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nx::Object(3) nx::Object(3)

______________________________________________________________________________

NAME
nx::Object - API reference of the base class in the NX object system

SYNOPSIS
nx::Object create obj ?-object-mixins mixinSpec? ?-class newClassName?
?-object-filters filterSpec? ?initBlock?

nx::Object new ?-object-mixins mixinSpec? ?-class newClassName?
?-object-filters filterSpec? ?initBlock?

obj ?public | private | protected? object alias methodName ?-returns
valueChecker? ?-frame object | method? cmdName

obj cget configurationOption

obj configure ?configurationOption value ...?

obj contains ?-withnew trueFalse? ?-object objectName? ?-class
className? cmds

obj copy newObjectName

obj delete object feature arg

obj destroy

obj eval arg ?arg ...?

obj object filters submethod ?arg ...?

obj ?public | protected | private? object forward methodName ?-prefix
prefixName? ?-frame object? ?-returns valueChecker? ?-verbose? ?target?
?arg ...?

obj info children ?-type className? ?pattern?

obj info class

obj info has ?mixin | namespace | type? ?arg ...?

obj info lookup submethod ?arg ...?

obj info name

obj info info ?-asList?

obj info object filters ?-guards? ?pattern?

obj info object method option methodName

obj info object methods ?-callprotection level? ?-type methodType?
?-path? ?namePattern?

obj info object mixins ?-guards? ?pattern?

obj info object slots ?-type className? ?pattern?

obj info object variables ?pattern?

obj info parent

obj info precedence ?-intrinsic? ?pattern?

obj info variable option handle

obj info vars ?pattern?

obj ?public | protected | private? object method name parameters
?-checkalways? ?-returns valueChecker? body

obj move newObjectName

obj object mixins submethod ?arg ...?

obj object property ?-accessor public | protected | private?
?-configurable trueFalse? ?-incremental? ?-class className?
?-nocomplain? spec ?initBlock?

obj require namespace

obj require ?public | protected | private? object method methodName

obj unknown unknownMethodName ?arg ...?

obj object variable ?-accessor public | protected | private?
?-incremental? ?-class className? ?-configurable trueFalse? ?-initblock
script? ?-nocomplain? spec ?defaultValue?

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DESCRIPTION
nx::Object is the base class of the NX object system. All objects
defined in NX are (direct or indirect) instances of this base class.
The methods provided by the nx::Object base class are available to all
objects and to all classes defined in NX.
+---------+
| ::nx::* |
+---------+--------------------------------------Y
| |
| +---------+ instance of +----------+ |
| | |<....................| | |
| | Class | | Object | |
| | |....................>| | |
| +----+----+ subclass of +-----+----+ |
| ^ ^ ^ |
instance.|...........................|....|......./
of | | |
+-----+-----+ subclass of | | instance
| |.....................| | of
| /cls/ | (by default) |
| | |
+-----------+ |
^ |
instance |.............(xor)..............|
of | +-----------+ |
|.........| |..........|
| /obj/ |
| |
+-----------+
NX allows for creating and for using objects (e.g. obj) which are
instantiated from the base class nx::Object directly. Typical use cases
are singletons and anonymous, inline objects. In such use cases, NX
does not require creating an intermediate application class (e.g. cls),
which specializes the base class nx::Object by default, beforehand.

Objects (e.g. obj) which are creating by instantiating a previously
defined application class (e.g. cls) are indirect instances of
nx::Object.

Direct instances of nx::Object can be created as follows:

nx::Object create obj ?-object-mixins mixinSpec? ?-class newClassName?
?-object-filters filterSpec? ?initBlock?

To create a direct instance of nx::Object having an explicit
name obj, use create on nx::Object. Note that create is defined
by nx::Class and is available to nx::Object being an instance of
nx::Class. This way, singleton objects can be created, for
example.

nx::Object new ?-object-mixins mixinSpec? ?-class newClassName?
?-object-filters filterSpec? ?initBlock?
To create a direct instance of nx::Object having an
automatically assigned, implict object name, use new on
nx::Object. Note that new is defined by nx::Class and is
available to nx::Object being an instance of nx::Class. Using
new allows for creating anonymous, inline objects, for example.

The configuration options for direct and indirect instances of
nx::Object, which can be passed when calling create and new, are
documented in the subsequent section.

CONFIGURATION OPTIONS FOR INSTANCES OF NX::OBJECT
Configuration options can be used for configuring objects during their
creation by passing the options as non-positional arguments into calls
of new and create (see nx::Class). An existing object can be queried
for its current configuration using cget and it can be re-configured
using configure. Legal configuration options are:

-class ?className?
Retrieves the current class of the object or sets the object's
class to className, if provided.

-object-filters ?filterMethods?
Retrieves the list of currently active per-object filter methods
or sets a list of per-object filter methods, if filterMethods is
provided.

-object-mixins ?mixinSpecs?
If mixinSpecs is not specified, retrieves the list of currently
active per-object mixin specifications. If mixinSpecs is
specified, sets a list of per-object mixin specifications to
become active. mixin classes are returned or set in terms of a
list of mixin specifications.

METHODS FOR INSTANCES OF NX::OBJECT
alias

obj ?public | private | protected? object alias methodName
?-returns valueChecker? ?-frame object | method? cmdName
Define an alias method for the given object. The
resulting method registers a pre-existing Tcl command
cmdName under the (alias) name methodName with the
object. If cmdName refers to another method, the
corresponding argument should be a valid method handle.
If a Tcl command (e.g., a proc), the argument should be a
fully qualified Tcl command name. If aliasing a
subcommand (e.g., array exists) of a Tcl namespace
ensemble (e.g., array), cmdName must hold the fully
qualified subcommand name (and not the ensemble name of
the subcommand).

As for a regular object method, -returns allows for
setting a value checker on the values returned by the
aliased command cmdName.

When creating an alias method for a C-implemented Tcl
command (i.e., command defined using the Tcl/NX C-API),
-frame sets the scope for variable references used in the
aliased command. If the provided value is object, then
variable references will be resolved in the context of
the called object, i.e., the object upon which the alias
method is invoked, as if they were object variables.
There is no need for using the colon-prefix notation for
identifying object variables. If the value is method,
then the aliased command will be executed as a regular
method call. The command is aware of its called-object
context; i.e., it can resolve ::nx::self. In addition,
the alias method has access to the method-call context
(e.g., nx::next). If -frame is omitted, and by default,
the variable references will resolve in the context of
the caller of the alias method.

cget

obj cget configurationOption
The method is used to obtain the current value of
configurationOption for obj. The configuration options
available for querying through cget are determined by the
configurable properties defined by the class hierarchy of
obj. The queriable configuration options for obj can be
obtained by calling info configure. The
configurationOption can be set and modified using
configure.
% nx::Object create obj
::obj
% ::obj info configure
?-object-mixins /mixinreg .../? ?-class /class/? ?-object-filters /filterreg .../? ?/__initblock/?
% ::obj cget -class
::nx::Object

configure

obj configure ?configurationOption value ...?
This method sets configuration options on an object. The
configuration options available for setting on obj are
determined by the configurable properties defined by the
class hierarchy of obj. The settable configuration
options for obj can be obtained by calling info
configure. Furthermore, configure is also called during
object construction. Under object construction, it
receives the arguments passed into calls of create and
new. Options set using configure can be retrieved using
cget.
% nx::Class create Foo {:property x}
::Foo
% Foo create f1 -x 101
::f1
% f1 cget -x
101
% f1 configure -x 200
% f1 cget -x
200

contains

obj contains ?-withnew trueFalse? ?-object objectName? ?-class
className? cmds
This method acts as a builder for nested object
structures. Object and class construction statements
passed to this method as its last argument cmds are
evaluated in a way so that the receiver object obj
becomes the parent of the newly constructed objects and
classes. This is realized by setting explicitly the
namespace for constructing relatively named objects.
Fully qualified object names in cmds evade the nesting.

-withnew requests the automatic rescoping of objects
created using new so that they become nested into the
receiver object obj, rather than being created in the
default namespace for autonamed objects (i.e., ::nsf). If
turned off, autonamed objects do not become children of
obj.

The parent object objectName to be used instead of obj
can be specified using -object. If this explicitly set
parent object does not exist prior to calling contains,
it will be created on the fly as a direct instance of
nx::Object. Alternatively, using -class, a class
className other than nx::Object for the on-the-fly
creation of objectName can be provided.
% nx::Class create Window {
:contains {
#
# Become children of Window, implicitly
#
nx::Class create Header; # Window::Header
nx::Object create Panel; # Window::Panel
}
#
# Explicitly declared a child of Window using [self]
#
nx::Class create [self]::Slider; # Window::Slider
#
# Fully-qualified objects do not become nested
#
nx::Class create ::Door; # ::Door
}
::Window
% ::Window info children
::Window::Panel ::Window::Header ::Window::Slider

copy

obj copy newObjectName
Creates a full and deep copy of a source object obj. The
object's copy newObjectName features all structural and
behavioral properties of the source object, including
object variables, per-object methods, nested objects,
slot objects, namespaces, filters, mixins, and traces.

delete

obj delete object feature arg
This method serves as the equivalent to Tcl's rename for
removing structural (properties, variables) and
behavioral features (methods) of the object:

obj delete object property propertyName

obj delete object variable variableName

obj delete object method methodName
Removes a property propertyName, variable variableName,
and method methodName, respectively, previously defined
for the scope of the object.

delete object method can be equally used for removing
regular methods (see object method), an alias method (see
object alias), and a forwarder method (see object
forward).

destroy

obj destroy
This method allows for explicitly destructing an object
obj, potentially prior to obj being destroyed by the
object system (e.g. during the shutdown of the object
system upon calling exit):
[nx::Object new] destroy

By providing a custom implementation of destroy, the
destruction procedure of obj can be customized.
Typically, once the application-specific destruction
logic has completed, a custom destroy will trigger the
actual, physical object destruction via next.
% [nx::Object create obj {
:public method destroy {} {
puts "destroying [self]"
next; # physical destruction
}
}] destroy
destroying ::obj

A customized object-desctruction scheme can be made
shared between the instances of a class, by defining the
custom destroy for an application class:
% nx::Class create Foo {
:method destroy {} {
puts "destroying [self]"
next; # physical destruction
}
}
::Foo
% Foo create f1
::f1
% f1 destroy
destroying ::f1

Physical destruction is performed by clearing the in-
memory object storage of obj. This is achieved by passing
obj into a call to dealloc provided by nx::Class. A near,
scripted equivalent to the C-implemented destroy provided
by nx::Object would look as follows:
% Object method destroy {} {
[:info class] dealloc [self]
}

Note, however, that destroy is protected against
application-level redefinition. Trying to evaluate the
above script snippet yields:
refuse to overwrite protected method 'destroy'; derive e.g. a sub-class!

A custom destroy must be provided as a refinement in a
subclass of nx::Object or in a mixin class.

eval

obj eval arg ?arg ...?
Evaluates a special Tcl script for the scope of obj in
the style of Tcl's eval. There are, however, notable
differences to the standard eval: In this script, the
colon-prefix notation is available to dispatch to methods
and to access variables of obj. Script-local variables,
which are thrown away once the evaluation of the script
has completed, can be defined to store intermediate
results.
% nx::Object create obj {
:object property {bar 1}
:public object method foo {x} { return $x }
}
::obj
% ::obj eval {
set y [:foo ${:bar}]
}
1

filters

obj object filters submethod ?arg ...?
Accesses and modifies the list of methods which are
registered as filters with obj using a specific setter or
getter submethod:

obj object filters add spec ?index?
Inserts a single filter into the current list of
filters of obj. Using index, a position in the
existing list of filters for inserting the new
filter can be set. If omitted, index defaults to
the list head (0).

obj object filters clear
Removes all filters from obj and returns the list
of removed filters. Clearing is equivalent to
passing an empty list for filterSpecList to object
filter set.

obj object filters delete ?-nocomplain? specPattern
Removes a single filter from the current list of
filters of obj whose spec matches specPattern.
specPattern can contain special matching chars
(see string match). object filters delete will
throw an error if there is no matching filter,
unless -nocomplain is set.

obj object filters get
Returns the list of current filter specifications
registered for obj.

obj object filters guard methodName ?expr?
If expr is specified, registers a guard expression
expr with a filter methodName. This requires that
the filter methodName has been previously set
using object filters set or added using object
filters add. expr must be a valid Tcl expression
(see expr). An empty string for expr will clear
the currently registered guard expression for
filter methodName.

If expr is omitted, returns the guard expression
set on the filter methodName defined for obj. If
none is available, an empty string will be
returned.

obj object filters methods ?pattern?
If pattern is omitted, returns all filter names
which are defined by obj. By specifying pattern,
the returned filters can be limited to those whose
names match patterns (see string match).

obj object filters set filterSpecList
filterSpecList takes a list of filter specs, with
each spec being itself either a one-element or a
two-element list: methodName ?-guard guardExpr?.
methodName identifies an existing method of obj
which becomes registered as a filter. If having
three elements, the third element guardExpr will
be stored as a guard expression of the filter.
This guard expression must be a valid Tcl
expression (see expr). expr is evaluated when obj
receives a message to determine whether the filter
should intercept the message. Guard expressions
allow for realizing context-dependent or
conditional filter composition.

Every methodName in a spec must resolve to an existing
method in the scope of the object. To access and to
manipulate the list of filters of obj, cget|configure
-object-filters can also be used.

forward

obj ?public | protected | private? object forward methodName
?-prefix prefixName? ?-frame object? ?-returns valueChecker?
?-verbose? ?target? ?arg ...?
Define a forward method for the given object. The
definition of a forward method registers a predefined,
but changeable list of forwarder arguments under the
(forwarder) name methodName. Upon calling the forward
method, the forwarder arguments are evaluated as a Tcl
command call. That is, if present, target is interpreted
as a Tcl command (e.g., a Tcl proc or an object) and the
remainder of the forwarder arguments arg as arguments
passed into this command. The actual method arguments to
the invocation of the forward method itself are appended
to the list of forwarder arguments. If target is
omitted, the value of methodName is implicitly set and
used as target. This way, when providing a fully-
qualified Tcl command name as methodName without target,
the unqualified methodName (namespace tail) is used as
the forwarder name; while the fully-qualified one serves
as the target.

As for a regular object method, -returns allows for
setting a value checker on the values returned by the
resulting Tcl command call. When passing object to
-frame, the resulting Tcl command is evaluated in the
context of the object receiving the forward method call.
This way, variable names used in the resulting execution
of a command become resolved as object variables.

The list of forwarder arguments arg can contain as its
elements a mix of literal values and placeholders.
Placeholders are prefixed with a percent symbol (%) and
substituted for concrete values upon calling the forward
method. These placeholders allow for constructing and for
manipulating the arguments to be passed into the
resulting command call on the fly:

o %method becomes substituted for the name of the
forward method, i.e. methodName.

o %self becomes substituted for the name of the
object receiving the call of the forward method.

o %1 becomes substituted for the first method
argument passed to the call of forward method.
This requires, in turn, that at least one argument
is passed along with the method call.

Alternatively, %1 accepts an optional argument
defaults: {%1 defaults}. defaults must be a valid
Tcl list of two elements. For the first element,
%1 is substituted when there is no first method
argument which can be consumed by %1. The second
element is inserted upon availability of a first
method argument with the consumed argument being
appended right after the second list element. This
placeholder is typically used to define a pair of
getter/setter methods.

o {%@index value} becomes substituted for the
specified value at position index in the
forwarder-arguments list, with index being either
a positive integer, a negative integer, or the
literal value end (such as in Tcl's lindex).
Positive integers specify a list position relative
to the list head, negative integers give a
position relative to the list tail. Indexes for
positioning placeholders in the definition of a
forward method are evaluated from left to right
and should be used in ascending order.

Note that value can be a literal or any of the
placeholders (e.g., %method, %self). Position
prefixes are exempted, they are evaluated as
%cmdName-placeholders in this context.

o {%argclindex list} becomes substituted for the nth
element of the provided list , with n
corresponding to the number of method arguments
passed to the forward method call.

o %% is substituted for a single, literal percent
symbol (%).

o %cmdName is substituted for the value returned
from executing the Tcl command cmdName. To pass
arguments to cmdName, the placeholder should be
wrapped into a Tcl list: {%cmdName ?arg ...?}.

Consider using fully-qualified Tcl command names
for cmdName to avoid possible name conflicts with
the predefined placeholders, e.g., %self vs.
%::nx::self.

To disambiguate the names of subcommands or methods, which
potentially become called by a forward method, a prefix
prefixName can be set using -prefix. This prefix is prepended
automatically to the argument following target (i.e., a second
argument), if present. If missing, -prefix has no effect on the
forward method call.

To inspect and to debug the conversions performed by the above
placeholders, setting the switch -verbose will have the command
list to be executed (i.e., after substitution) printed using
::nsf::log (debugging level: notice) upon calling the forward
method.

info

obj info children ?-type className? ?pattern?
Retrieves the list of nested (or aggregated) objects of
obj. The resulting list contains the fully qualified
names of the nested objects. If -type is set, only nested
objects which are direct or indirect instances of class
className are returned. Using pattern, only nested
objects whose names match pattern are returned. The
pattern string can contain special matching characters
(see string match). This method allows for introspecting
on contains.

obj info class
Returns the fully qualified name of the current nx::Class
of obj. In case of re-classification (see configure), the
returned class will be different from the nx::Class from
which obj was originally instantiated using create or
new.

obj info has ?mixin | namespace | type? ?arg ...?

obj info method has mixin className
Verifies whether obj has a given nx::Class
className registered as a mixin class (returns:
true) or not (returns: false).

obj info has namespace
Checks whether the object has a companion Tcl
namespace (returns: true) or not (returns: false).
The namespace could have been created using, for
example, object require namespace.

obj info has type className
Tests whether the nx::Class className is a type of
the object (returns: true) or not (returns:
false). That is, the method checks whether the
object is a direct instance of className or an
indirect instance of one of the superclasses of
className.

obj info lookup submethod ?arg ...?
A collection of submethods to retrieve structural
features (e.g. configuration options, slot objects) and
behavioral features (e.g. methods, filters) available for
obj from the perspective of a client to obj. Features
provided by obj itself and by the classes in its current
linearisation list are considered.

obj info lookup configure parameters ?namePattern?
Returns all configuration options available for
obj as a list of method-parameter definitions.
They can be used, for example, to define a custom
method refinement for configure. The returned
configuration options can be limited to those
whose names match pattern (see string match).

obj info lookup configure syntax
Returns all configuration options available for
obj as a concrete-syntax description to be used in
human-understandable messages (e.g. errors or
warnings, documentation strings).

obj info lookup filter name
Returns the method handle for the filter method
name, if currently registered. If there is no
filter name registered, an empty string is
returned.

obj info lookup filters ?-guards? ?namePattern?
Returns the method handles of all filters which
are active on obj. By turning on the switch
-guards, the corresponding guard expressions, if
any, are also reported for each filter as a three-
element list: methodHandle -guard guardExpr. The
returned filters can be limited to those whose
names match namePattern (see string match).

obj info lookup method name
Returns the method handle for a method name if a
so-named method can be invoked on obj. If there is
no method name, an empty string is returned.

obj info lookup methods ?namePattern?
Returns the names of all methods (including
aliases and forwarders) which can be invoked on
obj. The returned methods can be limited to those
whose names match namePattern (see string match).

obj info lookup mixins ?-guards? ?namePattern?
Returns the object names of all mixin classes
which are currently active on obj. By turning on
the switch -guards, the corresponding guard
expressions, if any, are also reported as a three-
element list for each mixin class: className
-guard guardExpr. The returned mixin classes can
be limited to those whose names match namePattern
(see string match).

obj info lookup slots ?-type className? ?-source all |
application | system? ?namePattern?
Returns the command names of all slot objects
responsible for managing properties, variables,
and relations of obj. The returned slot objects
can be limited according to any or a combination
of the following criteria: First, slot objects can
be filtered based on their command names matching
namePattern (see string match). Second, -type
allows one to select slot objects which are
instantiated from a subclass className of nx::Slot
(default: nx::Slot) . Third, -source restricts
slot objects returned according to their
provenance in either the NX system classes or the
application classes present in the linearisation
list of obj (default: all).

To extract details of each slot object, use the
info submethods available for each slot object.

obj info lookup variables
Returns the command names of all slot objects
responsible for managing properties and variables
of obj, if provided by obj or the classes in the
linearisation list of obj.

This is equivalent to calling: obj info lookup
slots -type ::nx::VariableSlot -source all
?namePattern?.

To extract details of each slot object, use the
info submethods available for each slot object.

obj info name
Returns the unqualified name of an object, i.e., the
object name without any namespace qualifiers.

obj info info ?-asList?
Returns the available submethods of the info method
ensemble for obj, either as a pretty-printed string or as
a Tcl list (if the switch -asList is set) for further
processing.

obj info object filters ?-guards? ?pattern?
If pattern is omitted, returns all filter names which are
defined by obj. By turning on the switch -guards, the
corresponding guard expressions, if any, are also
reported along with each filter as a three-element list:
filterName -guard guardExpr. By specifying pattern, the
returned filters can be limited to those whose names
match patterns (see string match).

obj info object method option methodName
This introspection submethod provides access to the
details of methodName provided by obj. Permitted values
for option are:

o args returns a list containing the parameter names
of methodName, in order of the method-parameter
specification.

o body returns the body script of methodName.

o definition returns a canonical command list which
allows for (re-)define methodName.

o definitionhandle returns the method handle for a
submethod in a method ensemble from the
perspective of obj as method provider. methodName
must contain a complete method path.

o exists returns 1 if there is a methodName provided
by obj, returns 0 otherwise.

o handle returns the method handle for methodName.

o origin returns the aliased command if methodName
is an alias method, or an empty string otherwise.

o parameters returns the parameter specification of
methodName as a list of parameter names and type
specifications.

o registrationhandle returns the method handle for a
submethod in a method ensemble from the
perspective of the method caller. methodName must
contain a complete method path.

o returns gives the type specification defined for
the return value of methodName.

o submethods returns the names of all submethods of
methodName, if methodName is a method ensemble.
Otherwise, an empty string is returned.

o syntax returns the method parameters of methodName
as a concrete-syntax description to be used in
human-understandable messages (e.g., errors or
warnings, documentation strings).

o type returns whether methodName is a scripted
method, an alias method, a forwarder method, or a
setter method.

obj info object methods ?-callprotection level? ?-type
methodType? ?-path? ?namePattern?
Returns the names of all methods defined by obj. Methods
covered include those defined using object alias and
object forward. The returned methods can be limited to
those whose names match namePattern (see string match).

By setting -callprotection, only methods of a certain
call protection level (public, protected, or private)
will be returned. Methods of a specific type can be
requested using -type. The recognized values for
methodType are:

o scripted denotes methods defined using object
method;

o alias denotes alias methods defined using object
alias;

o forwarder denotes forwarder methods defined using
object forward;

o setter denotes methods defined using
::nsf::setter;

o all returns methods of any type, without
restrictions (also the default value);

obj info object mixins ?-guards? ?pattern?
If pattern is omitted, returns the object names of the
mixin classes which extend obj directly. By turning on
the switch -guards, the corresponding guard expressions,
if any, are also reported along with each mixin as a
three-element list: className -guard guardExpr. The
returned mixin classes can be limited to those whose
names match patterns (see string match).

obj info object slots ?-type className? ?pattern?
If pattern is not specified, returns the object names of
all slot objects defined by obj. The returned slot
objects can be limited according to any or a combination
of the following criteria: First, slot objects can be
filtered based on their command names matching pattern
(see string match). Second, -type allows one to select
slot objects which are instantiated from a subclass
className of nx::Slot (default: nx::Slot).

obj info object variables ?pattern?
If pattern is omitted, returns the object names of all
slot objects provided by obj which are responsible for
managing properties and variables of obj. Otherwise, only
slot objects whose names match pattern are returned.

This is equivalent to calling: obj info object slots
-type ::nx::VariableSlot pattern.

To extract details of each slot object, use the info
submethods available for each slot object.

obj info parent
Returns the fully qualified name of the parent object of
obj, if any. If there is no parent object, the name of
the Tcl namespace containing obj (e.g. "::") will be
reported.

obj info precedence ?-intrinsic? ?pattern?
Lists the classes from which obj inherits structural
(e.g. properties) and behavioral features (e.g. methods)
and methods, in order of the linearisation scheme in NX.
By setting the switch -intrinsic, only classes which
participate in superclass/subclass relationships (i.e.,
intrinsic classes) are returned. If a pattern is provided
only classes whose names match pattern are returned. The
pattern string can contain special matching characters
(see string match).

obj info variable option handle
Retrieves selected details about a variable represented
by the given handle. A handle can be obtained by querying
obj using info object variables and info lookup
variables. Valid values for option are:

o name returns the variable name.

o parameter returns a canonical parameter
specification eligible to (re-)define the given
variable (e.g. using object variable) in a new
context.

o definition returns a canonical representation of
the definition command used to create the variable
in its current configuration.

obj info vars ?pattern?
Yields a list of Tcl variable names created and defined
for the scope of obj, i.e., object variables. The list
can be limited to object variables whose names match
pattern. The pattern string can contain special matching
characters (see string match).

method

obj ?public | protected | private? object method name parameters
?-checkalways? ?-returns valueChecker? body
Defines a scripted method methodName for the scope of the
object. The method becomes part of the object's signature
interface. Besides a methodName, the method definition
specifies the method parameters and a method body.

parameters accepts a Tcl list containing an arbitrary
number of non-positional and positional parameter
definitions. Each parameter definition comprises a
parameter name, a parameter-specific value checker, and
parameter options.

The body contains the method implementation as a script
block. In this body script, the colon-prefix notation is
available to denote an object variable and a self call.
In addition, the context of the object receiving the
method call (i.e., the message) can be accessed (e.g.,
using nx::self) and the call stack can be introspected
(e.g., using nx::current).

Optionally, -returns allows for setting a value checker
on values returned by the method implementation. By
setting the switch -checkalways, value checking on
arguments and return value is guaranteed to be performed,
even if value checking is temporarily disabled; see
nx::configure).

A method closely resembles a Tcl proc, but it differs in
some important aspects: First, a method can define non-
positional parameters and value checkers on arguments.
Second, the script implementing the method body can
contain object-specific notation and commands (see
above). Third, method calls cannot be intercepted using
Tcl trace. Note that an existing Tcl proc can be
registered as an alias method with the object (see object
alias).

move

obj move newObjectName
Effectively renames an object. First, the source object
obj is cloned into a target object newObjectName using
copy. Second, the source object obj is destroyed by
invoking destroy. move is also called internally when
rename is performed for a Tcl command representing an
object.

mixins

obj object mixins submethod ?arg ...?
Accesses and modifies the list of mixin classes of obj
using a specific setter or getter submethod:

obj object mixins add spec ?index?
Inserts a single mixin class into the current list
of mixin classes of obj. Using index, a position
in the existing list of mixin classes for
inserting the new mixin class can be set. If
omitted, index defaults to the list head (0).

obj object mixins classes ?pattern?
If pattern is omitted, returns the object names of
the mixin classes which extend obj directly. By
specifying pattern, the returned mixin classes can
be limited to those whose names match pattern (see
string match).

obj object mixins clear
Removes all mixin classes from obj and returns the
list of removed mixin classes. Clearing is
equivalent to passing an empty list for
mixinSpecList to object mixins set.

obj object mixins delete ?-nocomplain? specPattern
Removes a mixin class from a current list of mixin
classes of obj whose spec matches specPattern.
specPattern can contain special matching chars
(see string match). object mixins delete will
throw an error if there is no matching mixin
class, unless -nocomplain is set.

obj object mixins get
Returns the list of current mixin specifications.

obj object mixins guard className ?expr?
If expr is specified, a guard expression expr is
registered with the mixin class className. This
requires that the corresponding mixin class
className has been previously set using object
mixins set or added using object mixins add. expr
must be a valid Tcl expression (see expr). An
empty string for expr will clear the currently
registered guard expression for the mixin class
className.

If expr is not specified, returns the active guard
expression. If none is available, an empty string
will be returned.

obj object mixins set mixinSpecList
mixinSpecList represents a list of mixin class
specs, with each spec being itself either a one-
element or a three-element list: className ?-guard
guardExpr?. If having one element, the element
will be considered the className of the mixin
class. If having three elements, the third element
guardExpr will be stored as a guard expression of
the mixin class. This guard expression will be
evaluated using expr when obj receives a message
to determine if the mixin is to be considered
during method dispatch or not. Guard expressions
allow for realizing context-dependent or
conditional mixin composition.

At the time of setting the mixin relation, that is,
calling object mixins, every className as part of a spec
must be an existing instance of nx::Class. To access and
to manipulate the list of mixin classes of obj,
cget|configure -object-mixins can also be used.

__object_configureparameter

obj __object_configureparameter
Computes and returns the configuration options available
for obj, to be consumed as method-parameter specification
by configure.

property

obj object property ?-accessor public | protected | private?
?-configurable trueFalse? ?-incremental? ?-class className?
?-nocomplain? spec ?initBlock?
Defines a property for the scope of the object. The spec
provides the property specification as a list holding at
least one element or, maximum, two elements:
propertyName?:typeSpec? ?defaultValue?. The propertyName
is also used as to form the names of the getter/setter
methods, if requested (see -accessor). It is, optionally,
equipped with a typeSpec following a colon delimiter
which specifies a value checker for the values which
become assigned to the property. The second, optional
element sets a defaultValue for this property.

If -accessor is set, a property will provide for a pair
of getter and setter methods:

obj propertyName set value
Sets the property propertyName to value.

obj propertyName get
Returns the current value of property
propertyName.

obj propertyName unset
Removes the value store of propertyName (e.g., an
object variable), if existing.

The option value passed along -accessor sets the level of
call protection for the generated getter and setter
methods: public, protected, or private. By default, no
getter and setter methods are created.

Turning on the switch -incremental provides a refined
setter interface to the value managed by the property.
First, setting -incremental implies requesting -accessor
(set to public by default, if not specified explicitly).
Second, the managed value will be considered a valid Tcl
list. A multiplicity of 1..* is set by default, if not
specified explicitly as part of spec. Third, to manage
this list value element-wise (incrementally), two
additional setter methods become available:

obj propertyName add element ?index?
Adding element to the managed list value, at the
list position given by index (by default: 0).

obj propertyName delete elementPattern
Removing one or multiple elements from the managed
list value which match elementPattern.
elementPattern can contain matching characters
(see string match).

By setting -configurable to true (the default), the property can
be accessed and modified through cget and configure,
respectively. If false, no configuration option will become
available via cget and configure.

If neither -accessor nor -configurable are requested, the value
managed by the property will have to be accessed and modified
directly. If the property manages an object variable, its value
will be readable and writable using set and eval.

A property becomes implemented by a slot object under any of the
following conditions:

o -configurable equals true (by default).

o -accessor is one of public, protected, or private.

o -incremental is turned on.

o initBlock is a non-empty string.

Assuming default settings, every property is realized by
a slot object.

Provided a slot object managing the property is to be
created, a custom class className from which this slot
object is to be instantiated can be set using -class. The
default value is ::nx::VariableSlot.

The last argument initBlock accepts an optional Tcl
script which is passed into the initialization procedure
(see configure) of the property's slot object. See also
initBlock for create and new.

By default, the property will ascertain that no
(potentially) pre-existing and equally named object
variable will be overwritten when defining the property.
In case of a conflict, an error exception is thrown:
% Object create obj { set :x 1 }
::obj
% ::obj object property {x 2}
object ::obj has already an instance variable named 'x'

If the switch -nocomplain is on, this check is omitted
(continuing the above example):
% ::obj object property -nocomplain {x 2}
% ::obj eval {set :x}
2

require

obj require namespace
Create a Tcl namespace named after the object obj. All
object variables become available as namespace variables.

obj require ?public | protected | private? object method
methodName
Attempts to register a method definition made available
using ::nsf::method::provide under the name methodName
with obj . The registered method is subjected to default
call protection (protected), if not set explicitly.

unknown

obj unknown unknownMethodName ?arg ...?
This method is called implicitly whenever an unknown
method is invoked. unknownMethodName indicates the
unresolvable method name, followed by the remainder of
the original argument vector as a number of arg of the
indirected method invocation.

variable

obj object variable ?-accessor public | protected | private?
?-incremental? ?-class className? ?-configurable trueFalse?
?-initblock script? ?-nocomplain? spec ?defaultValue?
Defines a variable for the scope of the object. The spec
provides the variable specification:
variableName?:typeSpec?. The variableName will be used to
name the underlying Tcl variable and the getter/setter
methods, if requested (see -accessor). spec is
optionally equipped with a typeSpec following a colon
delimiter which specifies a value checker for the values
managed by the variable. Optionally, a defaultValue can
be defined.

If -accessor is set explicitly, a variable will provide
for a pair of getter and setter methods:

obj variableName set varValue
Sets variableName to varValue.

obj variableName get
Returns the current value of variableName.

obj variableName unset
Removes variableName, if existing, underlying the
property.

The option value passed along -accessor sets the level of
call protection for the getter and setter methods:
public, protected, or private. By default, no getter and
setter methods are created.

Turning on the switch -incremental provides a refined
setter interface to the value managed by the variable.
First, setting -incremental implies requesting -accessor
(public by default, if not specified explicitly). Second,
the managed value will be considered a valid Tcl list. A
multiplicity of 1..* is set by default, if not specified
explicitly as part of spec (see above). Third, to manage
this list value element-wise (incrementally), two
additional setter operations become available:

obj variableName add element ?index?
Adding element to the managed list value, at the
list position given by index (by default: 0).

obj variableName delete elementPattern
Removing one or multiple elements from the managed
list value which match elementPattern.
elementPattern can contain matching characters
(see string match).

By setting -configurable to true, the variable can be accessed
and modified via cget and configure, respectively. If false (the
default), the interface based on cget and configure will not
become available. In this case, and provided that -accessor is
set, the variable can be accessed and modified via the
getter/setter methods. Alternatively, the underlying Tcl
variable, which is represented by the variable, can always be
accessed and modified directly, e.g., using eval. By default,
-configurable is false.

A variable becomes implemented by a slot object under any of the
following conditions:

o -configurable equals true.

o -accessor is one of public, protected, or private.

o -incremental is turned on.

o -initblock is a non-empty string.

Provided a slot object managing the variable is to be
created, a custom class className from which this slot
object is to be instantiated can be set using -class. The
default value is ::nx::VariableSlot.

Using -initblock, an optional Tcl script can be defined
which becomes passed into the initialization procedure
(see configure) of the variable's slot object. See also
initBlock for create and new.

By default, the variable will ascertain that a pre-
existing and equally named object variable will not be
overwritten when defining the variable. In case of a
conflict, an error exception is thrown:
% Object create obj { set :x 1 }
::obj
% ::obj object variable x 2
object ::obj has already an instance variable named 'x'

If the switch -nocomplain is on, this check is omitted
(continuing the above example):
% ::obj object variable -nocomplain x 2
% ::obj eval {set :x}
2

OBJECT SELF-REFERENCE
Objects are naturally recursive, with methods of an object ::obj
frequently invoking other methods in the same object ::obj and
accessing ::obj's object variables. To represent these self-references
effectively in method bodies, and dependening on the usage scenario, NX
offers two alternative notations for self-references: one based on a
special-purpose syntax token ("colon prefix"), the other based on the
command nx::current.

Both, the colon-prefix notation and nx::current, may be used only in
method bodies and scripts passed to eval. If they appear anywhere else,
an error will be reported. There are three main use cases for self-
references:

[1] As a placeholder for the currently active object, nx::current
can be used to retrieve the object name.

[2] Reading and writing object variables directly (i.e. without
getter/setter methods in place) require the use of variable
names carrying the prefix : ("colon-prefix notation").
Internally, colon-prefixed variable names are processed using
Tcl's variable resolvers. Alternatively, one can provide for
getter/setter methods for object variables (see property and
variable).

[3] Self-referential method calls can be defined via prefixing (:)
the method names or, alternatively, via nx::current. Internally,
colon-prefixed method names are processed using Tcl's command
resolvers. The colon-prefix notation is recommended, also
because it has a (slight) performance advantage over nx::current
which requires two rather than one command evaluation per method
call.

See the following listing for some examples corresponding to use cases
1--3:
Object create ::obj {
puts [current]; # 1) print name of currently active object ('::obj')
set :x 1; :object variable y 2;# 2) object variables
:public object method print {} {
set z 3; # 2.a) method-local variable
puts ${:x}-${:y}-$z; # 2.b) variable substitution using '$' and ':'
puts [set :x]-[set :y]-[set z]; # 2.c) reading variables using 'set'
set :x 1; incr :y; # 2.d) writing variables using 'set', 'incr', ...
}
:public object method show {} {
:print; # 3.a) self-referential method call using ':'
[current] print;# 3.b) self-referential method call using 'nx::current'
[current object] print; # 3.c) self-referential method call using 'nx::current object'
}
:show
}

COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 2014 Stefan Sobernig <stefan.sobernig@wu.ac.at>, Gustaf Neumann <gustaf.neumann@wu.ac.at>; available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Austria license (CC BY 3.0 AT).

Object 2.0 nx::Object(3)