Delphi: Understanding constructors

Question

i\'m looking to understand

• virtual
• override
• overload
• reintroduce

when applied to object constructors. Every

Answer 1

This is a working implementation of the definitions wanted:

program OnConstructors;

{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}

uses
  SysUtils;

type

TComputer = class(TObject)
public
    constructor Create(Cup: Integer); virtual;
end;

TCellPhone = class(TComputer)
public
    constructor Create(Cup: Integer; Teapot: string); reintroduce; overload; virtual;
end;

TiPhone = class(TCellPhone)
public
    constructor Create(Cup: Integer); overload; override;
    constructor Create(Cup: Integer; Teapot: string); override;
end;

{ TComputer }

constructor TComputer.Create(Cup: Integer);
begin
  Writeln('Computer: cup = ', Cup);
end;

{ TCellPhone }

constructor TCellPhone.Create(Cup: Integer; Teapot: string);
begin
  inherited Create(Cup);
  Writeln('Cellphone: teapot = ', Teapot);
end;

{ TiPhone }

constructor TiPhone.Create(Cup: Integer);
begin
  inherited Create(Cup);
  Writeln('iPhone: cup = ', Cup);
end;

constructor TiPhone.Create(Cup: Integer; Teapot: string);
begin
  inherited;
  Writeln('iPhone: teapot = ', Teapot);
end;

var
  C: TComputer;

begin

  C := TComputer.Create(1);
  Writeln; FreeAndNil(C);

  C := TCellPhone.Create(2);
  Writeln; FreeAndNil(C);
  C := TCellPhone.Create(3, 'kettle');
  Writeln; FreeAndNil(C);

  C := TiPhone.Create(4);
  Writeln; FreeAndNil(C);
  C := TiPhone.Create(5, 'iPot');

  Readln; FreeAndNil(C);

  end.

with results:

Computer: cup = 1

Computer: cup = 2

Computer: cup = 3
Cellphone: teapot = kettle

Computer: cup = 4
iPhone: cup = 4

Computer: cup = 5
Cellphone: teapot = iPot
iPhone: teapot = iPot

The first part is in accordance with this. The definition of the TiPhone two constructors then proceeds as follows:

• The first constructor is overloading one of the two constructors inherited and overriding its sibling. To achieve this, use overload; override to overload the TCellPhone one while overriding the other constructor.
• That being done, the second constructor needs a simple override to override its sibling.