Does Static Factory apply to C#?

Question

I am reading about the static factory method. Does Static factory method coding technique only apply to Java, or can it be applied to C# .Net also? Seems to be more of a Java thing.

https://dzone.com/articles/constructors-or-static-factory-methods

class Color {
    private final int hex;
    static Color makeFromRGB(String rgb) {
        return new Color(Integer.parseInt(rgb, 16));
    }
    static Color makeFromPalette(int red, int green, int blue) {
        return new Color(red << 16 + green << 8 + blue);
    }
    static Color makeFromHex(int h) {
        return new Color(h);
    }
    private Color(int h) {
        return new Color(h);
    }
}

Answer 1

Yes, it can definitely be applied in C#, and it's often a good idea - particularly if there are various ways that you want to construct something, all from the same parameter types.

As an example, look at TimeSpan . That has factory methods FromSeconds , FromMinutes , FromHours , FromDays all of which accept a single double as the parameter type.

The factory method pattern also allows for caching in some situations, too.

Answer 2

Static Factory is a variation on the Factory Method design pattern and can be used in a variety of languages, not just Java and C#.

They already exist in C# on the TimeSpan class where you can do the following:

var seconds = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5);
var minutes = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(25);