constructor


In object-oriented programming, a constructor (sometimes shortened to ctor) in a class is a special type of subroutine called to create an object. It prepares the new object for use, often accepting parameters that the constructor uses to set member variables required for the object to reach a valid state. It is called a constructor because it constructs the values of data members of the class.

A constructor resembles an instance method, but it differs from a method in that it has no explicit return type, it is not implicitly inherited and it usually has different rules for scope modifiers. Constructors often have the same name as the declaring class. They have the task of initializing the object's data members and of establishing the invariant of the class, failing if the invariant is invalid. A properly written constructor leaves the resulting object in a valid state. Immutable objects must be initialized in a constructor.

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