Have load_class return the metaclass, initializing it if necessary

diff --git a/Changes b/Changes
index bfc99a3..4b5175d 100644 (file)
--- a/Changes
+++ b/Changes
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 Revision history for Perl extension Class-MOP.
 
 0.63
+    * Class::MOP
+      - load_class will initialize a metaclass even if
+        the class is already loaded (sartak)
+      - load_class now returns the metaclass instance
+        instead of just 1 (sartak)
 
 0.62 Wed June 18, 2008
     - in is_class_loaded, recognize scalar references (as opposed to globs) in

diff --git a/lib/Class/MOP.pm b/lib/Class/MOP.pm
index 4265ca8..0792be8 100644 (file)
--- a/lib/Class/MOP.pm
+++ b/lib/Class/MOP.pm
@@ -131,19 +131,22 @@ sub load_class {
         confess "Invalid class name ($display)";
     }
 
-    # see if this is already
-    # loaded in the symbol table
-    return 1 if is_class_loaded($class);
-    # otherwise require it ...
-    my $file = $class . '.pm';
-    $file =~ s{::}{/}g;
-    eval { CORE::require($file) };
-    confess "Could not load class ($class) because : $@" if $@;
+    # if the class is not already loaded in the symbol table..
+    unless (is_class_loaded($class)) {
+        # require it
+        my $file = $class . '.pm';
+        $file =~ s{::}{/}g;
+        eval { CORE::require($file) };
+        confess "Could not load class ($class) because : $@" if $@;
+    }
+
+    # initialize a metaclass if necessary
     unless (does_metaclass_exist($class)) {
         eval { Class::MOP::Class->initialize($class) };
         confess "Could not initialize class ($class) because : $@" if $@;
     }
-    1; # return true if it worked
+
+    return get_metaclass_by_name($class);
 }
 
 sub is_class_loaded {

diff --git a/t/083_load_class.t b/t/083_load_class.t
index c6f816a..dc3ed5a 100644 (file)
--- a/t/083_load_class.t
+++ b/t/083_load_class.t
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env perl
 use strict;
 use warnings;
-use Test::More tests => 13;
+use Test::More tests => 14;
 use Test::Exception;
 
 require Class::MOP;
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ throws_ok { Class::MOP::load_class()       } qr/Invalid class name \(undef\)/;
 throws_ok { Class::MOP::load_class('')     } qr/Invalid class name \(\)/;
 throws_ok { Class::MOP::load_class(\"foo") } qr/Invalid class name \(SCALAR\(\w+\)\)/;
 
-ok(Class::MOP::load_class('BinaryTree'));
+my $meta = Class::MOP::load_class('BinaryTree');
+ok($meta, "successfully loaded the class BinaryTree");
+is($meta->name, "BinaryTree", "load_class returns the metaclass");
 can_ok('BinaryTree' => 'traverse');
 
 do {