Protocol func returning Self

Question

I have a protocol P that returns a copy of the object:

protocol P {
    func copy() -> Self
}

and a class C that implements P:

Answer 1

To add to the answers with the associatedtype way, I suggest to move the creating of the instance to a default implementation of the protocol extension. In that way the conforming classes won't have to implement it, thus sparing us from code duplication:

protocol Initializable {
    init()
}

protocol Creatable: Initializable {
    associatedtype Object: Initializable = Self
    static func newInstance() -> Object
}

extension Creatable {
    static func newInstance() -> Object {
        return Object()
    }
}

class MyClass: Creatable {
    required init() {}
}

class MyOtherClass: Creatable {
    required init() {}
}

// Any class (struct, etc.) conforming to Creatable
// can create new instances without having to implement newInstance() 
let instance1 = MyClass.newInstance()
let instance2 = MyOtherClass.newInstance()