This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Consequences
Separating the allocation and initialization stages of instance creation provides many benefits. It’s possible to use any variation of the +alloc class method to allocate an instance and then use any available initializer with the new instance. This makes it possible to create your own initialization methods without needing to provide alternate implementations of all allocation methods.
New allocation methods are seldom created because the existing methods meet almost every need. However, one or more new initializers are created for almost every class. Due to the separation of allocation and initialization stages, initializer implementations only have to deal with the variables of new instances and can completely ignore the issues surrounding allocation. The separation simplifies the process of writing initializers. Furthermore, Cocoa standard initializers like -initWithCoder: work with instances regardless of the way memory for the instance was allocated.
One negative consequence of the separation of allocation and initialization is the need to be aware of conventions such as the designated initializer. You must know which methods are designated initializers and how to create and document new initializers in subclasses. In the long run, using designated initializers simplifies software development, but there is an argument to be made that the Two-Stage Creation pattern adds to the early learning curve for Cocoa developers.