System.Classes.TPersistent.Assign
Delphi
procedure Assign(Source: TPersistent); virtual;
C++
virtual void __fastcall Assign(TPersistent* Source);
Properties
| Type | Visibility | Source | Unit | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
procedure function |
public | System.Classes.pas System.Classes.hpp |
System.Classes | TPersistent |
Description
Copies the contents of another similar object.
Assign copies properties and other attributes of the specified Source object to the current object. The standard form of a call to Assign is:
Destination.Assign(Source); {Delphi}
Destination->Assign(Source); // C++
which tells the current object to copy the contents of the Source object to itself.
Most objects override Assign to handle the assignment of properties from similar objects. When overriding Assign, call the inherited method if the destination object cannot handle the assignment of properties from the class of the Source parameter.
If no overridden Assign method can handle the assignment of properties from Source, the method implemented in TPersistent calls the source object's AssignTo method. This allows the source object to handle the assignment. If the Source object is nil (Delphi) or NULL (C++), Assign raises an EConvertError exception.
In general, the statement
Destination := Source; {Delphi}
Destination = Source; // C++
is not the same as the statement
Destination.Assign(Source); {Delphi}
Destination->Assign(Source); // C++
The assignment operator makes Destination reference the same object as Source, whereas the Assign method copies the contents of the object referenced by Source into the object referenced by Destination.
Note: The types of some properties are also objects. If these properties have written methods that use Assign to set the value of the property, then in these cases the assignment operator does the same thing as the Assign method.