Does Static Factory apply to C#?

Question

I am reading about the static factory method. Does Static factory method coding technique only apply to Java, or can it be applied to C# .Net also? Seems to be more of a Java thing.

https://dzone.com/articles/constructors-or-static-factory-methods

class Color {
    private final int hex;
    static Color makeFromRGB(String rgb) {
        return new Color(Integer.parseInt(rgb, 16));
    }
    static Color makeFromPalette(int red, int green, int blue) {
        return new Color(red << 16 + green << 8 + blue);
    }
    static Color makeFromHex(int h) {
        return new Color(h);
    }
    private Color(int h) {
        return new Color(h);
    }
}

Answer 1

Yes, it can definitely be applied in C#, and it's often a good idea - particularly if there are various ways that you want to construct something, all from the same parameter types.

As an example, look at TimeSpan. That has factory methods FromSeconds, FromMinutes, FromHours, FromDays all of which accept a single double as the parameter type.

The factory method pattern also allows for caching in some situations, too.