How to implement self and init in julia

When working with Julia, it is important to understand how to implement the concepts of self and init. These concepts are crucial for creating objects and initializing their attributes. In this article, we will explore three different ways to implement self and init in Julia.

Option 1: Using a Constructor

One way to implement self and init in Julia is by using a constructor. A constructor is a special function that is called when an object is created. It is responsible for initializing the attributes of the object.

struct Person
    name::String
    age::Int

    function Person(name::String, age::Int)
        new(name, age)
    end
end

person = Person("John", 25)

In this example, we define a struct called Person with two attributes: name and age. The constructor function, also named Person, takes in the name and age as arguments and initializes the attributes using the new keyword.

Option 2: Using a Factory Function

Another way to implement self and init in Julia is by using a factory function. A factory function is a function that creates and initializes an object. It is responsible for returning the initialized object.

struct Person
    name::String
    age::Int
end

function create_person(name::String, age::Int)
    Person(name, age)
end

person = create_person("John", 25)

In this example, we define a struct called Person with two attributes: name and age. The create_person function takes in the name and age as arguments, creates a new Person object, and returns it.

Option 3: Using Default Values

A third way to implement self and init in Julia is by using default values. Default values are values that are assigned to attributes if no value is provided during object creation.

struct Person
    name::String
    age::Int

    function Person(name::String="", age::Int=0)
        new(name, age)
    end
end

person1 = Person("John", 25)
person2 = Person()

In this example, we define a struct called Person with two attributes: name and age. The constructor function, also named Person, takes in the name and age as arguments with default values. If no values are provided during object creation, the default values are used.

After exploring these three options, it is clear that using a constructor is the best way to implement self and init in Julia. It provides a clear and explicit way to initialize object attributes and is widely used in Julia codebases.