simply handles
initialization differently than the base class. if that is ALL you are
doing, then consider using a factory method instead:
public class Customer {
public static Customer fromSlashSeparatedName(String name) {
int slash = name.indexOf('/') ;
String first = name.substring(0, slash) ;
String last = name.substring(slash + 1) ;
return new Customer(first, last);
}
//... rest of Customer class
}
If you *really* do need implementation *and* interface inheritance, then
still consider using a factory method.
I've found myself moving away from public constructors in favor of a
public interface declaration and a class that provides a public static
factory method.
In addition to avoiding the initialization issues, I think it is more
flexible. The caller does not need to know the exact class, just that
the resulting object will implement the interface. It also allows, in
some cases, for tidier exception handling, because the constructor call
can be put in a try block.
Patricia