What is private constructor: In what instances you will declare a constructor to be private?
In C#, a private constructor is a constructor that can only be accessed and called from within the same class. It cannot be accessed or invoked from outside the class or any derived classes. Private constructors are useful in specific scenarios where you want to control the creation of instances of a class and prevent external code from directly creating objects using the constructor.
Here are some instances where you might declare a constructor to be private:
1. Singleton Pattern: The singleton pattern ensures that a class has only one instance, and it provides a global point of access to that instance. To implement the singleton pattern, you create a private constructor and a static method that provides access to the single instance of the class. This prevents other code from creating multiple instances of the singleton class.
public class Singleton
{
private static readonly Singleton instance = new Singleton();
// Private constructor
private Singleton() { }
public static Singleton Instance => instance;
}
2. Factory Pattern: In the factory pattern, you create a separate class responsible for creating objects of another class. The factory class often has factory methods that internally use the private constructor of the target class to create objects. This way, the factory controls the object creation process, and clients do not have direct access to the constructor.
public class Product
{
private Product() { }
// Factory method to create Product objects
public static Product CreateProduct()
{
return new Product();
}
}
3. Utility Classes: Sometimes, you might have a class that contains only static methods and doesn't need to be instantiated. In such cases, you can declare the constructor as private to prevent accidental instantiation.
public static class MathUtility
{
private MathUtility() { }
public static int Add(int a, int b)
{
return a + b;
}
}
4. Internal Class Initialization: If your class has several constructors, and you want to ensure that only specific constructor overloads are accessible from outside the assembly, you can make the private constructor with internal access. This allows only other classes within the same assembly to use that specific constructor.
public class MyClass
{
// Public constructor accessible from outside the assembly
public MyClass(int value) { }
// Private constructor accessible only within the assembly
internal MyClass(string name) { }
}
Note: In the below digram when attempting to create an instance of the class, an error occurs due to its restricted protection level. We have designed the class in a way that prevents other external classes from instantiating it.
Now, we internally create an instance of this class either inside a static method or by using a static property. After making these changes, our class appears as follows::
After creating an instance of the above class, we observe that there are no errors:
Remember that using private constructors should be done thoughtfully and only when there is a specific need for them. It's important to follow design patterns and best practices to ensure that your code remains maintainable and easy to understand.