Is an array of types possible in Typescript?

Question

I use the following pattern in Javascript:

var things = {
  "blue": BlueThing,
  "heavy": HeavyThing,
  "imaginary": ImaginaryThing
};

var my_thing = things[thing_type]();

I'm migrating the codebase to Typescript, and I can't find a way to achieve the same thing. I've defined a Thing interface, and the relevant classes. Is there a way to achieve this sort of dynamic instantiation without resorting to a big case statement?

Answer 1

OK, I sorted this out.

Using the constructor interface pattern, I now have this:

interface ThingConstructor {
  new (options: {[key: string]: string}) : Thing
}

interface Thing{
  /* * */
}

function thingFactory(type: ThingConstructor) : Function{
  return function(options) : Thing {
    return new type(options)
  }
}

--------

things: {[key: string]: Function}

--------

things["blue"] = thingFactory(BlueThing)

var my_thing = things[thing_type]({"stripes": "vertical"})