Class: Metaclass

• Inheritance
• Description
• Related information
• Class protocol
  • Signal constants
  • class initialization
  • creating metaclasses
  • method templates
  • queries
• Instance protocol
  • Compatibility-ST80
  • Compatibility-Squeak
  • autoload check
  • class instance variables
  • compiler interface
  • copying-private
  • creating classes
  • enumerating
  • fileOut
  • method templates
  • misc ui support
  • private
  • queries
  • source management

Inheritance:

   Object
   |
   +--Behavior
      |
      +--ClassDescription
         |
         +--Metaclass
            |
            +--AutoloadMetaclass
            |
            +--JavaScriptMetaclass
            |
            +--PrivateMetaclass
            |
            +--SmalltalkShareClient::RemoteMetaclass

Package:

stx:libbasic

Category:

Kernel-Classes

Version:

rev: 1.231 date: 2019/06/27 10:42:47

user: cg

file: Metaclass.st directory: libbasic

module: stx stc-classLibrary: libbasic

Author:

Claus Gittinger

Description:

every classes class is a subclass of Metaclass.
(i.e. every class is the sole instance of its Metaclass)
Metaclass provides support for creating new (sub)classes and/or
changing the definition of an already existing class.

Related information:

    Behavior
    ClassDescription
    Class

Class protocol:

 confirmationQuerySignal

return the query signal which is raised to ask if user
confirmation dialogs should be opened.
If unhandled, they are.

 initialize

(comment from inherited method)
the classvariable 'UpdatingChanges' controls if changes are put
into the changes-file; normally this variable is set to true, but
(for example) during fileIn or when changes are applied, it is set to false
to avoid putting too much junk into the changes-file.

 new

creating a new metaclass - have to set the new classes
flags correctly to have it behave like a metaclass ...
Not for normal applications - creating new metaclasses is a very
tricky thing; should be left to the gurus ;-)

usage example(s):

Metaclass new <- new metaclass Metaclass new new <- new class Metaclass new new new <- new instance

 classTemplateFor: aSuperClass in: categoryString asNamespace: asNameSpace private: isPrivate

returning nil here, will let the browser generate a template.
However, special metaclasses (other languages)
may redefine this

 asPrivate

 isBuiltInClass

return true if this class is known by the run-time-system.
Here, true is returned for myself, false for subclasses.

Instance protocol:

 comment: aString

ignored - sometimes found in ST-80 fileOut files.
Comments are supposed to be defined via class messages.

 sourceCodeTemplate

ST80 compatibility - return a definition message for myself.
Same as #definition

 instanceVariableString: aString

for compatibility

 isTrait
( an extension from the stx:libcompat package )

(comment from inherited method)
Return true if the receiver is a trait.
Note: Do not override in any class except TraitBehavior.

 isLoaded

return true, if the class has been loaded;
redefined in Autoload; see comment there

 instanceVariableNames: aString

changing / adding class-inst vars -
this actually creates a new metaclass and class, leaving the original
class hanging around as obsolete classes.
This may also be true for all subclasses, if class instance variables are added/removed in a superclass.
Existing instances (i.e. insts of the class) are migrated to become instances of the new class(es).

However, if the old class is referenced somewhere (in a collection),
that reference will still point to the old, now obsolete class.
Time will show, if that is a problem and will be fixed.

 browserClass

return the browser to use for this class -
this can be redefined in special classes, to get different browsers

 compilerClass

return the compiler to use for this class -
this can be redefined in special classes, to compile classes with
JavaScript, Ruby, Lisp, Prolog, ASN1, Basic :-) or whatever syntax.

usage example(s):

Array compilerClass

 evaluatorClass

return the compiler to use for expression evaluation for this class -
this can be redefined in special classes, to evaluate expressions with
JavaScript, Ruby, Lisp, Prolog, ASN1, Basic :-) or whatever syntax.

usage example(s):

Array evaluatorClass

 formatterClass

return the parser to use for formatting (prettyPrinting) this class -
this can be redefined in special classes, to format classes with
JavaScript, Ruby, Lisp, Prolog, ASN1, Basic :-) or whatever syntax.

usage example(s):

Array formatterClass

 parserClass

return the parser to use for parsing this class -
this can be redefined in special classes, to parse classes with
JavaScript, Ruby, Lisp, Prolog, ASN1, Basic :-) or whatever syntax.

usage example(s):

Array parserClass

 programmingLanguage

return the programming language in which this class is written

 realSubclassDefinerClass

Answer an evaluator class appropriate for evaluating definitions of new
subclasses of this class.

 subclassDefinerClass

Answer an evaluator class appropriate for evaluating definitions of new
subclasses of this class.

 syntaxHighlighterClass

return the class to use for syntaxHighlighting (prettyPrinting) this class -
this can be redefined in special classes, to highlight classes with
JavaScript, Ruby, Lisp, Prolog, ASN1, Basic :-) or whatever syntax.

usage example(s):

Array syntaxHighlighterClass

 postCopy

redefined - a copy may have a new instance

 name: newName inEnvironment: aNameSpaceOrOwningClass subclassOf: aClass instanceVariableNames: stringOfInstVarNames variable: variableBoolean words: wordsBoolean pointers: pointersBoolean classVariableNames: stringOfClassVarNames poolDictionaries: stringOfPoolNames category: categoryString comment: commentString changed: changed

 name: newName inEnvironment: aNameSpaceOrOwningClass subclassOf: aClass instanceVariableNames: stringOfInstVarNames variable: variableBoolean words: wordsBoolean pointers: pointersBoolean classVariableNames: stringOfClassVarNames poolDictionaries: stringOfPoolNames category: categoryString comment: commentString changed: changed classInstanceVariableNames: stringOfClassInstVarNamesOrNil

this is the main workhorse for installing new classes - special care
has to be taken, when changing an existing classes definition. In this
case, some or all of the methods and subclass-methods have to be
recompiled.
Also, the old class(es) are still kept (but not accessible as a global),
to allow existing instances some life.
This might change in the future.

 new

create & return a new metaclass (a classes class).
Since metaclasses only have one instance (the class),
complain if there is already one.
You get a new class by sending #new to the returned metaclass
(confusing - isn't it ?)

 newClassBuilder

 instAndClassSelectorsAndMethodsDo: aTwoArgBlock

 subclassesDo: aBlock

evaluate the argument, aBlock for all immediate subclasses.
This will only enumerate globally known classes - for anonymous
behaviors, you have to walk over all instances of Behavior.

 basicFileOutDefinitionOf: aClass on: aStream withNameSpace: forceNameSpace withPackage: showPackage

append an expression on aStream, which defines myself.

 basicFileOutDefinitionOf: aClass on: aStream withNameSpace: forceNameSpace withPackage: showPackage syntaxHilighting: syntaxHilighting

append an expression on aStream, which defines myself.

 fileOutClassInstVarDefinitionOn: aStream withNameSpace: withNameSpace

append an expression to define my classInstanceVariables on aStream

 fileOutDefinitionOn: aStream

(comment from inherited method)
dummy fileOut defined here.
This allows different Behavior-like objects
(alien classes) to be handled by the browser as well.

 fileOutOn: outStreamArg withTimeStamp: stampIt withInitialize: initIt withDefinition: withDefinition methodFilter: methodFilter encoder: encoderOrNil

file out my definition and all methods onto aStream.
If stampIt is true, a timeStamp comment is prepended.
If initIt is true, and the class implements a class-initialize method,
append a corresponding doIt expression for initialization.
The order by which the fileOut is done is used to put the version string at the end.
Thus, if the version string is expanded (by CVS), the characterPositions of methods should not move

 versionMethodTemplateForSourceCodeManager: aSourceCodeManager

 iconInBrowserSymbol

can be redefined for a private icon in the browser.
The returned symbol must be a selector of the ToolbarIconLibrary.

 setSoleInstance: aClass

 category

return my category

 comment

return my comment

 environment

return the namespace I am contained in; ST-80 compatible name

 getPackage

return my package-id

 hasExtensions

return true if I have extensions

 hasExtensionsFrom: aPackageID

return true if I have extensions from a package

 isBuiltInClass

return true if this class is known by the run-time-system.
Here, true is returned for myself, false for subclasses.

 isMeta

return true, if the receiver is some kind of metaclass;
true is returned here. Redefines isMeta in Object

 logFacility

(comment from inherited method)
the 'log facility';
this is used by the Logger both as a prefix to the log message

 name

return my name - that is the name of my sole class, with ' class'
appended.

 nameSpace

return the nameSpace I am contained in.
Due to the implementation of nameSpaces (as classVariables),
a class can only be contained in one nameSpace (which is the desired)

 owningClass

return nil here - regular metaclasses are never private

 package

return my package-id

 soleInstance

return my sole class.

 subclasses

ask my non-meta for subclasses

usage example(s):

Integer class subclasses

 theMetaclass

return the metaClass of the class-meta pair.
Here, return myself, because I am the metaclass.
Also implemented in my class, which also returns me.

 theNonMetaclass

return the nonMetaClass of the class-meta pair.
Here, return my class object, because I am the metaclass.
Also implemented in my class, which returns itself.
Sigh: ST/X naming; Squeak calls this theNonMetaClass

 topOwningClass

return nil here - regular metaclasses are never private

 binaryRevision

Object binaryRevision
Object class binaryRevision

 binaryRevisionString

Object binaryRevisionString
Object class binaryRevisionString

 sourceCodeManagerFromBinaryRevision

 sourceFileSuffix

Answers a default suffix for source files, i.e.
'st' for Smalltalk, 'js' for JavaScript or 'rb' for Ruby', etc.

 sourceStream

return the classes source stream

 sourceStreamFor: sourceFileName

return the sourceStream for a sourceFileName