WikiPedia has a good article related to Object Copying. But I dont think it is complete.
Usually we come across a situation where we as a developer need to make a decision when working with hashtables/arrays/collections, I.E whether we deep copy or shallow copy.
The way C# does copying is thru the copy constructor, doing one of three ways of copying
- Reference Copy
- Shallow Copy
- Deep Copy
Very simply defining shallow copy – It is copying the structure of the object ( the Skeleton)
And defining deep copy – Is copying the structure as well as the data.
A good Explanation…More Info
Getting back to implementing a deep copy in your C# classes, you can employ the use of the ICloneable Interface, or yoeu can also create your own implmentation of deeep copies.
This is a debateable topic and many developers think differently. It is something I might have to try eventually.
Route without the use ICloneable Interface. (Possibly implementing your own Clone method)
Route with ICloneable Interface. (Greate article by InformIT, Also explains the C++ use)
I am open to any questions and comments.
