Differentiating Object from Data Structure
Let’s start from begin: What is the difference between Object and Data Structure?
From wikipedia a Data Structure is: a data structure is a particular way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently.[1][2]
As well as Object is: any entity that can be manipulated by the commands of a programming language, such as a value (computer science), variable, function, or data structure.
Just to put some code in it.
This is a Data Structure:
And this is an Object:
This is how I’m policing myself to code. Letting VOs, DTOs, Entities exactly as a data structure, just with fields, getters and setters. Even constructors I am letting outside it. Maybe I’m exaggerating do not creating the constructors or switching them to static methods into the VOs. However, my experience with this approach tells me that letting them out is more productive specially when we are talking about testable code and isolating responsibilities improving the Single Responsibility Principle.
You may be asking: “Are telling that I’m not more able to create my own Entities directly?
The answer is yes and no. I’ll explain.
To a simple task just create an instance of an Data Structure, you could just call the default constructor.
But to create a more sophisticated instance of that object for some specific porpoise instead of using a static method describing the usage of that as suggested by Uncle Bob Martin on his book Clean Code I suggest you to use an Object to handle the creation of the Data Structure initializing it with the propers values for the specific usage.
Do you disagree? Let your comment down here!
