[#BloombergLP-bdlma-Factory]
= xref:BloombergLP.adoc[BloombergLP]::xref:BloombergLP/bdlma.adoc[bdlma]::Factory
:relfileprefix: ../../
:mrdocs:

This `class` provides a protocol (or pure interface) for a thread‐safe object creator and deleter. It extends the `Deleter` protocol with the addition of a `createObject` method.

== Synopsis

Declared in `<bdlma_factory.h>`

[source,cpp,subs="verbatim,replacements,macros,-callouts"]
----
template<class TYPE>
class Factory
    : public xref:BloombergLP/bdlma/Deleter.adoc[Deleter<TYPE>]
----

== Base Classes

[cols="1,4"]
|===
| Name| Description
| `xref:BloombergLP/bdlma/Deleter.adoc[Deleter<TYPE>]`
| Provide a protocol (or pure interface) for a thread‐safe object deleter.
|===

== Member Functions

[cols="1,4"]
|===
| Name| Description
| xref:BloombergLP/bdlma/Factory/2destructor.adoc[`~Factory`] [.small]#[destructor]# [.small]#[virtual]#
| Destroy this object factory.
| xref:BloombergLP/bdlma/Factory/createObject.adoc[`createObject`]  [.small]#[virtual]#
| Create an instance of the specified `TYPE` using default arguments. Return the address of the newly‐created object on success, and 0 otherwise. The instance must be destroyed using the `deleteObject` method of this object factory.
| xref:BloombergLP/bdlma/Factory/deleteObject.adoc[`deleteObject`]  [.small]#[virtual]#
| Destroy the specified `instance` based on its static type and return its memory footprint to the appropriate memory manager. The behavior is undefined unless `instance` was obtained from a call to `createObject` on this object factory and has not yet been deleted.
|===


== Derived Classes

[cols="1,4"]
|===
| Name| Description
| xref:BloombergLP/bdlcc/ObjectPool.adoc[`ObjectPool`] 
| This class provides a thread‐safe pool of reusable objects. It also implements the `bdlma::Factory` protocol: "creating" objects gets them from the pool and "deleting" objects returns them to the pool.
|===


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