The Prototype-Based Object System Pattern

By: J. Noble

Summary: Some programs need dynamically extensible representations of objects that cannot be determined in advance. Have clients send messages to objects that search for a slot to handle the message and delegate messages to the slot.

Pattern: Prototype-Based Object System

Some programs need dynamically extensible representations of objects that cannot be determined in advance. Have clients send messages to objects that search for a slot to handle the message and delegate messages to the slot.

• This pattern is related to Reflection [Buschmann+96]. The implementation of the object system itself and any associated interpreter are the meta level for the object system.
• Metamorphosis, Type Object