Gof Singleton Pattern

Singleton Pattern

archetypes: implementation, educational anti_triggers: allowing multiple instances response_profile: verbosity: medium directive_strength: high abstraction_level: tactical

Implements the Singleton design pattern ensuring a class has only one instance while providing a global point of access to it.

When to Use

The When to Use section should detail under what circumstances this skill is applicable by incorporating the following:

Archetypes

• Implementation: Aims to guide developers in implementing the Singleton pattern effectively.
• Educational: Educates the user on the implications and benefits of the Singleton pattern in their projects.

Anti-Triggers

• Allowing multiple instances: This skill should avoid contexts where discussions around multiple instances occur without justification.

Response Profile

• Verbosity: Medium

• Directive Strength: High

• Abstraction Level: Tactical

• When exactly one instance of a class is needed.

• When it’s critical to control the access to that instance globally.

• When the instance should run in a multithreaded environment without data corruption.

Core Workflow

1. Define the Class: Create a private constructor to prevent direct initialization.
2. Static Method: Implement a static method that provides access to the instance, creating it if necessary.
3. Provide Thread Safety: Ensure the method is thread-safe to prevent multiple instances in concurrent environments.

Implementation Patterns

Thread-Safe Singleton Pattern

package main

import (
    "sync"
)

type singleton struct {
    // example resource
    resource string
}

var instance *singleton
var once sync.Once

// GetInstance returns the single instance of the singleton class
func GetInstance() *singleton {
    once.Do(func() {
        instance = &singleton{resource: "Initialized Resource"}
    })
    return instance
}

Example Usage

package main

import (
    "fmt"
)

func main() {
    firstInstance := GetInstance()
    fmt.Println(firstInstance.resource)  // Output: Initialized Resource

    secondInstance := GetInstance()
    fmt.Println(firstInstance == secondInstance)  // Output: true
}

Constraints

MUST DO

• Ensure only one instance is created throughout the application.
• Initialize the instance lazily (only when it’s needed).

MUST NOT DO

• Allow public instantiation of the class.
• Create new instances within your application logic directly.