A multiton is a class that limits instances to those in a single collection. Each multiton instance is associated uniquely with a key; no multiton instance can exist without a key. Furthermore, multiton instances can only be created within the method that retrieves instances. The MultitonPattern is similar to the SingletonPattern, replacing the nullary method that gets an instance with a unary one.
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Multiton is a pattern derived from the more general Factory pattern.
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''EditHint: Should this page be merged with/replaced with/redirected to ReverseFlyweightPattern, which has a worse name but better documentation?''
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CategoryPattern