How to overload constructionbase setproperties to change struct properties

When working with Julia, it is common to come across situations where you need to change the properties of a struct. One way to achieve this is by overloading the constructionbase setproperties function. In this article, we will explore three different ways to solve this problem.

Option 1: Using a default constructor

The first option is to define a default constructor for the struct and use it to set the properties. Here is an example:

struct MyStruct
    property1::Int
    property2::String
end

function MyStruct()
    obj = new()
    obj.property1 = 10
    obj.property2 = "Hello"
    return obj
end

obj = MyStruct()

This approach allows you to set the properties of the struct when creating an instance of it. However, it may not be suitable if you need to change the properties after the struct has been created.

Option 2: Using a custom constructor

The second option is to define a custom constructor that takes the desired property values as arguments. Here is an example:

struct MyStruct
    property1::Int
    property2::String
end

function MyStruct(property1::Int, property2::String)
    obj = new()
    obj.property1 = property1
    obj.property2 = property2
    return obj
end

obj = MyStruct(10, "Hello")

This approach allows you to set the properties of the struct when creating an instance of it, but it also allows you to change the properties later by creating a new instance with different values.

Option 3: Using a setproperties function

The third option is to overload the constructionbase setproperties function. This function is called when setting the properties of a struct using the dot syntax. Here is an example:

struct MyStruct
    property1::Int
    property2::String
end

Base.setproperties(obj::MyStruct, property1::Int, property2::String) = begin
    obj.property1 = property1
    obj.property2 = property2
    return obj
end

obj = MyStruct()
obj.property1 = 10
obj.property2 = "Hello"

This approach allows you to change the properties of the struct after it has been created by simply assigning new values to them using the dot syntax.

After exploring these three options, it is clear that the best option depends on the specific requirements of your project. If you need to set the properties only once during the creation of the struct, option 1 or 2 may be suitable. However, if you need to change the properties after the struct has been created, option 3 is the way to go.