I'm writing my first Cocoa app--actually my first app in a C-like OO
language. One of its functions is to convert between different data
formats. I have an object class to which my app controller hands data
(e.g. initializes) in one format, and then uses instance methods to
convert to others and return the converted data. Two stylistic
questions:
(1) The main conversion method(s) call other (repetitively used)
utility methods to perform some of their work. There is data
(conversion in progress) and flags involved. Is it better to set
these as object instance variables, or pass the data back and forth
between the methods? The former seems a bit of a waste because the
flags, at least, will not be common to the several different
conversions yet would always exist in each object instance--perhaps
(slightly) inefficient in terms of memory use. On the other hand, I
wonder about the performance overhead of passing the data back and
forth on every method call.
(2) Is the general rule to store data in an instance of an immutable
class (e.g. NSData), do work--e.g. a conversion--in, say,
NSMutableData, and then release the former and set the instance
variable to point to the latter? If so, is this mostly for
performance reasons? I've seen it suggested somewhere--perhaps in
Hillegass [1]--that mutable classes are less efficient.
Hopefully the above is not too abstract to understand without seeing
the source.
By the way, if there is anyone in Vancouver (BC) who would be
interested in starting a group something like Seattle Xcoders [1],
please get in touch.
Chris
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