use Class::MOP::Method::Accessor;
use Carp 'confess';
-use Scalar::Util 'blessed', 'reftype', 'weaken';
+use Scalar::Util 'blessed', 'weaken';
-our $VERSION = '0.24';
+our $VERSION = '0.87';
+$VERSION = eval $VERSION;
our $AUTHORITY = 'cpan:STEVAN';
use base 'Class::MOP::Object';
# meta-objects.
# - Ain't meta-circularity grand? :)
sub new {
- my $class = shift;
- my $name = shift;
- my %options = @_;
+ my ( $class, @args ) = @_;
+
+ unshift @args, "name" if @args % 2 == 1;
+ my %options = @args;
+
+ my $name = $options{name};
(defined $name && $name)
|| confess "You must provide a name for the attribute";
if( $options{required} and not( defined($options{builder}) || defined($options{init_arg}) || exists $options{default} ) ) {
confess("A required attribute must have either 'init_arg', 'builder', or 'default'");
}
+
+ $class->_new(\%options);
+}
+
+sub _new {
+ my $class = shift;
+ my $options = @_ == 1 ? $_[0] : {@_};
+
bless {
- '$!name' => $name,
- '$!accessor' => $options{accessor},
- '$!reader' => $options{reader},
- '$!writer' => $options{writer},
- '$!predicate' => $options{predicate},
- '$!clearer' => $options{clearer},
- '$!builder' => $options{builder},
- '$!init_arg' => $options{init_arg},
- '$!default' => $options{default},
- '$!initializer' => $options{initializer},
+ 'name' => $options->{name},
+ 'accessor' => $options->{accessor},
+ 'reader' => $options->{reader},
+ 'writer' => $options->{writer},
+ 'predicate' => $options->{predicate},
+ 'clearer' => $options->{clearer},
+ 'builder' => $options->{builder},
+ 'init_arg' => $options->{init_arg},
+ 'default' => $options->{default},
+ 'initializer' => $options->{initializer},
+ 'definition_context' => $options->{definition_context},
# keep a weakened link to the
# class we are associated with
- '$!associated_class' => undef,
+ 'associated_class' => undef,
# and a list of the methods
# associated with this attr
- '@!associated_methods' => [],
- # NOTE:
- # protect this from silliness
- init_arg => undef,
- } => $class;
+ 'associated_methods' => [],
+ # this let's us keep track of
+ # our order inside the associated
+ # class
+ 'insertion_order' => undef,
+ }, $class;
}
# NOTE:
my %options = @_;
(blessed($self))
|| confess "Can only clone an instance";
- return bless { %{$self}, %options } => blessed($self);
+ return bless { %{$self}, %options } => ref($self);
}
sub initialize_instance_slot {
my ($self, $meta_instance, $instance, $params) = @_;
- my $init_arg = $self->{'$!init_arg'};
+ my $init_arg = $self->{'init_arg'};
+
# try to fetch the init arg from the %params ...
# if nothing was in the %params, we can use the
$params->{$init_arg},
);
}
- elsif (defined $self->{'$!default'}) {
+ elsif (defined $self->{'default'}) {
$self->_set_initial_slot_value(
$meta_instance,
$instance,
$self->default($instance),
);
}
- elsif (defined( my $builder = $self->{'$!builder'})) {
+ elsif (defined( my $builder = $self->{'builder'})) {
if ($builder = $instance->can($builder)) {
$self->_set_initial_slot_value(
$meta_instance,
);
}
else {
- confess(blessed($instance)." does not support builder method '". $self->{'$!builder'} ."' for attribute '" . $self->name . "'");
+ confess(ref($instance)." does not support builder method '". $self->{'builder'} ."' for attribute '" . $self->name . "'");
}
}
}
# the next bunch of methods will get bootstrapped
# away in the Class::MOP bootstrapping section
-sub name { $_[0]->{'$!name'} }
-
-sub associated_class { $_[0]->{'$!associated_class'} }
-sub associated_methods { $_[0]->{'@!associated_methods'} }
-
-sub has_accessor { defined($_[0]->{'$!accessor'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_reader { defined($_[0]->{'$!reader'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_writer { defined($_[0]->{'$!writer'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_predicate { defined($_[0]->{'$!predicate'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_clearer { defined($_[0]->{'$!clearer'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_builder { defined($_[0]->{'$!builder'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_init_arg { defined($_[0]->{'$!init_arg'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_default { defined($_[0]->{'$!default'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-sub has_initializer { defined($_[0]->{'$!initializer'}) ? 1 : 0 }
-
-sub accessor { $_[0]->{'$!accessor'} }
-sub reader { $_[0]->{'$!reader'} }
-sub writer { $_[0]->{'$!writer'} }
-sub predicate { $_[0]->{'$!predicate'} }
-sub clearer { $_[0]->{'$!clearer'} }
-sub builder { $_[0]->{'$!builder'} }
-sub init_arg { $_[0]->{'$!init_arg'} }
-sub initializer { $_[0]->{'$!initializer'} }
+sub associated_class { $_[0]->{'associated_class'} }
+sub associated_methods { $_[0]->{'associated_methods'} }
+
+sub has_accessor { defined($_[0]->{'accessor'}) }
+sub has_reader { defined($_[0]->{'reader'}) }
+sub has_writer { defined($_[0]->{'writer'}) }
+sub has_predicate { defined($_[0]->{'predicate'}) }
+sub has_clearer { defined($_[0]->{'clearer'}) }
+sub has_builder { defined($_[0]->{'builder'}) }
+sub has_init_arg { defined($_[0]->{'init_arg'}) }
+sub has_default { defined($_[0]->{'default'}) }
+sub has_initializer { defined($_[0]->{'initializer'}) }
+sub has_insertion_order { defined($_[0]->{'insertion_order'}) }
+
+sub accessor { $_[0]->{'accessor'} }
+sub reader { $_[0]->{'reader'} }
+sub writer { $_[0]->{'writer'} }
+sub predicate { $_[0]->{'predicate'} }
+sub clearer { $_[0]->{'clearer'} }
+sub builder { $_[0]->{'builder'} }
+sub init_arg { $_[0]->{'init_arg'} }
+sub initializer { $_[0]->{'initializer'} }
+sub definition_context { $_[0]->{'definition_context'} }
+sub insertion_order { $_[0]->{'insertion_order'} }
+sub _set_insertion_order { $_[0]->{'insertion_order'} = $_[1] }
# end bootstrapped away method section.
# (all methods below here are kept intact)
}
sub is_default_a_coderef {
- ('CODE' eq (reftype($_[0]->{'$!default'} || $_[0]->{default}) || ''))
+ my ($value) = $_[0]->{'default'};
+ return unless ref($value);
+ return ref($value) eq 'CODE' || (blessed($value) && $value->isa('Class::MOP::Method'));
}
sub default {
# we pass in the instance and default
# can return a value based on that
# instance. Somewhat crude, but works.
- return $self->{'$!default'}->($instance);
+ return $self->{'default'}->($instance);
}
- $self->{'$!default'};
+ $self->{'default'};
}
# slots
my ($self, $class) = @_;
(blessed($class) && $class->isa('Class::MOP::Class'))
|| confess "You must pass a Class::MOP::Class instance (or a subclass)";
- weaken($self->{'$!associated_class'} = $class);
+ weaken($self->{'associated_class'} = $class);
}
sub detach_from_class {
my $self = shift;
- $self->{'$!associated_class'} = undef;
+ $self->{'associated_class'} = undef;
}
# method association
sub associate_method {
my ($self, $method) = @_;
- push @{$self->{'@!associated_methods'}} => $method;
+ push @{$self->{'associated_methods'}} => $method;
}
## Slot management
sub set_initial_value {
my ($self, $instance, $value) = @_;
$self->_set_initial_slot_value(
- Class::MOP::Class->initialize(blessed($instance))->get_meta_instance,
+ Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))->get_meta_instance,
$instance,
$value
);
sub set_value {
my ($self, $instance, $value) = @_;
- Class::MOP::Class->initialize(blessed($instance))
+ Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
->get_meta_instance
->set_slot_value($instance, $self->name, $value);
}
sub get_value {
my ($self, $instance) = @_;
- Class::MOP::Class->initialize(blessed($instance))
+ Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
->get_meta_instance
->get_slot_value($instance, $self->name);
}
sub has_value {
my ($self, $instance) = @_;
- Class::MOP::Class->initialize(blessed($instance))
+ Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
->get_meta_instance
->is_slot_initialized($instance, $self->name);
}
sub clear_value {
my ($self, $instance) = @_;
- Class::MOP::Class->initialize(blessed($instance))
+ Class::MOP::Class->initialize(ref($instance))
->get_meta_instance
->deinitialize_slot($instance, $self->name);
}
sub accessor_metaclass { 'Class::MOP::Method::Accessor' }
sub process_accessors {
+ Carp::cluck('The process_accessors method has been made private.'
+ . " The public version is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.\n");
+ shift->_process_accessors(@_);
+}
+
+sub _process_accessors {
my ($self, $type, $accessor, $generate_as_inline_methods) = @_;
- if (reftype($accessor)) {
- (reftype($accessor) eq 'HASH')
+
+ my $method_ctx;
+
+ if ( my $ctx = $self->definition_context ) {
+ $method_ctx = { %$ctx };
+ }
+
+ if (ref($accessor)) {
+ (ref($accessor) eq 'HASH')
|| confess "bad accessor/reader/writer/predicate/clearer format, must be a HASH ref";
my ($name, $method) = %{$accessor};
$method = $self->accessor_metaclass->wrap(
$method,
package_name => $self->associated_class->name,
name => $name,
+ definition_context => $method_ctx,
);
$self->associate_method($method);
return ($name, $method);
my $inline_me = ($generate_as_inline_methods && $self->associated_class->instance_metaclass->is_inlinable);
my $method;
eval {
+ if ( $method_ctx ) {
+ my $desc = "accessor $accessor";
+ if ( $accessor ne $self->name ) {
+ $desc .= " of attribute " . $self->name;
+ }
+
+ $method_ctx->{description} = $desc;
+ }
+
$method = $self->accessor_metaclass->new(
attribute => $self,
is_inline => $inline_me,
accessor_type => $type,
package_name => $self->associated_class->name,
name => $accessor,
+ definition_context => $method_ctx,
);
};
confess "Could not create the '$type' method for " . $self->name . " because : $@" if $@;
my $class = $self->associated_class;
$class->add_method(
- $self->process_accessors('accessor' => $self->accessor(), $inline)
+ $self->_process_accessors('accessor' => $self->accessor(), $inline)
) if $self->has_accessor();
$class->add_method(
- $self->process_accessors('reader' => $self->reader(), $inline)
+ $self->_process_accessors('reader' => $self->reader(), $inline)
) if $self->has_reader();
$class->add_method(
- $self->process_accessors('writer' => $self->writer(), $inline)
+ $self->_process_accessors('writer' => $self->writer(), $inline)
) if $self->has_writer();
$class->add_method(
- $self->process_accessors('predicate' => $self->predicate(), $inline)
+ $self->_process_accessors('predicate' => $self->predicate(), $inline)
) if $self->has_predicate();
$class->add_method(
- $self->process_accessors('clearer' => $self->clearer(), $inline)
+ $self->_process_accessors('clearer' => $self->clearer(), $inline)
) if $self->has_clearer();
return;
{
my $_remove_accessor = sub {
my ($accessor, $class) = @_;
- if (reftype($accessor) && reftype($accessor) eq 'HASH') {
+ if (ref($accessor) && ref($accessor) eq 'HASH') {
($accessor) = keys %{$accessor};
}
my $method = $class->get_method($accessor);
$class->remove_method($accessor)
- if (blessed($method) && $method->isa('Class::MOP::Method::Accessor'));
+ if (ref($method) && $method->isa('Class::MOP::Method::Accessor'));
};
sub remove_accessors {
=head1 SYNOPSIS
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('$foo' => (
- accessor => 'foo', # dual purpose get/set accessor
- predicate => 'has_foo' # predicate check for defined-ness
- init_arg => '-foo', # class->new will look for a -foo key
- default => 'BAR IS BAZ!' # if no -foo key is provided, use this
- ));
-
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('$.bar' => (
- reader => 'bar', # getter
- writer => 'set_bar', # setter
- predicate => 'has_bar' # predicate check for defined-ness
- init_arg => ':bar', # class->new will look for a :bar key
- # no default value means it is undef
- ));
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ foo => (
+ accessor => 'foo', # dual purpose get/set accessor
+ predicate => 'has_foo', # predicate check for defined-ness
+ init_arg => '-foo', # class->new will look for a -foo key
+ default => 'BAR IS BAZ!' # if no -foo key is provided, use this
+ )
+ );
+
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ bar => (
+ reader => 'bar', # getter
+ writer => 'set_bar', # setter
+ predicate => 'has_bar', # predicate check for defined-ness
+ init_arg => ':bar', # class->new will look for a :bar key
+ # no default value means it is undef
+ )
+ );
=head1 DESCRIPTION
-The Attribute Protocol is almost entirely an invention of this module,
-and is completely optional to this MOP. This is because Perl 5 does not
-have consistent notion of what is an attribute of a class. There are
-so many ways in which this is done, and very few (if any) are
-easily discoverable by this module.
+The Attribute Protocol is almost entirely an invention of
+C<Class::MOP>. Perl 5 does not have a consistent notion of
+attributes. There are so many ways in which this is done, and very few
+(if any) are easily discoverable by this module.
-So, all that said, this module attempts to inject some order into this
+With that said, this module attempts to inject some order into this
chaos, by introducing a consistent API which can be used to create
object attributes.
=over 4
-=item B<new ($name, ?%options)>
+=item B<< Class::MOP::Attribute->new($name, ?%options) >>
An attribute must (at the very least), have a C<$name>. All other
-C<%options> are contained added as key-value pairs. Acceptable keys
-are as follows:
+C<%options> are added as key-value pairs.
-=over 4
+=over 8
-=item I<init_arg>
+=item * init_arg
-This should be a string value representing the expected key in
-an initialization hash. For instance, if we have an I<init_arg>
-value of C<-foo>, then the following code will Just Work.
+This is a string value representing the expected key in an
+initialization hash. For instance, if we have an C<init_arg> value of
+C<-foo>, then the following code will Just Work.
- MyClass->meta->construct_instance(-foo => "Hello There");
+ MyClass->meta->new_object( -foo => 'Hello There' );
-In an init_arg is not assigned, it will automatically use the
-value of C<$name>. If an explicit C<undef> is given for an init_arg,
-an attribute value can't be specified during initialization.
+If an init_arg is not assigned, it will automatically use the
+attribute's name. If C<init_arg> is explicitly set to C<undef>, the
+attribute cannot be specified during initialization.
-=item I<builder>
+=item * builder
-The value of this key is the name of the method that will be
-called to obtain the value used to initialize the attribute.
-This should be a method in the class associated with the attribute,
-not a method in the attribute class itself.
+This provides the name of a method that will be called to initialize
+the attribute. This method will be called on the object after it is
+constructed. It is expected to return a valid value for the attribute.
-=item I<default>
+=item * default
-The value of this key is the default value which
-C<Class::MOP::Class::construct_instance> will initialize the
-attribute to.
+This can be used to provide an explicit default for initializing the
+attribute. If the default you provide is a subroutine reference, then
+this reference will be called I<as a method> on the object.
-B<NOTE:>
-If the value is a simple scalar (string or number), then it can
-be just passed as is. However, if you wish to initialize it with
-a HASH or ARRAY ref, then you need to wrap that inside a CODE
-reference, like so:
+If the value is a simple scalar (string or number), then it can be
+just passed as is. However, if you wish to initialize it with a HASH
+or ARRAY ref, then you need to wrap that inside a subroutine
+reference:
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('@foo' => (
- default => sub { [] },
- ));
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ 'foo' => (
+ default => sub { [] },
+ )
+ );
# or ...
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('%foo' => (
- default => sub { {} },
- ));
-
-If you wish to initialize an attribute with a CODE reference
-itself, then you need to wrap that in a subroutine as well, like
-so:
-
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('&foo' => (
- default => sub { sub { print "Hello World" } },
- ));
-
-And lastly, if the value of your attribute is dependent upon
-some other aspect of the instance structure, then you can take
-advantage of the fact that when the I<default> value is a CODE
-reference, it is passed the (as yet unfinished) instance structure
-as it's only argument. So you can do things like this:
-
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('$object_identity' => (
- default => sub { Scalar::Util::refaddr($_[0]) },
- ));
-
-This last feature is fairly limited as there is no gurantee of
-the order of attribute initializations, so you cannot perform
-any kind of dependent initializations. However, if this is
-something you need, you could subclass B<Class::MOP::Class> and
-this class to acheive it. However, this is currently left as
-an exercise to the reader :).
-
-=item I<initializer>
-
-This may be a method name (referring to a method on the class with this
-attribute) or a CODE ref. The initializer is used to set the attribute value
-on an instance when the attribute is set during instance initialization. When
-called, it is passed the instance (as the invocant), the value to set, a
-slot-setting CODE ref, and the attribute meta-instance. The slot-setting code
-is provided to make it easy to set the (possibly altered) value on the instance
-without going through several more method calls.
-
-This contrived example shows an initializer that sets the attribute to twice
-the given value.
-
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('$doubled' => (
- initializer => sub {
- my ($instance, $value, $set) = @_;
- $set->($value * 2);
- },
- ));
-
-As method names can be given as initializers, one can easily make
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ 'foo' => (
+ default => sub { {} },
+ )
+ );
+
+If you wish to initialize an attribute with a subroutine reference
+itself, then you need to wrap that in a subroutine as well:
+
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ 'foo' => (
+ default => sub {
+ sub { print "Hello World" }
+ },
+ )
+ );
+
+And lastly, if the value of your attribute is dependent upon some
+other aspect of the instance structure, then you can take advantage of
+the fact that when the C<default> value is called as a method:
+
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ 'object_identity' => (
+ default => sub { Scalar::Util::refaddr( $_[0] ) },
+ )
+ );
+
+Note that there is no guarantee that attributes are initialized in any
+particular order, so you cannot rely on the value of some other
+attribute when generating the default.
+
+=item * initializer
+
+This option can be either a method name or a subroutine
+reference. This method will be called when setting the attribute's
+value in the constructor. Unlike C<default> and C<builder>, the
+initializer is only called when a value is provided to the
+constructor. The initializer allows you to munge this value during
+object construction.
+
+The initializer is called as a method with three arguments. The first
+is the value that was passed to the constructor. The second is a
+subroutine reference that can be called to actually set the
+attribute's value, and the last is the associated
+C<Class::MOP::Attribute> object.
+
+This contrived example shows an initializer that sets the attribute to
+twice the given value.
+
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ 'doubled' => (
+ initializer => sub {
+ my ( $instance, $value, $set ) = @_;
+ $set->( $value * 2 );
+ },
+ )
+ );
+
+Since an initializer can be a method name, you can easily make
attribute initialization use the writer:
- Class::MOP::Attribute->new('$some_attr' => (
- writer => 'some_attr',
- initializer => 'some_attr',
- ));
+ Class::MOP::Attribute->new(
+ 'some_attr' => (
+ writer => 'some_attr',
+ initializer => 'some_attr',
+ )
+ );
-Your writer will simply need to examine it's C<@_> and determine under
-which context it is being called.
+Your writer will need to examine C<@_> and determine under which
+context it is being called.
=back
-The I<accessor>, I<reader>, I<writer>, I<predicate> and I<clearer> keys can
-contain either; the name of the method and an appropriate default one will be
-generated for you, B<or> a HASH ref containing exactly one key (which will be
-used as the name of the method) and one value, which should contain a CODE
-reference which will be installed as the method itself.
+The C<accessor>, C<reader>, C<writer>, C<predicate> and C<clearer>
+options all accept the same parameters. You can provide the name of
+the method, in which case an appropriate default method will be
+generated for you. Or instead you can also provide hash reference
+containing exactly one key (the method name) and one value. The value
+should be a subroutine reference, which will be installed as the
+method itself.
-=over 4
+=over 8
-=item I<accessor>
+=item * accessor
-The I<accessor> is a standard perl-style read/write accessor. It will
-return the value of the attribute, and if a value is passed as an argument,
-it will assign that value to the attribute.
+An C<accessor> is a standard Perl-style read/write accessor. It will
+return the value of the attribute, and if a value is passed as an
+argument, it will assign that value to the attribute.
-B<NOTE:>
-This method will properly handle the following code, by assigning an
-C<undef> value to the attribute.
+Note that C<undef> is a legitimate value, so this will work:
$object->set_something(undef);
-=item I<reader>
+=item * reader
-This is a basic read-only accessor, it will just return the value of
-the attribute.
+This is a basic read-only accessor. It returns the value of the
+attribute.
-=item I<writer>
+=item * writer
This is a basic write accessor, it accepts a single argument, and
-assigns that value to the attribute. This method does not intentially
-return a value, however perl will return the result of the last
-expression in the subroutine, which returns in this returning the
-same value that it was passed.
+assigns that value to the attribute.
-B<NOTE:>
-This method will properly handle the following code, by assigning an
-C<undef> value to the attribute.
+Note that C<undef> is a legitimate value, so this will work:
- $object->set_something();
+ $object->set_something(undef);
-=item I<predicate>
+=item * predicate
-This is a basic test to see if any value has been set for the
-attribute. It will return true (C<1>) if the attribute has been set
-to any value (even C<undef>), and false (C<0>) otherwise.
+The predicate method returns a boolean indicating whether or not the
+attribute has been explicitly set.
-B<NOTE:>
-The predicate will return true even when you set an attribute's
-value to C<undef>. This behaviour has changed as of version 0.43. In
-older versions, the predicate (erroneously) checked for attribute
-value definedness, instead of presence as it is now.
+Note that the predicate returns true even if the attribute was set to
+a false value (C<0> or C<undef>).
-If you really want to get rid of the value, you have to define and
-use a I<clearer> (see below).
+=item * clearer
-=item I<clearer>
+This method will uninitialize the attribute. After an attribute is
+cleared, its C<predicate> will return false.
-This is the a method that will uninitialize the attr, reverting lazy values
-back to their "unfulfilled" state.
+=item * definition_context
-=back
+Mostly, this exists as a hook for the benefit of Moose.
-=item B<clone (%options)>
+This option should be a hash reference containing several keys which
+will be used when inlining the attribute's accessors. The keys should
+include C<line>, the line number where the attribute was created, and
+either C<file> or C<description>.
-This will return a clone of the attribute instance, allowing the overriding
-of various attributes through the C<%options> supplied.
+This information will ultimately be used when eval'ing inlined
+accessor code so that error messages report a useful line and file
+name.
-=item B<initialize_instance_slot ($instance, $params)>
+=back
-This method is used internally to initialize the approriate slot for this
-attribute in a given C<$instance>, the C<$params> passed are those that were
-passed to the constructor.
+=item B<< $attr->clone(%options) >>
-=back
+This clones the attribute. Any options you provide will override the
+settings of the original attribute. You can change the name of the new
+attribute by passing a C<name> key in C<%options>.
-=head2 Value management
+=back
-These methods are basically "backdoors" to the instance, which can be used
-to bypass the regular accessors, but still stay within the context of the MOP.
+=head2 Informational
-These methods are not for general use, and should only be used if you really
-know what you are doing.
+These are all basic read-only accessors for the values passed into
+the constructor.
=over 4
-=item B<set_value ($instance, $value)>
+=item B<< $attr->name >>
-Set the value without going through the accessor. Note that this may be done to
-even attributes with just read only accessors.
+Returns the attribute's name.
-=item B<set_initial_value ($instance, $value)>
+=item B<< $attr->accessor >>
-This method sets the value without going through the accessor -- but it is only
-called when the instance data is first initialized.
+=item B<< $attr->reader >>
-=item B<get_value ($instance)>
+=item B<< $attr->writer >>
-Return the value without going through the accessor. Note that this may be done
-even to attributes with just write only accessors.
+=item B<< $attr->predicate >>
-=item B<has_value ($instance)>
+=item B<< $attr->clearer >>
-Return a boolean indicating if the item in the C<$instance> has a value in it.
-This is basically what the default C<predicate> method calls.
+The C<accessor>, C<reader>, C<writer>, C<predicate>, and C<clearer>
+methods all return exactly what was passed to the constructor, so it
+can be either a string containing a method name, or a hash reference.
-=item B<clear_value ($instance)>
+=item B<< $attr->initializer >>
-This will clear the value in the C<$instance>. This is basically what the default
-C<clearer> would call. Note that this may be done even if the attirbute does not
-have any associated read, write or clear methods.
+Returns the initializer as passed to the constructor, so this may be
+either a method name or a subroutine reference.
-=back
+=item B<< $attr->init_arg >>
-=head2 Informational
+=item B<< $attr->is_default_a_coderef >>
-These are all basic read-only value accessors for the values
-passed into C<new>. I think they are pretty much self-explanitory.
+=item B<< $attr->default($instance) >>
-=over 4
+The C<$instance> argument is optional. If you don't pass it, the
+return value for this method is exactly what was passed to the
+constructor, either a simple scalar or a subroutine reference.
+
+If you I<do> pass an C<$instance> and the default is a subroutine
+reference, then the reference is called as a method on the
+C<$instance> and the generated value is returned.
-=item B<name>
+=item B<< $attr->slots >>
-=item B<accessor>
+Return a list of slots required by the attribute. This is usually just
+one, the name of the attribute.
-=item B<reader>
+A slot is the name of the hash key used to store the attribute in an
+object instance.
-=item B<writer>
+=item B<< $attr->get_read_method >>
-=item B<predicate>
+=item B<< $attr->get_write_method >>
-=item B<clearer>
+Returns the name of a method suitable for reading or writing the value
+of the attribute in the associated class.
-=item B<initializer>
+If an attribute is read- or write-only, then these methods can return
+C<undef> as appropriate.
-=item B<init_arg>
+=item B<< $attr->has_read_method >>
-=item B<is_default_a_coderef>
+=item B<< $attr->has_write_method >>
-=item B<default (?$instance)>
+This returns a boolean indicating whether the attribute has a I<named>
+read or write method.
-Return the default value for the attribute.
+=item B<< $attr->get_read_method_ref >>
-If you pass in an C<$instance> argument to this accessor and the
-I<default> is a CODE reference, then the CODE reference will be
-executed with the C<$instance> as its argument.
+=item B<< $attr->get_write_method_ref >>
-=item B<slots>
+Returns the subroutine reference of a method suitable for reading or
+writing the attribute's value in the associated class. These methods
+always return a subroutine reference, regardless of whether or not the
+attribute is read- or write-only.
-Return a list of slots required by the attribute. This is usually
-just one, which is the name of the attribute.
+=item B<< $attr->insertion_order >>
-=item B<get_read_method>
+If this attribute has been inserted into a class, this returns a zero
+based index regarding the order of insertion.
-=item B<get_write_method>
+=back
+
+=head2 Informational predicates
+
+These are all basic predicate methods for the values passed into C<new>.
+
+=over 4
+
+=item B<< $attr->has_accessor >>
-Return the name of a method name suitable for reading / writing the value
-of the attribute in the associated class. Suitable for use whether
-C<reader> and C<writer> or C<accessor> was used.
+=item B<< $attr->has_reader >>
-=item B<get_read_method_ref>
+=item B<< $attr->has_writer >>
-=item B<get_write_method_ref>
+=item B<< $attr->has_predicate >>
-Return the CODE reference of a method suitable for reading / writing the
-value of the attribute in the associated class. Suitable for use whether
-C<reader> and C<writer> or C<accessor> was specified or not.
+=item B<< $attr->has_clearer >>
-NOTE: If no reader/writer/accessor was specified, this will use the
-attribute get_value/set_value methods, which can be very inefficient.
+=item B<< $attr->has_initializer >>
-=item B<has_read_method>
+=item B<< $attr->has_init_arg >>
-=item B<has_write_method>
+This will be I<false> if the C<init_arg> was set to C<undef>.
-Return whether a method exists suitable for reading / writing the value
-of the attribute in the associated class. Suitable for use whether
-C<reader> and C<writer> or C<accessor> was used.
+=item B<< $attr->has_default >>
+
+This will be I<false> if the C<default> was set to C<undef>, since
+C<undef> is the default C<default> anyway.
+
+=item B<< $attr->has_builder >>
+
+=item B<< $attr->has_insertion_order >>
+
+This will be I<false> if this attribute has not be inserted into a class
=back
-=head2 Informational predicates
+=head2 Value management
-These are all basic predicate methods for the values passed into C<new>.
+These methods are basically "back doors" to the instance, and can be
+used to bypass the regular accessors, but still stay within the MOP.
+
+These methods are not for general use, and should only be used if you
+really know what you are doing.
=over 4
-=item B<has_accessor>
+=item B<< $attr->initialize_instance_slot($meta_instance, $instance, $params) >>
+
+This method is used internally to initialize the attribute's slot in
+the object C<$instance>.
+
+The C<$params> is a hash reference of the values passed to the object
+constructor.
+
+It's unlikely that you'll need to call this method yourself.
+
+=item B<< $attr->set_value($instance, $value) >>
+
+Sets the value without going through the accessor. Note that this
+works even with read-only attributes.
+
+=item B<< $attr->set_initial_value($instance, $value) >>
-=item B<has_reader>
+Sets the value without going through the accessor. This method is only
+called when the instance is first being initialized.
-=item B<has_writer>
+=item B<< $attr->get_value($instance) >>
-=item B<has_predicate>
+Returns the value without going through the accessor. Note that this
+works even with write-only accessors.
-=item B<has_clearer>
+=item B<< $attr->has_value($instance) >>
-=item B<has_initializer>
+Return a boolean indicating whether the attribute has been set in
+C<$instance>. This how the default C<predicate> method works.
-=item B<has_init_arg>
+=item B<< $attr->clear_value($instance) >>
-=item B<has_default>
+This will clear the attribute's value in C<$instance>. This is what
+the default C<clearer> calls.
-=item B<has_builder>
+Note that this works even if the attribute does not have any
+associated read, write or clear methods.
=back
=over 4
-=item B<associated_class>
+=item B<< $attr->associated_class >>
-This returns the metaclass this attribute is associated with.
+This returns the C<Class::MOP::Class> with which this attribute is
+associated, if any.
-=item B<attach_to_class ($class)>
+=item B<< $attr->attach_to_class($metaclass) >>
-This will store a weaken reference to C<$class> internally. You should
-note that just changing the class assocation will not remove the attribute
-from it's old class, and initialize it (and it's accessors) in the new
-C<$class>. It is up to you to do this manually.
+This method stores a weakened reference to the C<$metaclass> object
+internally.
-=item B<detach_from_class>
+This method does not remove the attribute from its old class,
+nor does it create any accessors in the new class.
-This will remove the weakened reference to the class. It does B<not>
-remove the attribute itself from the class (or remove it's accessors),
-you must do that yourself if you want too. Actually if that is what
-you want to do, you should probably be looking at
-L<Class::MOP::Class::remove_attribute> instead.
+It is probably best to use the L<Class::MOP::Class> C<add_attribute>
+method instead.
+
+=item B<< $attr->detach_from_class >>
+
+This method removes the associate metaclass object from the attribute
+it has one.
+
+This method does not remove the attribute itself from the class, or
+remove its accessors.
+
+It is probably best to use the L<Class::MOP::Class>
+C<remove_attribute> method instead.
=back
=over 4
-=item B<accessor_metaclass>
+=item B<< $attr->accessor_metaclass >>
-Accessors are generated by an accessor metaclass, which is usually
-a subclass of C<Class::MOP::Method::Accessor>. This method returns
+Accessor methods are generated using an accessor metaclass. By
+default, this is L<Class::MOP::Method::Accessor>. This method returns
the name of the accessor metaclass that this attribute uses.
-=item B<associate_method ($method)>
-
-This will associate a C<$method> with the given attribute which is
-used internally by the accessor generator.
-
-=item B<associated_methods>
-
-This will return the list of methods which have been associated with
-the C<associate_method> methods. This is a good way of seeing what
-methods are used to manage a given attribute.
+=item B<< $attr->associate_method($method) >>
-=item B<install_accessors>
+This associates a L<Class::MOP::Method> object with the
+attribute. Typically, this is called internally when an attribute
+generates its accessors.
-This allows the attribute to generate and install code for it's own
-I<accessor/reader/writer/predicate> methods. This is called by
-C<Class::MOP::Class::add_attribute>.
+=item B<< $attr->associated_methods >>
-This method will call C<process_accessors> for each of the possible
-method types (accessor, reader, writer & predicate).
+This returns the list of methods which have been associated with the
+attribute.
-=item B<process_accessors ($type, $value)>
+=item B<< $attr->install_accessors >>
-This takes a C<$type> (accessor, reader, writer or predicate), and
-a C<$value> (the value passed into the constructor for each of the
-different types). It will then either generate the method itself
-(using the C<generate_*_method> methods listed below) or it will
-use the custom method passed through the constructor.
+This method generates and installs code the attributes various
+accessors. It is typically called from the L<Class::MOP::Class>
+C<add_attribute> method.
-=item B<remove_accessors>
+=item B<< $attr->remove_accessors >>
-This allows the attribute to remove the method for it's own
-I<accessor/reader/writer/predicate/clearer>. This is called by
-C<Class::MOP::Class::remove_attribute>.
+This method removes all of the accessors associated with the
+attribute.
-NOTE: This does not currently remove methods from the list returned
-by C<associated_methods>, that is on the TODO list.
+This does not currently remove methods from the list returned by
+C<associated_methods>.
=back
=over 4
-=item B<meta>
+=item B<< Class::MOP::Attribute->meta >>
-This will return a B<Class::MOP::Class> instance which is related
-to this class.
+This will return a L<Class::MOP::Class> instance for this class.
-It should also be noted that B<Class::MOP> will actually bootstrap
-this module by installing a number of attribute meta-objects into
-it's metaclass. This will allow this class to reap all the benefits
-of the MOP when subclassing it.
+It should also be noted that L<Class::MOP> will actually bootstrap
+this module by installing a number of attribute meta-objects into its
+metaclass.
=back
=head1 COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
-Copyright 2006-2008 by Infinity Interactive, Inc.
+Copyright 2006-2009 by Infinity Interactive, Inc.
L<http://www.iinteractive.com>