Class::MixinFactory.3pm

Langue: en

Version: 2004-11-28 (debian - 07/07/09)

Section: 3 (Bibliothèques de fonctions)

NAME

Class::MixinFactory - Class Factory with Selection of Mixins

SYNOPSIS

   package MyClass;
   use Class::MixinFactory -hasafactory;
   sub new { ... }
   sub foo { return "Foo Bar" }
 
   package MyClass::Logging;
   sub foo { warn "Calling foo"; (shift)->NEXT('foo', @_) }
 
   package MyClass::UpperCase;
   sub foo { uc( (shift)->NEXT('foo', @_) ) }
 
   package main;
 
   my $class = MyClass->class( 'Logging', 'UpperCase' );
   print $class->new()->foo(); 
   # Calls MyClass::Logging::foo, MyClass::UpperCase::foo, MyClass::foo
 
 

DESCRIPTION

This distribution facilitates the run-time generation of classes which inherit from a base class and some optional selection of mixin classes.

A factory is provided to generate the mixed classes with multiple inheritance. A NEXT method allows method redispatch up the inheritance chain.

USAGE

The Class::MixinFactory package is just a facade that loads the necessary classes and provides a few import options for compile-time convenience.

Factory Interface

To generate an object with some combination of mixins, you first pass the names of the mixin classes to a class factory which will generate a mixed class. (Or return the name of the already generated class, if there has been a previous request with the same combination of mixins.)

You can add a factory method to your base class, create a separate factory object, or inherit to produce a factory class.

Factory Method
To add a factory method to a base class, inherit from the Class::MixinFactory::HasAFactory class, or use the "-hasafactory" import option:
   package MyClass;
   use Class::MixinFactory -hasafactory;
 
   package main;
   my $class = MyClass->class( 'Logging', 'UpperCase' );
   print $class->new()->foo();
 
 
Factory Class
To create a new class which will act as a factory for another base class, inherit from the Class::MixinFactory::Factory class, or use the "-isafactory" import option:
   package MyClass::Factory;
   use Class::MixinFactory -isafactory;
   MyClass::Factory->base_class( "MyClass" );
 
   package main;
   my $class = MyClass::Factory->class( 'Logging', 'UpperCase' );
   print $class->new()->foo();
 
 
Factory Object
To create an object which will act as a factory, create a Class::MixinFactory::Factory instance by calling the new() method:
   use Class::MixinFactory;
   my $factory = Class::MixinFactory->new();
   $factory->base_class( "MyClass" );
 
   my $class = $factory->class( 'Logging', 'UpperCase' );
   print $class->new()->foo();
 
 

Inheriting from a Mixed Class

Inheriting with a Factory Method or Factory Object
A subclass can inherit from a mixed class:
   package MyClass::CustomWidget;
   @ISA = MyClass->class( 'Logging', 'UpperCase' );
   sub foo { local $_ = (shift)->NEXT('foo', @_); tr[a-z][z-a]; $_ }
 
   package main;
   print MyClass::CustomWidget->new()->foo();
 
 
Inheriting with a Factory Class
A subclass can use a factory class to define its own inheritance:
   package MyClass::CustomWidget;
   use Class::MixinFactory -isasubclass,
         MyClass::Factory => 'Logging', 'UpperCase';
   sub foo { local $_ = (shift)->NEXT('foo', @_); tr[a-z][z-a]; $_ }
 
   package main;
   print MyClass::CustomWidget->new()->foo();
 
 

Configuring a Factory

Factories support methods that control which classes they will use.

The base class will be inherited from by all mixed classes.

   $factory->base_class( "HelloWorld" );
 
 

The mixin prefix is prepended to the mixin names passed to the class() method. Mixin names that contain a ``::'' are assumed to be fully qualified and are not changed. If empty, the base_class is used.

   $factory->mixin_prefix( 'HelloFeature' );
 
 

The mixed prefix is at the start of all generated class names. If empty, the base_class is used, or the factory's class name.

   $factory->mixed_prefix( 'HelloClass' );
 
 

Writing a Mixin Class

Writing a mixin class is almost the same as writing a subclass, except where methods need to redispatch to the base-class implementation. (The SUPER::method syntax will only search for classes that the mixin itself inherits from; to search back up the inheritance tree and explore other branches, another redispatch mechanism is needed.)

A method named NEXT is provided to continue the search through to the next class which provides a given method. The order in which mixins are stacked is significant, so the caller should understand how their behaviors interact. (See Class::MixinFactory::NEXT.)

SEE ALSO

For distribution, installation, support, copyright and license information, see Class::MixinFactory::ReadMe.