Default accessor generators to use inline generators
[gitmo/Class-MOP.git] / lib / Class / MOP / Attribute.pm
CommitLineData
8b978dd5 1
2package Class::MOP::Attribute;
3
4use strict;
5use warnings;
6
ba38bf08 7use Class::MOP::Method::Accessor;
8
2eb717d5 9use Carp 'confess';
9b522fc4 10use Scalar::Util 'blessed', 'weaken';
2eb717d5 11
4b18c1b3 12our $VERSION = '0.91';
d519662a 13$VERSION = eval $VERSION;
f0480c45 14our $AUTHORITY = 'cpan:STEVAN';
8b978dd5 15
b1897d4d 16use base 'Class::MOP::Object';
17
727919c5 18# NOTE: (meta-circularity)
1d68af04 19# This method will be replaced in the
20# boostrap section of Class::MOP, by
21# a new version which uses the
727919c5 22# &Class::MOP::Class::construct_instance
23# method to build an attribute meta-object
24# which itself is described with attribute
1d68af04 25# meta-objects.
727919c5 26# - Ain't meta-circularity grand? :)
8b978dd5 27sub new {
649efb63 28 my ( $class, @args ) = @_;
29
30 unshift @args, "name" if @args % 2 == 1;
31 my %options = @args;
32
33 my $name = $options{name};
1d68af04 34
d9330488 35 (defined $name)
8b978dd5 36 || confess "You must provide a name for the attribute";
1d68af04 37
38 $options{init_arg} = $name
5659d76e 39 if not exists $options{init_arg};
1d68af04 40 if(exists $options{builder}){
41 confess("builder must be a defined scalar value which is a method name")
42 if ref $options{builder} || !(defined $options{builder});
43 confess("Setting both default and builder is not allowed.")
44 if exists $options{default};
8fe581e5 45 } else {
46 (is_default_a_coderef(\%options))
47 || confess("References are not allowed as default values, you must ".
3c0a8087 48 "wrap the default of '$name' in a CODE reference (ex: sub { [] } and not [])")
8fe581e5 49 if exists $options{default} && ref $options{default};
1d68af04 50 }
2e877f58 51 if( $options{required} and not( defined($options{builder}) || defined($options{init_arg}) || exists $options{default} ) ) {
52 confess("A required attribute must have either 'init_arg', 'builder', or 'default'");
53 }
8683db0e 54
cb75020f 55 $class->_new(\%options);
4b698b1a 56}
57
58sub _new {
0bfc85b8 59 my $class = shift;
ec9e38e5 60
61 return Class::MOP::Class->initialize($class)->new_object(@_)
812d58f9 62 if $class ne __PACKAGE__;
ec9e38e5 63
0bfc85b8 64 my $options = @_ == 1 ? $_[0] : {@_};
4b698b1a 65
8b978dd5 66 bless {
d9d99689 67 'name' => $options->{name},
68 'accessor' => $options->{accessor},
69 'reader' => $options->{reader},
70 'writer' => $options->{writer},
71 'predicate' => $options->{predicate},
72 'clearer' => $options->{clearer},
73 'builder' => $options->{builder},
74 'init_arg' => $options->{init_arg},
75 'default' => $options->{default},
76 'initializer' => $options->{initializer},
77 'definition_context' => $options->{definition_context},
1d68af04 78 # keep a weakened link to the
9ec169fe 79 # class we are associated with
8683db0e 80 'associated_class' => undef,
1d68af04 81 # and a list of the methods
3545c727 82 # associated with this attr
8683db0e 83 'associated_methods' => [],
dc9d420c 84 # this let's us keep track of
85 # our order inside the associated
86 # class
87 'insertion_order' => undef,
0bfc85b8 88 }, $class;
8b978dd5 89}
90
7b31baf4 91# NOTE:
1d68af04 92# this is a primative (and kludgy) clone operation
16e960bd 93# for now, it will be replaced in the Class::MOP
1d68af04 94# bootstrap with a proper one, however we know
5659d76e 95# that this one will work fine for now.
96sub clone {
97 my $self = shift;
98 my %options = @_;
99 (blessed($self))
100 || confess "Can only clone an instance";
b3fa93c7 101 return bless { %{$self}, %options } => ref($self);
5659d76e 102}
103
bd4e03f9 104sub initialize_instance_slot {
f892c0f0 105 my ($self, $meta_instance, $instance, $params) = @_;
8683db0e 106 my $init_arg = $self->{'init_arg'};
107
bd4e03f9 108 # try to fetch the init arg from the %params ...
8d2d4c67 109
1d68af04 110 # if nothing was in the %params, we can use the
bd4e03f9 111 # attribute's default value (if it has one)
2e877f58 112 if(defined $init_arg and exists $params->{$init_arg}){
8ee74136 113 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
114 $meta_instance,
0ab65f99 115 $instance,
0ab65f99 116 $params->{$init_arg},
0ab65f99 117 );
b7bdffc3 118 }
8683db0e 119 elsif (defined $self->{'default'}) {
8ee74136 120 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
121 $meta_instance,
0ab65f99 122 $instance,
0ab65f99 123 $self->default($instance),
0ab65f99 124 );
b7bdffc3 125 }
8683db0e 126 elsif (defined( my $builder = $self->{'builder'})) {
b7bdffc3 127 if ($builder = $instance->can($builder)) {
8ee74136 128 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
129 $meta_instance,
0ab65f99 130 $instance,
0ab65f99 131 $instance->$builder,
0ab65f99 132 );
b7bdffc3 133 }
134 else {
b3fa93c7 135 confess(ref($instance)." does not support builder method '". $self->{'builder'} ."' for attribute '" . $self->name . "'");
8fe581e5 136 }
1d68af04 137 }
bd4e03f9 138}
139
8ee74136 140sub _set_initial_slot_value {
141 my ($self, $meta_instance, $instance, $value) = @_;
142
143 my $slot_name = $self->name;
144
145 return $meta_instance->set_slot_value($instance, $slot_name, $value)
146 unless $self->has_initializer;
147
148 my $callback = sub {
149 $meta_instance->set_slot_value($instance, $slot_name, $_[0]);
150 };
151
152 my $initializer = $self->initializer;
153
154 # most things will just want to set a value, so make it first arg
155 $instance->$initializer($value, $callback, $self);
156}
157
5659d76e 158# NOTE:
1d68af04 159# the next bunch of methods will get bootstrapped
7b31baf4 160# away in the Class::MOP bootstrapping section
161
8683db0e 162sub associated_class { $_[0]->{'associated_class'} }
163sub associated_methods { $_[0]->{'associated_methods'} }
164
b3fa93c7 165sub has_accessor { defined($_[0]->{'accessor'}) }
166sub has_reader { defined($_[0]->{'reader'}) }
167sub has_writer { defined($_[0]->{'writer'}) }
168sub has_predicate { defined($_[0]->{'predicate'}) }
169sub has_clearer { defined($_[0]->{'clearer'}) }
170sub has_builder { defined($_[0]->{'builder'}) }
171sub has_init_arg { defined($_[0]->{'init_arg'}) }
172sub has_default { defined($_[0]->{'default'}) }
173sub has_initializer { defined($_[0]->{'initializer'}) }
dc9d420c 174sub has_insertion_order { defined($_[0]->{'insertion_order'}) }
8683db0e 175
d9d99689 176sub accessor { $_[0]->{'accessor'} }
177sub reader { $_[0]->{'reader'} }
178sub writer { $_[0]->{'writer'} }
179sub predicate { $_[0]->{'predicate'} }
180sub clearer { $_[0]->{'clearer'} }
181sub builder { $_[0]->{'builder'} }
182sub init_arg { $_[0]->{'init_arg'} }
183sub initializer { $_[0]->{'initializer'} }
184sub definition_context { $_[0]->{'definition_context'} }
dc9d420c 185sub insertion_order { $_[0]->{'insertion_order'} }
943cbe2d 186sub _set_insertion_order { $_[0]->{'insertion_order'} = $_[1] }
c50c603e 187
7b31baf4 188# end bootstrapped away method section.
189# (all methods below here are kept intact)
190
9e517e01 191sub has_read_method { $_[0]->has_reader || $_[0]->has_accessor }
192sub has_write_method { $_[0]->has_writer || $_[0]->has_accessor }
193
d14f6cbe 194sub get_read_method {
195 my $self = shift;
196 my $reader = $self->reader || $self->accessor;
197 # normal case ...
198 return $reader unless ref $reader;
199 # the HASH ref case
200 my ($name) = %$reader;
201 return $name;
202}
203
204sub get_write_method {
205 my $self = shift;
206 my $writer = $self->writer || $self->accessor;
207 # normal case ...
208 return $writer unless ref $writer;
209 # the HASH ref case
210 my ($name) = %$writer;
211 return $name;
212}
b25109b1 213
5da16d1b 214sub get_read_method_ref {
215 my $self = shift;
742fb371 216 if ((my $reader = $self->get_read_method) && $self->associated_class) {
5da16d1b 217 return $self->associated_class->get_method($reader);
218 }
219 else {
def5c0b5 220 my $code = sub { $self->get_value(@_) };
221 if (my $class = $self->associated_class) {
222 return $class->method_metaclass->wrap(
223 $code,
224 package_name => $class->name,
225 name => '__ANON__'
226 );
227 }
228 else {
229 return $code;
230 }
5da16d1b 231 }
232}
233
234sub get_write_method_ref {
235 my $self = shift;
d14f6cbe 236 if ((my $writer = $self->get_write_method) && $self->associated_class) {
742fb371 237 return $self->associated_class->get_method($writer);
5da16d1b 238 }
239 else {
def5c0b5 240 my $code = sub { $self->set_value(@_) };
241 if (my $class = $self->associated_class) {
242 return $class->method_metaclass->wrap(
243 $code,
244 package_name => $class->name,
245 name => '__ANON__'
246 );
247 }
248 else {
249 return $code;
250 }
5da16d1b 251 }
252}
253
1d68af04 254sub is_default_a_coderef {
ed337aad 255 my ($value) = $_[0]->{'default'};
256 return unless ref($value);
257 return ref($value) eq 'CODE' || (blessed($value) && $value->isa('Class::MOP::Method'));
c0cbf4d9 258}
259
1d68af04 260sub default {
c0cbf4d9 261 my ($self, $instance) = @_;
9363ea89 262 if (defined $instance && $self->is_default_a_coderef) {
1d68af04 263 # if the default is a CODE ref, then
727919c5 264 # we pass in the instance and default
1d68af04 265 # can return a value based on that
727919c5 266 # instance. Somewhat crude, but works.
8683db0e 267 return $self->{'default'}->($instance);
1d68af04 268 }
8683db0e 269 $self->{'default'};
c50c603e 270}
8b978dd5 271
c57c8b10 272# slots
273
274sub slots { (shift)->name }
275
1d68af04 276# class association
727919c5 277
9ec169fe 278sub attach_to_class {
279 my ($self, $class) = @_;
280 (blessed($class) && $class->isa('Class::MOP::Class'))
281 || confess "You must pass a Class::MOP::Class instance (or a subclass)";
8683db0e 282 weaken($self->{'associated_class'} = $class);
9ec169fe 283}
284
285sub detach_from_class {
286 my $self = shift;
8683db0e 287 $self->{'associated_class'} = undef;
9ec169fe 288}
289
1d68af04 290# method association
3545c727 291
292sub associate_method {
293 my ($self, $method) = @_;
8683db0e 294 push @{$self->{'associated_methods'}} => $method;
3545c727 295}
296
16e960bd 297## Slot management
298
ef91a0e2 299sub set_initial_value {
300 my ($self, $instance, $value) = @_;
e76b01fb 301 $self->_set_initial_slot_value(
b3fa93c7 302 Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))->get_meta_instance,
8ee74136 303 $instance,
304 $value
305 );
ef91a0e2 306}
307
16e960bd 308sub set_value {
1396f86b 309 my ($self, $instance, $value) = @_;
16e960bd 310
b3fa93c7 311 Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
da34f054 312 ->get_meta_instance
313 ->set_slot_value($instance, $self->name, $value);
16e960bd 314}
315
316sub get_value {
1396f86b 317 my ($self, $instance) = @_;
16e960bd 318
b3fa93c7 319 Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
da34f054 320 ->get_meta_instance
321 ->get_slot_value($instance, $self->name);
16e960bd 322}
323
3545c727 324sub has_value {
325 my ($self, $instance) = @_;
1d68af04 326
b3fa93c7 327 Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
da34f054 328 ->get_meta_instance
329 ->is_slot_initialized($instance, $self->name);
3545c727 330}
331
332sub clear_value {
333 my ($self, $instance) = @_;
1d68af04 334
b3fa93c7 335 Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
da34f054 336 ->get_meta_instance
337 ->deinitialize_slot($instance, $self->name);
3545c727 338}
339
ba38bf08 340## load em up ...
c0cbf4d9 341
ba38bf08 342sub accessor_metaclass { 'Class::MOP::Method::Accessor' }
c0cbf4d9 343
9ec169fe 344sub process_accessors {
c7e28c19 345 Carp::cluck('The process_accessors method has been made private.'
346 . " The public version is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.\n");
e056bd42 347 shift->_process_accessors(@_);
45a183fb 348}
349
350sub _process_accessors {
c0cbf4d9 351 my ($self, $type, $accessor, $generate_as_inline_methods) = @_;
d9d99689 352
353 my $method_ctx;
354
355 if ( my $ctx = $self->definition_context ) {
356 $method_ctx = { %$ctx };
357 }
358
9b522fc4 359 if (ref($accessor)) {
360 (ref($accessor) eq 'HASH')
7d28758b 361 || confess "bad accessor/reader/writer/predicate/clearer format, must be a HASH ref";
4d47b77f 362 my ($name, $method) = %{$accessor};
4c105333 363 $method = $self->accessor_metaclass->wrap(
364 $method,
365 package_name => $self->associated_class->name,
366 name => $name,
d9d99689 367 definition_context => $method_ctx,
4c105333 368 );
3545c727 369 $self->associate_method($method);
1d68af04 370 return ($name, $method);
2eb717d5 371 }
9ec169fe 372 else {
1d68af04 373 my $inline_me = ($generate_as_inline_methods && $self->associated_class->instance_metaclass->is_inlinable);
ba38bf08 374 my $method;
375 eval {
d9d99689 376 if ( $method_ctx ) {
377 my $desc = "accessor $accessor";
378 if ( $accessor ne $self->name ) {
379 $desc .= " of attribute " . $self->name;
380 }
381
382 $method_ctx->{description} = $desc;
383 }
384
ba38bf08 385 $method = $self->accessor_metaclass->new(
386 attribute => $self,
d90b42a6 387 is_inline => $inline_me,
ba38bf08 388 accessor_type => $type,
4c105333 389 package_name => $self->associated_class->name,
390 name => $accessor,
d9d99689 391 definition_context => $method_ctx,
1d68af04 392 );
ba38bf08 393 };
1d68af04 394 confess "Could not create the '$type' method for " . $self->name . " because : $@" if $@;
3545c727 395 $self->associate_method($method);
ba38bf08 396 return ($accessor, $method);
1d68af04 397 }
9ec169fe 398}
399
400sub install_accessors {
c0cbf4d9 401 my $self = shift;
402 my $inline = shift;
403 my $class = $self->associated_class;
1d68af04 404
9f4ddc6e 405 $inline = 1 unless defined $inline;
406
9ec169fe 407 $class->add_method(
45a183fb 408 $self->_process_accessors('accessor' => $self->accessor(), $inline)
9ec169fe 409 ) if $self->has_accessor();
410
1d68af04 411 $class->add_method(
45a183fb 412 $self->_process_accessors('reader' => $self->reader(), $inline)
9ec169fe 413 ) if $self->has_reader();
414
415 $class->add_method(
45a183fb 416 $self->_process_accessors('writer' => $self->writer(), $inline)
9ec169fe 417 ) if $self->has_writer();
418
419 $class->add_method(
45a183fb 420 $self->_process_accessors('predicate' => $self->predicate(), $inline)
9ec169fe 421 ) if $self->has_predicate();
1d68af04 422
7d28758b 423 $class->add_method(
45a183fb 424 $self->_process_accessors('clearer' => $self->clearer(), $inline)
7d28758b 425 ) if $self->has_clearer();
1d68af04 426
9ec169fe 427 return;
2eb717d5 428}
429
b51af7f9 430{
431 my $_remove_accessor = sub {
432 my ($accessor, $class) = @_;
9b522fc4 433 if (ref($accessor) && ref($accessor) eq 'HASH') {
c50c603e 434 ($accessor) = keys %{$accessor};
1d68af04 435 }
436 my $method = $class->get_method($accessor);
437 $class->remove_method($accessor)
b3fa93c7 438 if (ref($method) && $method->isa('Class::MOP::Method::Accessor'));
b51af7f9 439 };
1d68af04 440
b51af7f9 441 sub remove_accessors {
9ec169fe 442 my $self = shift;
2367814a 443 # TODO:
1d68af04 444 # we really need to make sure to remove from the
445 # associates methods here as well. But this is
446 # such a slimly used method, I am not worried
2367814a 447 # about it right now.
9ec169fe 448 $_remove_accessor->($self->accessor(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_accessor();
449 $_remove_accessor->($self->reader(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_reader();
450 $_remove_accessor->($self->writer(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_writer();
451 $_remove_accessor->($self->predicate(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_predicate();
7d28758b 452 $_remove_accessor->($self->clearer(), $self->associated_class()) if $self->has_clearer();
1d68af04 453 return;
b51af7f9 454 }
455
8b978dd5 456}
457
4581;
459
460__END__
461
462=pod
463
1d68af04 464=head1 NAME
8b978dd5 465
466Class::MOP::Attribute - Attribute Meta Object
467
468=head1 SYNOPSIS
1d68af04 469
2e23f7dc 470 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
471 foo => (
472 accessor => 'foo', # dual purpose get/set accessor
473 predicate => 'has_foo', # predicate check for defined-ness
474 init_arg => '-foo', # class->new will look for a -foo key
475 default => 'BAR IS BAZ!' # if no -foo key is provided, use this
476 )
477 );
478
479 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
480 bar => (
481 reader => 'bar', # getter
482 writer => 'set_bar', # setter
483 predicate => 'has_bar', # predicate check for defined-ness
484 init_arg => ':bar', # class->new will look for a :bar key
485 # no default value means it is undef
486 )
487 );
8b978dd5 488
489=head1 DESCRIPTION
490
2e23f7dc 491The Attribute Protocol is almost entirely an invention of
492C<Class::MOP>. Perl 5 does not have a consistent notion of
493attributes. There are so many ways in which this is done, and very few
494(if any) are easily discoverable by this module.
552e3d24 495
2e23f7dc 496With that said, this module attempts to inject some order into this
1d68af04 497chaos, by introducing a consistent API which can be used to create
fe122940 498object attributes.
552e3d24 499
500=head1 METHODS
501
502=head2 Creation
503
504=over 4
505
2e23f7dc 506=item B<< Class::MOP::Attribute->new($name, ?%options) >>
fe122940 507
1d68af04 508An attribute must (at the very least), have a C<$name>. All other
2e23f7dc 509C<%options> are added as key-value pairs.
fe122940 510
2e23f7dc 511=over 8
fe122940 512
76187047 513=item * init_arg
fe122940 514
2e23f7dc 515This is a string value representing the expected key in an
516initialization hash. For instance, if we have an C<init_arg> value of
517C<-foo>, then the following code will Just Work.
fe122940 518
d69fb6b3 519 MyClass->meta->new_object( -foo => 'Hello There' );
fe122940 520
2e23f7dc 521If an init_arg is not assigned, it will automatically use the
522attribute's name. If C<init_arg> is explicitly set to C<undef>, the
523attribute cannot be specified during initialization.
7b31baf4 524
76187047 525=item * builder
1d68af04 526
2e23f7dc 527This provides the name of a method that will be called to initialize
528the attribute. This method will be called on the object after it is
529constructed. It is expected to return a valid value for the attribute.
fe122940 530
76187047 531=item * default
4c4a6c41 532
2e23f7dc 533This can be used to provide an explicit default for initializing the
534attribute. If the default you provide is a subroutine reference, then
535this reference will be called I<as a method> on the object.
4c4a6c41 536
2e23f7dc 537If the value is a simple scalar (string or number), then it can be
538just passed as is. However, if you wish to initialize it with a HASH
539or ARRAY ref, then you need to wrap that inside a subroutine
540reference:
fe122940 541
2e23f7dc 542 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
543 'foo' => (
544 default => sub { [] },
545 )
546 );
1d68af04 547
548 # or ...
549
2e23f7dc 550 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
551 'foo' => (
552 default => sub { {} },
553 )
554 );
555
556If you wish to initialize an attribute with a subroutine reference
557itself, then you need to wrap that in a subroutine as well:
558
559 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
560 'foo' => (
561 default => sub {
562 sub { print "Hello World" }
563 },
564 )
565 );
566
567And lastly, if the value of your attribute is dependent upon some
568other aspect of the instance structure, then you can take advantage of
569the fact that when the C<default> value is called as a method:
570
571 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
572 'object_identity' => (
573 default => sub { Scalar::Util::refaddr( $_[0] ) },
574 )
575 );
576
577Note that there is no guarantee that attributes are initialized in any
578particular order, so you cannot rely on the value of some other
579attribute when generating the default.
fe122940 580
76187047 581=item * initializer
0ef07b33 582
2e23f7dc 583This option can be either a method name or a subroutine
584reference. This method will be called when setting the attribute's
585value in the constructor. Unlike C<default> and C<builder>, the
586initializer is only called when a value is provided to the
587constructor. The initializer allows you to munge this value during
588object construction.
589
590The initializer is called as a method with three arguments. The first
591is the value that was passed to the constructor. The second is a
592subroutine reference that can be called to actually set the
593attribute's value, and the last is the associated
594C<Class::MOP::Attribute> object.
595
596This contrived example shows an initializer that sets the attribute to
597twice the given value.
598
599 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
600 'doubled' => (
601 initializer => sub {
602 my ( $instance, $value, $set ) = @_;
603 $set->( $value * 2 );
604 },
605 )
606 );
607
608Since an initializer can be a method name, you can easily make
0ef07b33 609attribute initialization use the writer:
610
2e23f7dc 611 Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
612 'some_attr' => (
613 writer => 'some_attr',
614 initializer => 'some_attr',
615 )
616 );
0ef07b33 617
2e23f7dc 618Your writer will need to examine C<@_> and determine under which
619context it is being called.
127d39a7 620
fe122940 621=back
622
2e23f7dc 623The C<accessor>, C<reader>, C<writer>, C<predicate> and C<clearer>
624options all accept the same parameters. You can provide the name of
625the method, in which case an appropriate default method will be
626generated for you. Or instead you can also provide hash reference
627containing exactly one key (the method name) and one value. The value
628should be a subroutine reference, which will be installed as the
629method itself.
59e7697f 630
76187047 631=over 8
59e7697f 632
76187047 633=item * accessor
59e7697f 634
2e23f7dc 635An C<accessor> is a standard Perl-style read/write accessor. It will
636return the value of the attribute, and if a value is passed as an
637argument, it will assign that value to the attribute.
fe122940 638
2e23f7dc 639Note that C<undef> is a legitimate value, so this will work:
fe122940 640
641 $object->set_something(undef);
642
76187047 643=item * reader
59e7697f 644
2e23f7dc 645This is a basic read-only accessor. It returns the value of the
646attribute.
fe122940 647
76187047 648=item * writer
59e7697f 649
1d68af04 650This is a basic write accessor, it accepts a single argument, and
2e23f7dc 651assigns that value to the attribute.
59e7697f 652
2e23f7dc 653Note that C<undef> is a legitimate value, so this will work:
59e7697f 654
2e23f7dc 655 $object->set_something(undef);
fe122940 656
76187047 657=item * predicate
fe122940 658
2e23f7dc 659The predicate method returns a boolean indicating whether or not the
660attribute has been explicitly set.
07dca7e3 661
2e23f7dc 662Note that the predicate returns true even if the attribute was set to
663a false value (C<0> or C<undef>).
07dca7e3 664
76187047 665=item * clearer
7d28758b 666
2e23f7dc 667This method will uninitialize the attribute. After an attribute is
668cleared, its C<predicate> will return false.
7d28758b 669
76187047 670=item * definition_context
f8813817 671
672Mostly, this exists as a hook for the benefit of Moose.
673
674This option should be a hash reference containing several keys which
675will be used when inlining the attribute's accessors. The keys should
676include C<line>, the line number where the attribute was created, and
677either C<file> or C<description>.
678
679This information will ultimately be used when eval'ing inlined
680accessor code so that error messages report a useful line and file
681name.
682
59e7697f 683=back
552e3d24 684
2e23f7dc 685=item B<< $attr->clone(%options) >>
bd4e03f9 686
2e23f7dc 687This clones the attribute. Any options you provide will override the
688settings of the original attribute. You can change the name of the new
689attribute by passing a C<name> key in C<%options>.
127d39a7 690
2e23f7dc 691=back
bd4e03f9 692
2e23f7dc 693=head2 Informational
127d39a7 694
2e23f7dc 695These are all basic read-only accessors for the values passed into
696the constructor.
552e3d24 697
2e23f7dc 698=over 4
16e960bd 699
2e23f7dc 700=item B<< $attr->name >>
2367814a 701
76187047 702Returns the attribute's name.
703
2e23f7dc 704=item B<< $attr->accessor >>
2367814a 705
2e23f7dc 706=item B<< $attr->reader >>
16e960bd 707
2e23f7dc 708=item B<< $attr->writer >>
16e960bd 709
2e23f7dc 710=item B<< $attr->predicate >>
16e960bd 711
2e23f7dc 712=item B<< $attr->clearer >>
c0921932 713
2e23f7dc 714The C<accessor>, C<reader>, C<writer>, C<predicate>, and C<clearer>
715methods all return exactly what was passed to the constructor, so it
a6710c60 716can be either a string containing a method name, or a hash reference.
c0921932 717
2e23f7dc 718=item B<< $attr->initializer >>
16e960bd 719
a6710c60 720Returns the initializer as passed to the constructor, so this may be
2e23f7dc 721either a method name or a subroutine reference.
16e960bd 722
2e23f7dc 723=item B<< $attr->init_arg >>
3545c727 724
2e23f7dc 725=item B<< $attr->is_default_a_coderef >>
2367814a 726
2e23f7dc 727=item B<< $attr->default($instance) >>
3545c727 728
2e23f7dc 729The C<$instance> argument is optional. If you don't pass it, the
730return value for this method is exactly what was passed to the
731constructor, either a simple scalar or a subroutine reference.
2367814a 732
2e23f7dc 733If you I<do> pass an C<$instance> and the default is a subroutine
734reference, then the reference is called as a method on the
735C<$instance> and the generated value is returned.
16e960bd 736
2e23f7dc 737=item B<< $attr->slots >>
552e3d24 738
2e23f7dc 739Return a list of slots required by the attribute. This is usually just
740one, the name of the attribute.
fe122940 741
2e23f7dc 742A slot is the name of the hash key used to store the attribute in an
743object instance.
552e3d24 744
2e23f7dc 745=item B<< $attr->get_read_method >>
552e3d24 746
2e23f7dc 747=item B<< $attr->get_write_method >>
552e3d24 748
2e23f7dc 749Returns the name of a method suitable for reading or writing the value
750of the attribute in the associated class.
552e3d24 751
2e23f7dc 752If an attribute is read- or write-only, then these methods can return
753C<undef> as appropriate.
552e3d24 754
2e23f7dc 755=item B<< $attr->has_read_method >>
c50c603e 756
2e23f7dc 757=item B<< $attr->has_write_method >>
7d28758b 758
2e23f7dc 759This returns a boolean indicating whether the attribute has a I<named>
760read or write method.
0ab65f99 761
2e23f7dc 762=item B<< $attr->get_read_method_ref >>
552e3d24 763
2e23f7dc 764=item B<< $attr->get_write_method_ref >>
495af518 765
2e23f7dc 766Returns the subroutine reference of a method suitable for reading or
767writing the attribute's value in the associated class. These methods
768always return a subroutine reference, regardless of whether or not the
769attribute is read- or write-only.
770
eeff7496 771=item B<< $attr->insertion_order >>
772
773If this attribute has been inserted into a class, this returns a zero
774based index regarding the order of insertion.
775
2e23f7dc 776=back
fe122940 777
2e23f7dc 778=head2 Informational predicates
92d2abfa 779
2e23f7dc 780These are all basic predicate methods for the values passed into C<new>.
552e3d24 781
2e23f7dc 782=over 4
c57c8b10 783
2e23f7dc 784=item B<< $attr->has_accessor >>
c57c8b10 785
2e23f7dc 786=item B<< $attr->has_reader >>
b25109b1 787
2e23f7dc 788=item B<< $attr->has_writer >>
b25109b1 789
2e23f7dc 790=item B<< $attr->has_predicate >>
5da16d1b 791
2e23f7dc 792=item B<< $attr->has_clearer >>
5da16d1b 793
2e23f7dc 794=item B<< $attr->has_initializer >>
5da16d1b 795
2e23f7dc 796=item B<< $attr->has_init_arg >>
5da16d1b 797
2e23f7dc 798This will be I<false> if the C<init_arg> was set to C<undef>.
b25109b1 799
2e23f7dc 800=item B<< $attr->has_default >>
9e517e01 801
2e23f7dc 802This will be I<false> if the C<default> was set to C<undef>, since
803C<undef> is the default C<default> anyway.
9e517e01 804
2e23f7dc 805=item B<< $attr->has_builder >>
9e517e01 806
eeff7496 807=item B<< $attr->has_insertion_order >>
808
809This will be I<false> if this attribute has not be inserted into a class
810
552e3d24 811=back
812
2e23f7dc 813=head2 Value management
552e3d24 814
a6710c60 815These methods are basically "back doors" to the instance, and can be
2e23f7dc 816used to bypass the regular accessors, but still stay within the MOP.
817
818These methods are not for general use, and should only be used if you
819really know what you are doing.
fe122940 820
552e3d24 821=over 4
822
2e23f7dc 823=item B<< $attr->initialize_instance_slot($meta_instance, $instance, $params) >>
824
825This method is used internally to initialize the attribute's slot in
826the object C<$instance>.
827
828The C<$params> is a hash reference of the values passed to the object
829constructor.
830
831It's unlikely that you'll need to call this method yourself.
552e3d24 832
2e23f7dc 833=item B<< $attr->set_value($instance, $value) >>
552e3d24 834
2e23f7dc 835Sets the value without going through the accessor. Note that this
836works even with read-only attributes.
552e3d24 837
2e23f7dc 838=item B<< $attr->set_initial_value($instance, $value) >>
c50c603e 839
2e23f7dc 840Sets the value without going through the accessor. This method is only
841called when the instance is first being initialized.
7d28758b 842
2e23f7dc 843=item B<< $attr->get_value($instance) >>
0ab65f99 844
2e23f7dc 845Returns the value without going through the accessor. Note that this
846works even with write-only accessors.
552e3d24 847
2e23f7dc 848=item B<< $attr->has_value($instance) >>
552e3d24 849
2e23f7dc 850Return a boolean indicating whether the attribute has been set in
851C<$instance>. This how the default C<predicate> method works.
852
853=item B<< $attr->clear_value($instance) >>
854
855This will clear the attribute's value in C<$instance>. This is what
856the default C<clearer> calls.
857
858Note that this works even if the attribute does not have any
859associated read, write or clear methods.
bf731086 860
552e3d24 861=back
862
9ec169fe 863=head2 Class association
864
1d68af04 865These methods allow you to manage the attributes association with
866the class that contains it. These methods should not be used
2367814a 867lightly, nor are they very magical, they are mostly used internally
868and by metaclass instances.
869
9ec169fe 870=over 4
871
2e23f7dc 872=item B<< $attr->associated_class >>
873
874This returns the C<Class::MOP::Class> with which this attribute is
875associated, if any.
876
877=item B<< $attr->attach_to_class($metaclass) >>
9ec169fe 878
2e23f7dc 879This method stores a weakened reference to the C<$metaclass> object
880internally.
2367814a 881
2e23f7dc 882This method does not remove the attribute from its old class,
883nor does it create any accessors in the new class.
9ec169fe 884
2e23f7dc 885It is probably best to use the L<Class::MOP::Class> C<add_attribute>
886method instead.
2367814a 887
2e23f7dc 888=item B<< $attr->detach_from_class >>
9ec169fe 889
2e23f7dc 890This method removes the associate metaclass object from the attribute
891it has one.
892
893This method does not remove the attribute itself from the class, or
894remove its accessors.
895
896It is probably best to use the L<Class::MOP::Class>
897C<remove_attribute> method instead.
2367814a 898
9ec169fe 899=back
900
552e3d24 901=head2 Attribute Accessor generation
902
903=over 4
904
2e23f7dc 905=item B<< $attr->accessor_metaclass >>
ba38bf08 906
2e23f7dc 907Accessor methods are generated using an accessor metaclass. By
908default, this is L<Class::MOP::Method::Accessor>. This method returns
2367814a 909the name of the accessor metaclass that this attribute uses.
910
2e23f7dc 911=item B<< $attr->associate_method($method) >>
2367814a 912
2e23f7dc 913This associates a L<Class::MOP::Method> object with the
914attribute. Typically, this is called internally when an attribute
915generates its accessors.
3545c727 916
2e23f7dc 917=item B<< $attr->associated_methods >>
3545c727 918
2e23f7dc 919This returns the list of methods which have been associated with the
920attribute.
2367814a 921
2e23f7dc 922=item B<< $attr->install_accessors >>
2eb717d5 923
2e23f7dc 924This method generates and installs code the attributes various
925accessors. It is typically called from the L<Class::MOP::Class>
926C<add_attribute> method.
2eb717d5 927
2e23f7dc 928=item B<< $attr->remove_accessors >>
2eb717d5 929
2e23f7dc 930This method removes all of the accessors associated with the
931attribute.
2eb717d5 932
2e23f7dc 933This does not currently remove methods from the list returned by
934C<associated_methods>.
2367814a 935
2eb717d5 936=back
937
938=head2 Introspection
939
940=over 4
552e3d24 941
45b4c423 942=item B<< Class::MOP::Attribute->meta >>
552e3d24 943
2e23f7dc 944This will return a L<Class::MOP::Class> instance for this class.
fe122940 945
2e23f7dc 946It should also be noted that L<Class::MOP> will actually bootstrap
947this module by installing a number of attribute meta-objects into its
948metaclass.
fe122940 949
552e3d24 950=back
951
1a09d9cc 952=head1 AUTHORS
8b978dd5 953
a2e85e6c 954Stevan Little E<lt>stevan@iinteractive.comE<gt>
8b978dd5 955
956=head1 COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
957
070bb6c9 958Copyright 2006-2009 by Infinity Interactive, Inc.
8b978dd5 959
960L<http://www.iinteractive.com>
961
962This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
1d68af04 963it under the same terms as Perl itself.
8b978dd5 964
16e960bd 965=cut
966
7d28758b 967