Java has long had a relationship with Factory Method, usually calling it by the more degenerative term "Factory" or "Factory pattern". (Technically, what Java calls a "Factory pattern" is typically one of Builder, Abstract Factory, or Factory Method, depending on what precisely looks to be varied and/or encapsulated.)
Java has a number of Factory Method implementations already in its standard library:
javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory: newInstance creates a ConcreteProduct implementation of XML parsers.
javax.xml.transform.TransformerFactory: Ditto; newInstance creates a new ConcreteProduct implementation of XSLT transformers.
javax.xml.xpath.XPathFactory: And also ditto; newInstance creates a new ConcreteProduct implementation of XPath query navigators.
Frankly, all three of these were an awesome example of a case where the use of the pattern was wildly overblown, based on the thought process at the time (the '99/2000 timeframe) that Java developers would want to change up their XML parser implementation without having to change any code. That never really happened.
Last updated: 28 February 2022
Tags: pattern implementation creational java