Merged CMOP into Moose
[gitmo/Moose.git] / lib / Class / MOP / Attribute.pm
CommitLineData
38bf2a25 1
2package Class::MOP::Attribute;
3
4use strict;
5use warnings;
6
7use Class::MOP::Method::Accessor;
8
9use Carp 'confess';
10use Scalar::Util 'blessed', 'weaken';
11use Try::Tiny;
12
13our $AUTHORITY = 'cpan:STEVAN';
14
15use base 'Class::MOP::Object', 'Class::MOP::Mixin::AttributeCore';
16
17# NOTE: (meta-circularity)
18# This method will be replaced in the
19# boostrap section of Class::MOP, by
20# a new version which uses the
21# &Class::MOP::Class::construct_instance
22# method to build an attribute meta-object
23# which itself is described with attribute
24# meta-objects.
25# - Ain't meta-circularity grand? :)
26sub new {
27 my ( $class, @args ) = @_;
28
29 unshift @args, "name" if @args % 2 == 1;
30 my %options = @args;
31
32 my $name = $options{name};
33
34 (defined $name)
35 || confess "You must provide a name for the attribute";
36
37 $options{init_arg} = $name
38 if not exists $options{init_arg};
39 if(exists $options{builder}){
40 confess("builder must be a defined scalar value which is a method name")
41 if ref $options{builder} || !(defined $options{builder});
42 confess("Setting both default and builder is not allowed.")
43 if exists $options{default};
44 } else {
45 ($class->is_default_a_coderef(\%options))
46 || confess("References are not allowed as default values, you must ".
47 "wrap the default of '$name' in a CODE reference (ex: sub { [] } and not [])")
48 if exists $options{default} && ref $options{default};
49 }
50 if( $options{required} and not( defined($options{builder}) || defined($options{init_arg}) || exists $options{default} ) ) {
51 confess("A required attribute must have either 'init_arg', 'builder', or 'default'");
52 }
53
54 $class->_new(\%options);
55}
56
57sub _new {
58 my $class = shift;
59
60 return Class::MOP::Class->initialize($class)->new_object(@_)
61 if $class ne __PACKAGE__;
62
63 my $options = @_ == 1 ? $_[0] : {@_};
64
65 bless {
66 'name' => $options->{name},
67 'accessor' => $options->{accessor},
68 'reader' => $options->{reader},
69 'writer' => $options->{writer},
70 'predicate' => $options->{predicate},
71 'clearer' => $options->{clearer},
72 'builder' => $options->{builder},
73 'init_arg' => $options->{init_arg},
74 exists $options->{default}
75 ? ('default' => $options->{default})
76 : (),
77 'initializer' => $options->{initializer},
78 'definition_context' => $options->{definition_context},
79 # keep a weakened link to the
80 # class we are associated with
81 'associated_class' => undef,
82 # and a list of the methods
83 # associated with this attr
84 'associated_methods' => [],
85 # this let's us keep track of
86 # our order inside the associated
87 # class
88 'insertion_order' => undef,
89 }, $class;
90}
91
92# NOTE:
93# this is a primative (and kludgy) clone operation
94# for now, it will be replaced in the Class::MOP
95# bootstrap with a proper one, however we know
96# that this one will work fine for now.
97sub clone {
98 my $self = shift;
99 my %options = @_;
100 (blessed($self))
101 || confess "Can only clone an instance";
102 return bless { %{$self}, %options } => ref($self);
103}
104
105sub initialize_instance_slot {
106 my ($self, $meta_instance, $instance, $params) = @_;
107 my $init_arg = $self->{'init_arg'};
108
109 # try to fetch the init arg from the %params ...
110
111 # if nothing was in the %params, we can use the
112 # attribute's default value (if it has one)
113 if(defined $init_arg and exists $params->{$init_arg}){
114 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
115 $meta_instance,
116 $instance,
117 $params->{$init_arg},
118 );
119 }
120 elsif (exists $self->{'default'}) {
121 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
122 $meta_instance,
123 $instance,
124 $self->default($instance),
125 );
126 }
127 elsif (defined( my $builder = $self->{'builder'})) {
128 if ($builder = $instance->can($builder)) {
129 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
130 $meta_instance,
131 $instance,
132 $instance->$builder,
133 );
134 }
135 else {
136 confess(ref($instance)." does not support builder method '". $self->{'builder'} ."' for attribute '" . $self->name . "'");
137 }
138 }
139}
140
141sub _set_initial_slot_value {
142 my ($self, $meta_instance, $instance, $value) = @_;
143
144 my $slot_name = $self->name;
145
146 return $meta_instance->set_slot_value($instance, $slot_name, $value)
147 unless $self->has_initializer;
148
149 my $callback = $self->_make_initializer_writer_callback(
150 $meta_instance, $instance, $slot_name
151 );
152
153 my $initializer = $self->initializer;
154
155 # most things will just want to set a value, so make it first arg
156 $instance->$initializer($value, $callback, $self);
157}
158
159sub _make_initializer_writer_callback {
160 my $self = shift;
161 my ($meta_instance, $instance, $slot_name) = @_;
162
163 return sub {
164 $meta_instance->set_slot_value($instance, $slot_name, $_[0]);
165 };
166}
167
168sub get_read_method {
169 my $self = shift;
170 my $reader = $self->reader || $self->accessor;
171 # normal case ...
172 return $reader unless ref $reader;
173 # the HASH ref case
174 my ($name) = %$reader;
175 return $name;
176}
177
178sub get_write_method {
179 my $self = shift;
180 my $writer = $self->writer || $self->accessor;
181 # normal case ...
182 return $writer unless ref $writer;
183 # the HASH ref case
184 my ($name) = %$writer;
185 return $name;
186}
187
188sub get_read_method_ref {
189 my $self = shift;
190 if ((my $reader = $self->get_read_method) && $self->associated_class) {
191 return $self->associated_class->get_method($reader);
192 }
193 else {
194 my $code = sub { $self->get_value(@_) };
195 if (my $class = $self->associated_class) {
196 return $class->method_metaclass->wrap(
197 $code,
198 package_name => $class->name,
199 name => '__ANON__'
200 );
201 }
202 else {
203 return $code;
204 }
205 }
206}
207
208sub get_write_method_ref {
209 my $self = shift;
210 if ((my $writer = $self->get_write_method) && $self->associated_class) {
211 return $self->associated_class->get_method($writer);
212 }
213 else {
214 my $code = sub { $self->set_value(@_) };
215 if (my $class = $self->associated_class) {
216 return $class->method_metaclass->wrap(
217 $code,
218 package_name => $class->name,
219 name => '__ANON__'
220 );
221 }
222 else {
223 return $code;
224 }
225 }
226}
227
228# slots
229
230sub slots { (shift)->name }
231
232# class association
233
234sub attach_to_class {
235 my ($self, $class) = @_;
236 (blessed($class) && $class->isa('Class::MOP::Class'))
237 || confess "You must pass a Class::MOP::Class instance (or a subclass)";
238 weaken($self->{'associated_class'} = $class);
239}
240
241sub detach_from_class {
242 my $self = shift;
243 $self->{'associated_class'} = undef;
244}
245
246# method association
247
248sub associate_method {
249 my ($self, $method) = @_;
250 push @{$self->{'associated_methods'}} => $method;
251}
252
253## Slot management
254
255sub set_initial_value {
256 my ($self, $instance, $value) = @_;
257 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
258 Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))->get_meta_instance,
259 $instance,
260 $value
261 );
262}
263
264sub set_value { shift->set_raw_value(@_) }
265
266sub set_raw_value {
267 my $self = shift;
268 my ($instance, $value) = @_;
269
270 my $mi = Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))->get_meta_instance;
271 return $mi->set_slot_value($instance, $self->name, $value);
272}
273
274sub _inline_set_value {
275 my $self = shift;
276 return $self->_inline_instance_set(@_) . ';';
277}
278
279sub _inline_instance_set {
280 my $self = shift;
281 my ($instance, $value) = @_;
282
283 my $mi = $self->associated_class->get_meta_instance;
284 return $mi->inline_set_slot_value($instance, $self->name, $value);
285}
286
287sub get_value { shift->get_raw_value(@_) }
288
289sub get_raw_value {
290 my $self = shift;
291 my ($instance) = @_;
292
293 my $mi = Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))->get_meta_instance;
294 return $mi->get_slot_value($instance, $self->name);
295}
296
297sub _inline_get_value {
298 my $self = shift;
299 return $self->_inline_instance_get(@_) . ';';
300}
301
302sub _inline_instance_get {
303 my $self = shift;
304 my ($instance) = @_;
305
306 my $mi = $self->associated_class->get_meta_instance;
307 return $mi->inline_get_slot_value($instance, $self->name);
308}
309
310sub has_value {
311 my $self = shift;
312 my ($instance) = @_;
313
314 my $mi = Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))->get_meta_instance;
315 return $mi->is_slot_initialized($instance, $self->name);
316}
317
318sub _inline_has_value {
319 my $self = shift;
320 return $self->_inline_instance_has(@_) . ';';
321}
322
323sub _inline_instance_has {
324 my $self = shift;
325 my ($instance) = @_;
326
327 my $mi = $self->associated_class->get_meta_instance;
328 return $mi->inline_is_slot_initialized($instance, $self->name);
329}
330
331sub clear_value {
332 my $self = shift;
333 my ($instance) = @_;
334
335 my $mi = Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))->get_meta_instance;
336 return $mi->deinitialize_slot($instance, $self->name);
337}
338
339sub _inline_clear_value {
340 my $self = shift;
341 return $self->_inline_instance_clear(@_) . ';';
342}
343
344sub _inline_instance_clear {
345 my $self = shift;
346 my ($instance) = @_;
347
348 my $mi = $self->associated_class->get_meta_instance;
349 return $mi->inline_deinitialize_slot($instance, $self->name);
350}
351
352## load em up ...
353
354sub accessor_metaclass { 'Class::MOP::Method::Accessor' }
355
356sub _process_accessors {
357 my ($self, $type, $accessor, $generate_as_inline_methods) = @_;
358
359 my $method_ctx;
360
361 if ( my $ctx = $self->definition_context ) {
362 $method_ctx = { %$ctx };
363 }
364
365 if (ref($accessor)) {
366 (ref($accessor) eq 'HASH')
367 || confess "bad accessor/reader/writer/predicate/clearer format, must be a HASH ref";
368 my ($name, $method) = %{$accessor};
369 $method = $self->accessor_metaclass->wrap(
370 $method,
371 package_name => $self->associated_class->name,
372 name => $name,
373 definition_context => $method_ctx,
374 );
375 $self->associate_method($method);
376 return ($name, $method);
377 }
378 else {
379 my $inline_me = ($generate_as_inline_methods && $self->associated_class->instance_metaclass->is_inlinable);
380 my $method;
381 try {
382 if ( $method_ctx ) {
383 my $desc = "accessor $accessor";
384 if ( $accessor ne $self->name ) {
385 $desc .= " of attribute " . $self->name;
386 }
387
388 $method_ctx->{description} = $desc;
389 }
390
391 $method = $self->accessor_metaclass->new(
392 attribute => $self,
393 is_inline => $inline_me,
394 accessor_type => $type,
395 package_name => $self->associated_class->name,
396 name => $accessor,
397 definition_context => $method_ctx,
398 );
399 }
400 catch {
401 confess "Could not create the '$type' method for " . $self->name . " because : $_";
402 };
403 $self->associate_method($method);
404 return ($accessor, $method);
405 }
406}
407
408sub install_accessors {
409 my $self = shift;
410 my $inline = shift;
411 my $class = $self->associated_class;
412
413 $class->add_method(
414 $self->_process_accessors('accessor' => $self->accessor(), $inline)
415 ) if $self->has_accessor();
416
417 $class->add_method(
418 $self->_process_accessors('reader' => $self->reader(), $inline)
419 ) if $self->has_reader();
420
421 $class->add_method(
422 $self->_process_accessors('writer' => $self->writer(), $inline)
423 ) if $self->has_writer();
424
425 $class->add_method(
426 $self->_process_accessors('predicate' => $self->predicate(), $inline)
427 ) if $self->has_predicate();
428
429 $class->add_method(
430 $self->_process_accessors('clearer' => $self->clearer(), $inline)
431 ) if $self->has_clearer();
432
433 return;
434}
435
436{
437 my $_remove_accessor = sub {
438 my ($accessor, $class) = @_;
439 if (ref($accessor) && ref($accessor) eq 'HASH') {
440 ($accessor) = keys %{$accessor};
441 }
442 my $method = $class->get_method($accessor);
443 $class->remove_method($accessor)
444 if (ref($method) && $method->isa('Class::MOP::Method::Accessor'));
445 };
446
447 sub remove_accessors {
448 my $self = shift;
449 # TODO:
450 # we really need to make sure to remove from the
451 # associates methods here as well. But this is
452 # such a slimly used method, I am not worried
453 # about it right now.
454 $_remove_accessor->($self->accessor(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_accessor();
455 $_remove_accessor->($self->reader(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_reader();
456 $_remove_accessor->($self->writer(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_writer();
457 $_remove_accessor->($self->predicate(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_predicate();
458 $_remove_accessor->($self->clearer(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_clearer();
459 return;
460 }
461
462}
463
4641;
465
466# ABSTRACT: Attribute Meta Object
467
468__END__
469
470=pod
471
472=head1 SYNOPSIS
473
474 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
475 foo => (
476 accessor => 'foo', # dual purpose get/set accessor
477 predicate => 'has_foo', # predicate check for defined-ness
478 init_arg => '-foo', # class->new will look for a -foo key
479 default => 'BAR IS BAZ!' # if no -foo key is provided, use this
480 )
481 );
482
483 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
484 bar => (
485 reader => 'bar', # getter
486 writer => 'set_bar', # setter
487 predicate => 'has_bar', # predicate check for defined-ness
488 init_arg => ':bar', # class->new will look for a :bar key
489 # no default value means it is undef
490 )
491 );
492
493=head1 DESCRIPTION
494
495The Attribute Protocol is almost entirely an invention of
496C<Class::MOP>. Perl 5 does not have a consistent notion of
497attributes. There are so many ways in which this is done, and very few
498(if any) are easily discoverable by this module.
499
500With that said, this module attempts to inject some order into this
501chaos, by introducing a consistent API which can be used to create
502object attributes.
503
504=head1 METHODS
505
506=head2 Creation
507
508=over 4
509
510=item B<< Class::MOP::Attribute->new($name, ?%options) >>
511
512An attribute must (at the very least), have a C<$name>. All other
513C<%options> are added as key-value pairs.
514
515=over 8
516
517=item * init_arg
518
519This is a string value representing the expected key in an
520initialization hash. For instance, if we have an C<init_arg> value of
521C<-foo>, then the following code will Just Work.
522
523 MyClass->meta->new_object( -foo => 'Hello There' );
524
525If an init_arg is not assigned, it will automatically use the
526attribute's name. If C<init_arg> is explicitly set to C<undef>, the
527attribute cannot be specified during initialization.
528
529=item * builder
530
531This provides the name of a method that will be called to initialize
532the attribute. This method will be called on the object after it is
533constructed. It is expected to return a valid value for the attribute.
534
535=item * default
536
537This can be used to provide an explicit default for initializing the
538attribute. If the default you provide is a subroutine reference, then
539this reference will be called I<as a method> on the object.
540
541If the value is a simple scalar (string or number), then it can be
542just passed as is. However, if you wish to initialize it with a HASH
543or ARRAY ref, then you need to wrap that inside a subroutine
544reference:
545
546 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
547 'foo' => (
548 default => sub { [] },
549 )
550 );
551
552 # or ...
553
554 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
555 'foo' => (
556 default => sub { {} },
557 )
558 );
559
560If you wish to initialize an attribute with a subroutine reference
561itself, then you need to wrap that in a subroutine as well:
562
563 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
564 'foo' => (
565 default => sub {
566 sub { print "Hello World" }
567 },
568 )
569 );
570
571And lastly, if the value of your attribute is dependent upon some
572other aspect of the instance structure, then you can take advantage of
573the fact that when the C<default> value is called as a method:
574
575 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
576 'object_identity' => (
577 default => sub { Scalar::Util::refaddr( $_[0] ) },
578 )
579 );
580
581Note that there is no guarantee that attributes are initialized in any
582particular order, so you cannot rely on the value of some other
583attribute when generating the default.
584
585=item * initializer
586
587This option can be either a method name or a subroutine
588reference. This method will be called when setting the attribute's
589value in the constructor. Unlike C<default> and C<builder>, the
590initializer is only called when a value is provided to the
591constructor. The initializer allows you to munge this value during
592object construction.
593
594The initializer is called as a method with three arguments. The first
595is the value that was passed to the constructor. The second is a
596subroutine reference that can be called to actually set the
597attribute's value, and the last is the associated
598C<Class::MOP::Attribute> object.
599
600This contrived example shows an initializer that sets the attribute to
601twice the given value.
602
603 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
604 'doubled' => (
605 initializer => sub {
606 my ( $self, $value, $set, $attr ) = @_;
607 $set->( $value * 2 );
608 },
609 )
610 );
611
612Since an initializer can be a method name, you can easily make
613attribute initialization use the writer:
614
615 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
616 'some_attr' => (
617 writer => 'some_attr',
618 initializer => 'some_attr',
619 )
620 );
621
622Your writer will need to examine C<@_> and determine under which
623context it is being called.
624
625=back
626
627The C<accessor>, C<reader>, C<writer>, C<predicate> and C<clearer>
628options all accept the same parameters. You can provide the name of
629the method, in which case an appropriate default method will be
630generated for you. Or instead you can also provide hash reference
631containing exactly one key (the method name) and one value. The value
632should be a subroutine reference, which will be installed as the
633method itself.
634
635=over 8
636
637=item * accessor
638
639An C<accessor> is a standard Perl-style read/write accessor. It will
640return the value of the attribute, and if a value is passed as an
641argument, it will assign that value to the attribute.
642
643Note that C<undef> is a legitimate value, so this will work:
644
645 $object->set_something(undef);
646
647=item * reader
648
649This is a basic read-only accessor. It returns the value of the
650attribute.
651
652=item * writer
653
654This is a basic write accessor, it accepts a single argument, and
655assigns that value to the attribute.
656
657Note that C<undef> is a legitimate value, so this will work:
658
659 $object->set_something(undef);
660
661=item * predicate
662
663The predicate method returns a boolean indicating whether or not the
664attribute has been explicitly set.
665
666Note that the predicate returns true even if the attribute was set to
667a false value (C<0> or C<undef>).
668
669=item * clearer
670
671This method will uninitialize the attribute. After an attribute is
672cleared, its C<predicate> will return false.
673
674=item * definition_context
675
676Mostly, this exists as a hook for the benefit of Moose.
677
678This option should be a hash reference containing several keys which
679will be used when inlining the attribute's accessors. The keys should
680include C<line>, the line number where the attribute was created, and
681either C<file> or C<description>.
682
683This information will ultimately be used when eval'ing inlined
684accessor code so that error messages report a useful line and file
685name.
686
687=back
688
689=item B<< $attr->clone(%options) >>
690
691This clones the attribute. Any options you provide will override the
692settings of the original attribute. You can change the name of the new
693attribute by passing a C<name> key in C<%options>.
694
695=back
696
697=head2 Informational
698
699These are all basic read-only accessors for the values passed into
700the constructor.
701
702=over 4
703
704=item B<< $attr->name >>
705
706Returns the attribute's name.
707
708=item B<< $attr->accessor >>
709
710=item B<< $attr->reader >>
711
712=item B<< $attr->writer >>
713
714=item B<< $attr->predicate >>
715
716=item B<< $attr->clearer >>
717
718The C<accessor>, C<reader>, C<writer>, C<predicate>, and C<clearer>
719methods all return exactly what was passed to the constructor, so it
720can be either a string containing a method name, or a hash reference.
721
722=item B<< $attr->initializer >>
723
724Returns the initializer as passed to the constructor, so this may be
725either a method name or a subroutine reference.
726
727=item B<< $attr->init_arg >>
728
729=item B<< $attr->is_default_a_coderef >>
730
731=item B<< $attr->default($instance) >>
732
733The C<$instance> argument is optional. If you don't pass it, the
734return value for this method is exactly what was passed to the
735constructor, either a simple scalar or a subroutine reference.
736
737If you I<do> pass an C<$instance> and the default is a subroutine
738reference, then the reference is called as a method on the
739C<$instance> and the generated value is returned.
740
741=item B<< $attr->slots >>
742
743Return a list of slots required by the attribute. This is usually just
744one, the name of the attribute.
745
746A slot is the name of the hash key used to store the attribute in an
747object instance.
748
749=item B<< $attr->get_read_method >>
750
751=item B<< $attr->get_write_method >>
752
753Returns the name of a method suitable for reading or writing the value
754of the attribute in the associated class.
755
756If an attribute is read- or write-only, then these methods can return
757C<undef> as appropriate.
758
759=item B<< $attr->has_read_method >>
760
761=item B<< $attr->has_write_method >>
762
763This returns a boolean indicating whether the attribute has a I<named>
764read or write method.
765
766=item B<< $attr->get_read_method_ref >>
767
768=item B<< $attr->get_write_method_ref >>
769
770Returns the subroutine reference of a method suitable for reading or
771writing the attribute's value in the associated class. These methods
772always return a subroutine reference, regardless of whether or not the
773attribute is read- or write-only.
774
775=item B<< $attr->insertion_order >>
776
777If this attribute has been inserted into a class, this returns a zero
778based index regarding the order of insertion.
779
780=back
781
782=head2 Informational predicates
783
784These are all basic predicate methods for the values passed into C<new>.
785
786=over 4
787
788=item B<< $attr->has_accessor >>
789
790=item B<< $attr->has_reader >>
791
792=item B<< $attr->has_writer >>
793
794=item B<< $attr->has_predicate >>
795
796=item B<< $attr->has_clearer >>
797
798=item B<< $attr->has_initializer >>
799
800=item B<< $attr->has_init_arg >>
801
802This will be I<false> if the C<init_arg> was set to C<undef>.
803
804=item B<< $attr->has_default >>
805
806This will be I<false> if the C<default> was set to C<undef>, since
807C<undef> is the default C<default> anyway.
808
809=item B<< $attr->has_builder >>
810
811=item B<< $attr->has_insertion_order >>
812
813This will be I<false> if this attribute has not be inserted into a class
814
815=back
816
817=head2 Value management
818
819These methods are basically "back doors" to the instance, and can be
820used to bypass the regular accessors, but still stay within the MOP.
821
822These methods are not for general use, and should only be used if you
823really know what you are doing.
824
825=over 4
826
827=item B<< $attr->initialize_instance_slot($meta_instance, $instance, $params) >>
828
829This method is used internally to initialize the attribute's slot in
830the object C<$instance>.
831
832The C<$params> is a hash reference of the values passed to the object
833constructor.
834
835It's unlikely that you'll need to call this method yourself.
836
837=item B<< $attr->set_value($instance, $value) >>
838
839Sets the value without going through the accessor. Note that this
840works even with read-only attributes.
841
842=item B<< $attr->set_raw_value($instance, $value) >>
843
844Sets the value with no side effects such as a trigger.
845
846This doesn't actually apply to Class::MOP attributes, only to subclasses.
847
848=item B<< $attr->set_initial_value($instance, $value) >>
849
850Sets the value without going through the accessor. This method is only
851called when the instance is first being initialized.
852
853=item B<< $attr->get_value($instance) >>
854
855Returns the value without going through the accessor. Note that this
856works even with write-only accessors.
857
858=item B<< $attr->get_raw_value($instance) >>
859
860Returns the value without any side effects such as lazy attributes.
861
862Doesn't actually apply to Class::MOP attributes, only to subclasses.
863
864=item B<< $attr->has_value($instance) >>
865
866Return a boolean indicating whether the attribute has been set in
867C<$instance>. This how the default C<predicate> method works.
868
869=item B<< $attr->clear_value($instance) >>
870
871This will clear the attribute's value in C<$instance>. This is what
872the default C<clearer> calls.
873
874Note that this works even if the attribute does not have any
875associated read, write or clear methods.
876
877=back
878
879=head2 Class association
880
881These methods allow you to manage the attributes association with
882the class that contains it. These methods should not be used
883lightly, nor are they very magical, they are mostly used internally
884and by metaclass instances.
885
886=over 4
887
888=item B<< $attr->associated_class >>
889
890This returns the C<Class::MOP::Class> with which this attribute is
891associated, if any.
892
893=item B<< $attr->attach_to_class($metaclass) >>
894
895This method stores a weakened reference to the C<$metaclass> object
896internally.
897
898This method does not remove the attribute from its old class,
899nor does it create any accessors in the new class.
900
901It is probably best to use the L<Class::MOP::Class> C<add_attribute>
902method instead.
903
904=item B<< $attr->detach_from_class >>
905
906This method removes the associate metaclass object from the attribute
907it has one.
908
909This method does not remove the attribute itself from the class, or
910remove its accessors.
911
912It is probably best to use the L<Class::MOP::Class>
913C<remove_attribute> method instead.
914
915=back
916
917=head2 Attribute Accessor generation
918
919=over 4
920
921=item B<< $attr->accessor_metaclass >>
922
923Accessor methods are generated using an accessor metaclass. By
924default, this is L<Class::MOP::Method::Accessor>. This method returns
925the name of the accessor metaclass that this attribute uses.
926
927=item B<< $attr->associate_method($method) >>
928
929This associates a L<Class::MOP::Method> object with the
930attribute. Typically, this is called internally when an attribute
931generates its accessors.
932
933=item B<< $attr->associated_methods >>
934
935This returns the list of methods which have been associated with the
936attribute.
937
938=item B<< $attr->install_accessors >>
939
940This method generates and installs code the attributes various
941accessors. It is typically called from the L<Class::MOP::Class>
942C<add_attribute> method.
943
944=item B<< $attr->remove_accessors >>
945
946This method removes all of the accessors associated with the
947attribute.
948
949This does not currently remove methods from the list returned by
950C<associated_methods>.
951
952=item B<< $attr->inline_get >>
953
954=item B<< $attr->inline_set >>
955
956=item B<< $attr->inline_has >>
957
958=item B<< $attr->inline_clear >>
959
960These methods return a code snippet suitable for inlining the relevant
961operation. They expect strings containing variable names to be used in the
962inlining, like C<'$self'> or C<'$_[1]'>.
963
964=back
965
966=head2 Introspection
967
968=over 4
969
970=item B<< Class::MOP::Attribute->meta >>
971
972This will return a L<Class::MOP::Class> instance for this class.
973
974It should also be noted that L<Class::MOP> will actually bootstrap
975this module by installing a number of attribute meta-objects into its
976metaclass.
977
978=back
979
980=cut
981
982