Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable - Overridable data
package MyClass;
use Class::MakeMethods( 'Composite::Inheritable:scalar' => 'foo' );
# We now have an accessor method for an "inheritable" scalar value
MyClass->foo( 'Foozle' ); # Set a class-wide value
print MyClass->foo(); # Retrieve class-wide value
my $obj = MyClass->new(...);
print $obj->foo(); # All instances "inherit" that value...
$obj->foo( 'Foible' ); # until you set a value for an instance.
print $obj->foo(); # This now finds object-specific value.
...
package MySubClass;
@ISA = 'MyClass';
print MySubClass->foo(); # Initially same as superclass,
MySubClass->foo('Foobar'); # but overridable per subclass,
print $subclass_obj->foo(); # and shared by its instances
$subclass_obj->foo('Fosil');# until you override them...
...
# Similar behaviour for hashes and arrays is currently incomplete
package MyClass;
use Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable (
array => 'my_list',
hash => 'my_index',
);
MyClass->my_list(0 => 'Foozle', 1 => 'Bang!');
print MyClass->my_list(1);
MyClass->my_index('broccoli' => 'Blah!', 'foo' => 'Fiddle');
print MyClass->my_index('foo');
The MakeMethods subclass provides accessor methods that search an inheritance
tree to find a value. This allows you to set a shared or default value for a
given class, optionally override it in a subclass, and then optionally
override it on a per-instance basis.
Note that all MakeMethods methods are inheritable, in the sense that they work
as expected for subclasses. These methods are different in that the
data accessed by each method can be inherited or overridden in each
subclass or instance. See Class::MakeMethods::Utility::Inheritable for more
about this type of "inheritable" or overridable" data.
When you "use" this package, the method declarations you provide as
arguments cause subroutines to be generated and installed in your module.
See "Calling Conventions" in Class::MakeMethods::Standard for more
information.
To declare methods, pass in pairs of a method-type name followed by one or more
method names.
See the "METHOD GENERATOR TYPES" section below for a list of the
supported values of
generator_type.
See "Declaration Syntax" in Class::MakeMethods::Standard and
"Parameter Syntax" in Class::MakeMethods::Standard for more
information.
For each method name passed, uses a closure to generate a subroutine with the
following characteristics:
- •
- May be called as a class or instance method, on the
declaring class or any subclass.
- •
- If called without any arguments returns the current value
for the callee. If the callee has not had a value defined for this method,
searches up from instance to class, and from class to superclass, until a
callee with a value is located.
- •
- If called with an argument, stores that as the value
associated with the callee, whether instance or class, and returns
it,
- •
- If called with multiple arguments, stores a reference to a
new array with those arguments as contents, and returns that array
reference.
Sample declaration and usage:
package MyClass;
use Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable (
scalar => 'foo',
);
...
# Store value
MyClass->foo('Foozle');
# Retrieve value
print MyClass->foo;
For each method name passed, uses a closure to generate a subroutine with the
following characteristics:
- •
- May be called as a class method, or on any instance or
subclass, Must be called on a hash-based instance.
- •
- The class value will be a reference to an array (or
undef).
- •
- If called without any arguments, returns the current
array-ref value (or undef).
- •
- If called with a single non-ref argument, uses that
argument as an index to retrieve from the referenced array, and returns
that value (or undef).
- •
- If called with a single array ref argument, uses that list
to return a slice of the referenced array.
- •
- If called with a list of argument pairs, each with a
non-ref index and an associated value, stores the value at the given index
in the referenced array. If the class value was previously undefined, a
new array is autovivified. The current value in each position will be
overwritten, and later arguments with the same index will override earlier
ones. Returns the current array-ref value.
- •
- If called with a list of argument pairs, each with the
first item being a reference to an array of up to two numbers, loops over
each pair and uses those numbers to splice the value array.
The first controlling number is the position at which the splice will begin.
Zero will start before the first item in the list. Negative numbers count
backwards from the end of the array.
The second number is the number of items to be removed from the list. If it
is omitted, or undefined, or zero, no items are removed. If it is a
positive integer, that many items will be returned.
If both numbers are omitted, or are both undefined, they default to
containing the entire value array.
If the second argument is undef, no values will be inserted; if it is a
non-reference value, that one value will be inserted; if it is an
array-ref, its values will be copied.
The method returns the items that removed from the array, if any.
Sample declaration and usage:
package MyClass;
use Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable (
array => 'bar',
);
...
# Clear and set contents of list
print MyClass->bar([ 'Spume', 'Frost' ] );
# Set values by position
MyClass->bar(0 => 'Foozle', 1 => 'Bang!');
# Positions may be overwritten, and in any order
MyClass->bar(2 => 'And Mash', 1 => 'Blah!');
# Retrieve value by position
print MyClass->bar(1);
# Direct access to referenced array
print scalar @{ MyClass->bar() };
There are also calling conventions for slice and splice operations:
# Retrieve slice of values by position
print join(', ', MyClass->bar( undef, [0, 2] ) );
# Insert an item at position in the array
MyClass->bar([3], 'Potatoes' );
# Remove 1 item from position 3 in the array
MyClass->bar([3, 1], undef );
# Set a new value at position 2, and return the old value
print MyClass->bar([2, 1], 'Froth' );
NOTE: THIS METHOD GENERATOR HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN YET.
For each method name passed, uses a closure to generate a subroutine with the
following characteristics:
- •
- May be called as a class method, or on any instance or
subclass, Must be called on a hash-based instance.
- •
- The class value will be a reference to a hash (or
undef).
- •
- If called without any arguments returns the contents of the
hash in list context, or a hash reference in scalar context for the
callee. If the callee has not had a value defined for this method,
searches up from instance to class, and from class to superclass, until a
callee with a value is located.
- •
- If called with one non-ref argument, uses that argument as
an index to retrieve from the referenced hash, and returns that value (or
undef). If the callee has not had a value defined for this method,
searches up from instance to class, and from class to superclass, until a
callee with a value is located.
- •
- If called with one array-ref argument, uses the contents of
that array to retrieve a slice of the referenced hash. If the callee has
not had a value defined for this method, searches up from instance to
class, and from class to superclass, until a callee with a value is
located.
- •
- If called with one hash-ref argument, sets the contents of
the referenced hash to match that provided.
- •
- If called with a list of key-value pairs, stores the value
under the given key in the hash associated with the callee, whether
instance or class. If the callee did not previously have a hash-ref value
associated with it, searches up instance to class, and from class to
superclass, until a callee with a value is located, and copies that hash
before making the assignments. The current value under each key will be
overwritten, and later arguments with the same key will override earlier
ones. Returns the contents of the hash in list context, or a hash
reference in scalar context.
Sample declaration and usage:
package MyClass;
use Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable (
hash => 'baz',
);
...
# Set values by key
MyClass->baz('foo' => 'Foozle', 'bar' => 'Bang!');
# Values may be overwritten, and in any order
MyClass->baz('broccoli' => 'Blah!', 'foo' => 'Fiddle');
# Retrieve value by key
print MyClass->baz('foo');
# Retrieve slice of values by position
print join(', ', MyClass->baz( ['foo', 'bar'] ) );
# Direct access to referenced hash
print keys %{ MyClass->baz() };
# Reset the hash contents to empty
@{ MyClass->baz() } = ();
NOTE: THIS METHOD GENERATOR IS INCOMPLETE.
A hook method is called from the outside as a normal method. However,
internally, it contains an array of subroutine references, each of which are
called in turn to produce the method's results.
Subroutines may be added to the hook's array by calling it with a blessed
subroutine reference, as shown below. Subroutines may be added on a class-wide
basis or on an individual object.
You might want to use this type of method to provide an easy way for callbacks
to be registered.
package MyClass;
use Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable ( 'hook' => 'init' );
MyClass->init( Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable->Hook( sub {
my $callee = shift;
warn "Init...";
} );
my $obj = MyClass->new;
$obj->init();
For each method name passed, uses a closure to generate a subroutine with the
following characteristics:
- •
- May be called as a class method, or on any instance or
subclass, Must be called on a hash-based instance.
- •
- The class value will be a reference to an object (or
undef).
- •
- If called without any arguments returns the current value
for the callee. If the callee has not had a value defined for this method,
searches up from instance to class, and from class to superclass, until a
callee with a value is located.
- •
- If called with an argument, stores that as the value
associated with the callee, whether instance or class, and returns
it,
Sample declaration and usage:
package MyClass;
use Class::MakeMethods::Composite::Inheritable (
object => 'foo',
);
...
# Store value
MyClass->foo( Foozle->new() );
# Retrieve value
print MyClass->foo;
NOTE: THIS METHOD GENERATOR HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN YET.
See Class::MakeMethods for general information about this distribution.
See Class::MakeMethods::Composite for more about this family of
subclasses.