212. The Prototype Design Pattern

🔹 The Prototype Design Pattern in Python

The Prototype Pattern is a creational design pattern that allows us to clone objects without depending on their classes. Instead of creating a new object from scratch, we copy an existing one.

Here are 10 Python snippets demonstrating object cloning using the Prototype Pattern.

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🔹 1. Basic Prototype Pattern

import copy

class Prototype:
    def clone(self):
        return copy.deepcopy(self)

class Person(Prototype):
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

p1 = Person("Alice", 25)
p2 = p1.clone()

print(p1.name, p1.age)  # Alice 25
print(p2.name, p2.age)  # Alice 25
print(p1 is p2)         # False (Different objects)

🔍 Issue:

• The cloned object (p2) is a separate instance from p1, but it has the same attributes.

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🔹 2. Cloning a List in an Object

class Car(Prototype):
    def __init__(self, model, features):
        self.model = model
        self.features = features  # List

car1 = Car("Tesla Model S", ["Autopilot", "Self-driving"])
car2 = car1.clone()

car2.features.append("Battery Upgrade")
print(car1.features)  # ['Autopilot', 'Self-driving', 'Battery Upgrade'] (Oops!)

🔍 Issue:

• Cloning with copy.copy() (shallow copy) shares the same list reference.

• Solution: Use copy.deepcopy() instead.

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🔹 3. Deep Copy to Avoid Shared Mutable Objects

class Car(Prototype):
    def __init__(self, model, features):
        self.model = model
        self.features = features  # List

car1 = Car("Tesla Model S", ["Autopilot", "Self-driving"])
car2 = car1.clone()

car2.features.append("Battery Upgrade")

print(car1.features)  # ['Autopilot', 'Self-driving']
print(car2.features)  # ['Autopilot', 'Self-driving', 'Battery Upgrade']

🔍 Fix:

• copy.deepcopy() ensures car1.features and car2.features are separate.

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🔹 4. Cloning Objects with Nested Structures

class Engine:
    def __init__(self, horsepower):
        self.horsepower = horsepower

class Car(Prototype):
    def __init__(self, model, engine):
        self.model = model
        self.engine = engine

car1 = Car("BMW M5", Engine(600))
car2 = car1.clone()

car2.engine.horsepower = 700

print(car1.engine.horsepower)  # 600 (Original remains unchanged)
print(car2.engine.horsepower)  # 700 (Cloned object modified)

🔍 Benefit:

• Deep copying ensures that modifications to car2 do not affect car1.

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🔹 5. Storing Prototypes in a Registry

class PrototypeRegistry:
    def __init__(self):
        self._registry = {}

    def register(self, name, obj):
        self._registry[name] = obj

    def clone(self, name):
        return self._registry[name].clone()

registry = PrototypeRegistry()
registry.register("car", Car("Audi A6", ["Sunroof", "Leather Seats"]))

car_clone = registry.clone("car")
print(car_clone.model)  # Audi A6
print(car_clone.features)  # ['Sunroof', 'Leather Seats']

🔍 Use Case:

• A prototype registry lets us create clones dynamically.

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🔹 6. Prototype with a Factory Method

class PrototypeFactory:
    prototypes = {}

    @staticmethod
    def register(name, obj):
        PrototypeFactory.prototypes[name] = obj

    @staticmethod
    def clone(name):
        return PrototypeFactory.prototypes[name].clone()

class Laptop(Prototype):
    def __init__(self, brand, specs):
        self.brand = brand
        self.specs = specs

PrototypeFactory.register("gaming", Laptop("Alienware", {"RAM": "16GB", "GPU": "RTX 3080"}))
gaming_laptop = PrototypeFactory.clone("gaming")

print(gaming_laptop.brand)  # Alienware
print(gaming_laptop.specs)  # {'RAM': '16GB', 'GPU': 'RTX 3080'}

🔍 Benefit:

• Factory methods allow structured prototype creation.

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🔹 7. Cloning Objects with Custom Adjustments

class Person(Prototype):
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

    def clone_with_changes(self, **kwargs):
        obj = self.clone()
        obj.__dict__.update(kwargs)
        return obj

p1 = Person("John", 30)
p2 = p1.clone_with_changes(age=35)  # Clone and update age

print(p1.age)  # 30
print(p2.age)  # 35

🔍 Benefit:

• Allows cloning with modifications.

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🔹 8. Preventing Cloning (Singleton-Like Behavior)

class SingletonPrototype:
    _instance = None

    def clone(self):
        raise RuntimeError("Cloning not allowed for singleton objects")

    @classmethod
    def get_instance(cls):
        if cls._instance is None:
            cls._instance = cls()
        return cls._instance

singleton = SingletonPrototype.get_instance()
# singleton.clone()  # ❌ RuntimeError: Cloning not allowed

🔍 Use Case:

• Ensures singleton objects cannot be cloned.

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🔹 9. Prototype with Class-Level Attributes

class Configuration(Prototype):
    settings = {"theme": "dark", "language": "English"}

    def __init__(self):
        self.settings = self.__class__.settings.copy()  # Avoid shared reference

config1 = Configuration()
config2 = config1.clone()
config2.settings["theme"] = "light"

print(config1.settings["theme"])  # dark (unchanged)
print(config2.settings["theme"])  # light (modified)

🔍 Issue:

• Without .copy(), both objects share the same settings reference!

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🔹 10. Thread-Safe Cloning in a Multi-Threaded Environment

import threading

class ThreadSafePrototype(Prototype):
    def __init__(self, data):
        self.lock = threading.Lock()
        self.data = data

    def safe_clone(self):
        with self.lock:
            return self.clone()

proto = ThreadSafePrototype({"counter": 1})

def modify_clone():
    obj = proto.safe_clone()
    obj.data["counter"] += 1
    print(obj.data["counter"])

threads = [threading.Thread(target=modify_clone) for _ in range(5)]
for t in threads:
    t.start()
for t in threads:
    t.join()

🔍 Use Case:

• Avoids race conditions when cloning in multi-threaded applications.

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🚀 Summary

Concept	Description
Basic Prototype	Clones an object using copy.deepcopy()
Avoid Shared References	Use deep copy to prevent shared mutable objects
Prototype Registry	Store prototypes and retrieve clones dynamically
Factory Pattern	Combine Prototype with Factory for structured cloning
Custom Adjustments	Clone while modifying attributes dynamically
Prevent Cloning	Restrict cloning in singleton objects
Thread-Safe Cloning	Use locks to avoid race conditions

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🚀 Best Practices

✅ Use deep copy to avoid reference-sharing issues. ✅ Store prototypes in a registry for structured access. ✅ Implement clone_with_changes() for dynamic modifications. ✅ Ensure thread safety if cloning in a multi-threaded environment.