GOF Factory Method

GOF Factory Method

Define a factory interface that subclasses use to decide which object to instantiate.

When to Use

• The exact type of object to create isn't known until runtime
• Subclasses need to control which product class they instantiate
• You want to follow the Open/Closed Principle — add new product types without changing existing creator code
• You have a base class with a creation step that subclasses must override

Instructions

Core structure — Creator declares the factory method, ConcreteCreators override it:

// Product interface
interface Notification {
  send(message: string): Promise<void>;
}

// Concrete products
class EmailNotification implements Notification {
  constructor(private readonly address: string) {}
  async send(message: string): Promise<void> {
    console.log(`Email to ${this.address}: ${message}`);
  }
}

class SMSNotification implements Notification {
  constructor(private readonly phone: string) {}
  async send(message: string): Promise<void> {
    console.log(`SMS to ${this.phone}: ${message}`);
  }
}

// Creator — declares the factory method
abstract class NotificationCreator {
  // Factory method — subclasses must implement
  abstract createNotification(recipient: string): Notification;

  // Template method that uses the factory method
  async notify(recipient: string, message: string): Promise<void> {
    const notification = this.createNotification(recipient);
    await notification.send(message);
  }
}

// Concrete creators
class EmailNotificationCreator extends NotificationCreator {
  createNotification(recipient: string): Notification {
    return new EmailNotification(recipient);
  }
}

class SMSNotificationCreator extends NotificationCreator {
  createNotification(recipient: string): Notification {
    return new SMSNotification(recipient);
  }
}

// Client code — depends only on Creator, not ConcreteProduct
async function main(creator: NotificationCreator) {
  await creator.notify('user@example.com', 'Your order shipped');
}

Function-based factory (TypeScript idiomatic, no classes needed):

type NotificationType = 'email' | 'sms' | 'push';

function createNotification(type: NotificationType, recipient: string): Notification {
  switch (type) {
    case 'email':
      return new EmailNotification(recipient);
    case 'sms':
      return new SMSNotification(recipient);
    case 'push':
      return new PushNotification(recipient);
    default:
      // Exhaustiveness check — TypeScript will error if a case is missing
      const _exhaustive: never = type;
      throw new Error(`Unknown notification type: ${type}`);
  }
}

Generic factory with registration:

type Constructor<T> = new (...args: any[]) => T;

class NotificationFactory {
  private static registry = new Map<string, Constructor<Notification>>();

  static register(type: string, ctor: Constructor<Notification>): void {
    NotificationFactory.registry.set(type, ctor);
  }

  static create(type: string, ...args: any[]): Notification {
    const Ctor = NotificationFactory.registry.get(type);
    if (!Ctor) throw new Error(`Unknown notification type: ${type}`);
    return new Ctor(...args);
  }
}

NotificationFactory.register('email', EmailNotification);
NotificationFactory.register('sms', SMSNotification);

Details

Factory Method vs. Abstract Factory: Factory Method produces one product via subclass override. Abstract Factory produces families of related products via composition. Start with Factory Method; reach for Abstract Factory when you need a suite of related objects.

Open/Closed Principle in action: Adding a new notification type (SlackNotification) means creating a new ConcreteCreator class — no changes to existing creators or the notify() logic.

Anti-patterns:

• Putting all if/else logic inside a single create() method that grows indefinitely — use a registry instead
• Creator classes with too many factory methods — this is a sign the abstraction is wrong
• Forgetting exhaustiveness checks in switch statements — TypeScript's never type catches missing cases at compile time

When to skip the pattern:

• When object creation is trivial (new User())
• When there's only one concrete type and no extension is expected
• Prefer a simple function over a class hierarchy for creation logic

Source

refactoring.guru/design-patterns/factory-method

Process

1. Read the instructions and examples in this document.
2. Apply the patterns to your implementation, adapting to your specific context.
3. Verify your implementation against the details and edge cases listed above.

Harness Integration

• Type: knowledge — this skill is a reference document, not a procedural workflow.
• No tools or state — consumed as context by other skills and agents.

Success Criteria

• The patterns described in this document are applied correctly in the implementation.
• Edge cases and anti-patterns listed in this document are avoided.