Why should you care?

ShopNest seller “product templates” duplicate a base SKU with small tweaks.

See it live — copy this example

Paste into a C# console or class library project and run dotnet run.

public sealed class ProductTemplate
{
    public string Name { get; set; } = "";
    public decimal Price { get; set; }
    public List<string> Tags { get; set; } = new();
    public ProductTemplate DeepClone() => new()
    {
        Name = Name,
        Price = Price,
        Tags = Tags.ToList()
    };
}

var baseSku = new ProductTemplate { Name = "Tee", Price = 499, Tags = { "apparel" } };
var red = baseSku.DeepClone();
red.Name = "Tee Red";
red.Tags.Add("red");
Console.WriteLine($"{baseSku.Tags.Count} vs {red.Tags.Count}");

Run Example »

Edit the code below and click Run to see the result in Toolliyo’s live editor.

What happened?

• DeepClone copies the tag list so edits on red do not mutate base.
• ICloneable exists but explicit DeepClone is clearer about shallow vs deep.

Practice next

1. Clone and change Name; confirm base unchanged.
2. Show why Tags.ToList() matters (shallow trap).
3. Clone a third color from base.
4. Add a Size field and clone it.
5. Accidentally share Tags and watch the bug.

Remember

Clone templates cheaply. Deep vs shallow matters. Prefer explicit DeepClone.

ShopNest product templates

Sellers clone a base SKU for color variants.

Outcome: Fast listing creation without shared tag bugs.