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Asked: 2026-05-26T05:39:57+00:00

I have a class with several subclasses. They all override a class method, but

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I have a class with several subclasses.

They all override a class method, but I don’t have a specific implementation for the method in the superclass.

Since I can’t just declare it in the interface but I need to implement it as well (to avoid debugger warnings), I was wondering if I can just provide empty implementations of the method in the superclass.

The reason why I’m adding the methods definitions to the superclass is that I’ve a multi-target project, the current application delegate is considered with the specific overridden method:

[(GenericDelegate *)[NSApp delegate] myMethod];

thanks

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Yes, this is a perfect normal practice. In fact, it has a name: a “Template Method.” You search for that in the Cocoa documentation.

    You will find that Apple also does it occasionally in their own code. The drawRect: method in UIView is the first one that comes to mind.

    So, anyway, yes, if it suits your needs, I would go ahead and do it. Just make sure that you think through whether or not, for example, a protocol wouldn’t suit your needs better.

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