OOP & Design Patterns - Prototype Pattern - Deep Copy vs Shallow Copy
When implementing a prototype pattern for cloning an object graph containing cyclic references, which technique best prevents infinite recursion during deep copy?
When implementing a prototype pattern for cloning an object graph containing cyclic references, which technique best prevents infinite recursion during deep copy?
hard🔁 Follow-up Q10 of Q15
Step-by-Step Solution
Solution:
Step 1: Understand cyclic references problem
Deep copying objects with cycles can cause infinite recursion if the same object is copied repeatedly.Step 2: Use memoization
Maintaining a memo dictionary that maps original objects to their copies prevents re-copying and breaks recursion.Step 3: Evaluate options
A global variable is not thread-safe or sufficient; avoiding nested copies loses data; shallow copy doesn't clone nested objects.Final Answer:
Option B -> Option BQuick Check:
Memo dict prevents infinite recursion in cyclic graphs [OK]
Quick Trick: Memo dict tracks copied objects to avoid recursion [OK]
Common Mistakes:
MISTAKES- Using shallow copy which doesn't clone nested objects
- Relying on global variables which are error-prone
- Skipping nested objects leading to incomplete copies
Trap Explanation:
PITFALL- Option A seems correct but lacks proper object-to-copy mapping; shallow copy misses nested objects.
Interviewer Note:
CONTEXT- Tests knowledge of handling cyclic references in deep copy implementations.
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