instance-refactored

[gitmo/Class-MOP.git] / lib / Class / MOP / Class.pm

package Class::MOP::Class;

use strict;
use warnings;

use Carp         'confess';
use Scalar::Util 'blessed', 'reftype';
use Sub::Name    'subname';
use B            'svref_2object';

our $VERSION = '0.14';

use Class::MOP::Instance;

# Self-introspection 

sub meta { Class::MOP::Class->initialize(blessed($_[0]) || $_[0]) }

# Creation

#{
    # Metaclasses are singletons, so we cache them here.
    # there is no need to worry about destruction though
    # because they should die only when the program dies.
    # After all, do package definitions even get reaped?
    my %METAS;  
    
    # means of accessing all the metaclasses that have 
    # been initialized thus far (for mugwumps obj browser)
    sub get_all_metaclasses         {        %METAS }            
    sub get_all_metaclass_instances { values %METAS } 
    sub get_all_metaclass_names     { keys   %METAS }     
    
    sub initialize {
        my $class        = shift;
        my $package_name = shift;
        (defined $package_name && $package_name && !blessed($package_name))
            || confess "You must pass a package name and it cannot be blessed";    
        $class->construct_class_instance(':package' => $package_name, @_);
    }
    
    # NOTE: (meta-circularity) 
    # this is a special form of &construct_instance 
    # (see below), which is used to construct class
    # meta-object instances for any Class::MOP::* 
    # class. All other classes will use the more 
    # normal &construct_instance.
    sub construct_class_instance {
        my $class        = shift;
        my %options      = @_;
        my $package_name = $options{':package'};
        (defined $package_name && $package_name)
            || confess "You must pass a package name";  
        # NOTE:
        # return the metaclass if we have it cached, 
        # and it is still defined (it has not been 
        # reaped by DESTROY yet, which can happen 
        # annoyingly enough during global destruction)
        return $METAS{$package_name} 
            if exists $METAS{$package_name} && defined $METAS{$package_name};  
        $class = blessed($class) || $class;
        # now create the metaclass
        my $meta;
        if ($class =~ /^Class::MOP::/) {    
            $meta = bless { 
                '$:package'             => $package_name, 
                '%:attributes'          => {},
                '$:attribute_metaclass' => $options{':attribute_metaclass'} || 'Class::MOP::Attribute',
                '$:method_metaclass'    => $options{':method_metaclass'}    || 'Class::MOP::Method',
                '$:instance_metaclass'  => $options{':instance_metaclass'}  || 'Class::MOP::Instance',    
            } => $class;
        }
        else {
            # NOTE:
            # it is safe to use meta here because
            # class will always be a subclass of 
            # Class::MOP::Class, which defines meta
            $meta = bless $class->meta->construct_instance(%options) => $class
        }
        # and check the metaclass compatibility
        $meta->check_metaclass_compatability();
        $METAS{$package_name} = $meta;
    }
    
    sub check_metaclass_compatability {
        my $self = shift;

        # this is always okay ...
        return if blessed($self) eq 'Class::MOP::Class';

        my @class_list = $self->class_precedence_list;
        shift @class_list; # shift off $self->name

        foreach my $class_name (@class_list) { 
            my $meta = $METAS{$class_name} || next;
            ($self->isa(blessed($meta)))
                || confess $self->name . "->meta => (" . (blessed($self)) . ")" . 
                           " is not compatible with the " . 
                           $class_name . "->meta => (" . (blessed($meta)) . ")";
        }        
    }
#}

sub create {
    my ($class, $package_name, $package_version, %options) = @_;
    (defined $package_name && $package_name)
        || confess "You must pass a package name";
    my $code = "package $package_name;";
    $code .= "\$$package_name\:\:VERSION = '$package_version';" 
        if defined $package_version;
    eval $code;
    confess "creation of $package_name failed : $@" if $@;    
    my $meta = $class->initialize($package_name);
    
    $meta->add_method('meta' => sub { 
        Class::MOP::Class->initialize(blessed($_[0]) || $_[0]);
    });
    
    $meta->superclasses(@{$options{superclasses}})
        if exists $options{superclasses};
    # NOTE:
    # process attributes first, so that they can 
    # install accessors, but locally defined methods
    # can then overwrite them. It is maybe a little odd, but
    # I think this should be the order of things.
    if (exists $options{attributes}) {
        foreach my $attr (@{$options{attributes}}) {
            $meta->add_attribute($attr);
        }
    }        
    if (exists $options{methods}) {
        foreach my $method_name (keys %{$options{methods}}) {
            $meta->add_method($method_name, $options{methods}->{$method_name});
        }
    }  
    return $meta;
}

{
    # NOTE:
    # this should be sufficient, if you have a 
    # use case where it is not, write a test and 
    # I will change it.
    my $ANON_CLASS_SERIAL = 0;
    
    sub create_anon_class {
        my ($class, %options) = @_;   
        my $package_name = 'Class::MOP::Class::__ANON__::SERIAL::' . ++$ANON_CLASS_SERIAL;
        return $class->create($package_name, '0.00', %options);
    }
}

## Attribute readers

# NOTE:
# all these attribute readers will be bootstrapped 
# away in the Class::MOP bootstrap section

sub name                { $_[0]->{'$:package'}             }
sub get_attribute_map   { $_[0]->{'%:attributes'}          }
sub attribute_metaclass { $_[0]->{'$:attribute_metaclass'} }
sub method_metaclass    { $_[0]->{'$:method_metaclass'}    }
sub instance_metaclass  { $_[0]->{'$:instance_metaclass'}  }

# Instance Construction & Cloning

sub new_object {
    my $class = shift;
    # NOTE:
    # we need to protect the integrity of the 
    # Class::MOP::Class singletons here, so we
    # delegate this to &construct_class_instance
    # which will deal with the singletons
    return $class->construct_class_instance(@_)
        if $class->name->isa('Class::MOP::Class');
    return $class->construct_instance(@_);
}

sub construct_instance {
    my ($class, %params) = @_;
    my $instance = $class->get_meta_instance->create_instance();
    foreach my $attr ($class->compute_all_applicable_attributes()) {
        $attr->initialize_instance_slot($instance, \%params);
    }
    return $instance;
}

sub get_meta_instance {
    my $class = shift;
    $class->{':instance_meta_object_cache'} ||= $class->instance_metaclass->new($class);
}

sub clone_object {
    my $class    = shift;
    my $instance = shift; 
    (blessed($instance) && $instance->isa($class->name))
        || confess "You must pass an instance ($instance) of the metaclass (" . $class->name . ")";
    # NOTE:
    # we need to protect the integrity of the 
    # Class::MOP::Class singletons here, they 
    # should not be cloned.
    return $instance if $instance->isa('Class::MOP::Class');   
    bless $class->clone_instance($instance, @_) => blessed($instance);
}

sub clone_instance {
    my ($class, $instance, %params) = @_;
    (blessed($instance))
        || confess "You can only clone instances, \$self is not a blessed instance";
    my $clone = { %$instance, %params }; 
    return $clone;    
}

# Informational 

# &name should be here too, but it is above
# because it gets bootstrapped away

sub version {  
    my $self = shift;
    ${$self->get_package_variable('$VERSION')};
}

# Inheritance

sub superclasses {
    my $self = shift;
    no strict 'refs';
    if (@_) {
        my @supers = @_;
        @{$self->name . '::ISA'} = @supers;
    }
    @{$self->name . '::ISA'};
}

sub class_precedence_list {
    my $self = shift;
    # NOTE:
    # We need to check for ciruclar inheirtance here.
    # This will do nothing if all is well, and blow
    # up otherwise. Yes, it's an ugly hack, better 
    # suggestions are welcome.
    { ($self->name || return)->isa('This is a test for circular inheritance') }
    # ... and now back to our regularly scheduled program
    (
        $self->name, 
        map { 
            # OPTIMIZATION NOTE:
            # we grab the metaclass from the %METAS 
            # hash here to save the initialize() call
            # if we can, but it is not always possible            
            ($METAS{$_} || $self->initialize($_))->class_precedence_list()
        } $self->superclasses()
    );   
}

## Methods

sub add_method {
    my ($self, $method_name, $method) = @_;
    (defined $method_name && $method_name)
        || confess "You must define a method name";
    # use reftype here to allow for blessed subs ...
    ('CODE' eq (reftype($method) || ''))
        || confess "Your code block must be a CODE reference";
    my $full_method_name = ($self->name . '::' . $method_name);    

    $method = $self->method_metaclass->wrap($method) unless blessed($method);
    
    no strict 'refs';
    no warnings 'redefine';
    *{$full_method_name} = subname $full_method_name => $method;
}

{
    my $fetch_and_prepare_method = sub {
        my ($self, $method_name) = @_;
        # fetch it locally
        my $method = $self->get_method($method_name);
        # if we dont have local ...
        unless ($method) {
            # make sure this method even exists ...
            ($self->find_next_method_by_name($method_name))
                || confess "The method '$method_name' is not found in the inherience hierarchy for this class";
            # if so, then create a local which just 
            # calls the next applicable method ...              
            $self->add_method($method_name => sub {
                $self->find_next_method_by_name($method_name)->(@_);
            });
            $method = $self->get_method($method_name);
        }
        
        # now make sure we wrap it properly 
        # (if it isnt already)
        unless ($method->isa('Class::MOP::Method::Wrapped')) {
            $method = Class::MOP::Method::Wrapped->wrap($method);
            $self->add_method($method_name => $method); 
        }       
        return $method;
    };

    sub add_before_method_modifier {
        my ($self, $method_name, $method_modifier) = @_;
        (defined $method_name && $method_name)
            || confess "You must pass in a method name";    
        my $method = $fetch_and_prepare_method->($self, $method_name);
        $method->add_before_modifier(subname ':before' => $method_modifier);
    }

    sub add_after_method_modifier {
        my ($self, $method_name, $method_modifier) = @_;
        (defined $method_name && $method_name)
            || confess "You must pass in a method name";    
        my $method = $fetch_and_prepare_method->($self, $method_name);
        $method->add_after_modifier(subname ':after' => $method_modifier);
    }
    
    sub add_around_method_modifier {
        my ($self, $method_name, $method_modifier) = @_;
        (defined $method_name && $method_name)
            || confess "You must pass in a method name";
        my $method = $fetch_and_prepare_method->($self, $method_name);
        $method->add_around_modifier(subname ':around' => $method_modifier);
    }   

    # NOTE: 
    # the methods above used to be named like this:
    #    ${pkg}::${method}:(before|after|around)
    # but this proved problematic when using one modifier
    # to wrap multiple methods (something which is likely
    # to happen pretty regularly IMO). So instead of naming
    # it like this, I have chosen to just name them purely 
    # with their modifier names, like so:
    #    :(before|after|around)
    # The fact is that in a stack trace, it will be fairly 
    # evident from the context what method they are attached
    # to, and so don't need the fully qualified name.
}

sub alias_method {
    my ($self, $method_name, $method) = @_;
    (defined $method_name && $method_name)
        || confess "You must define a method name";
    # use reftype here to allow for blessed subs ...
    ('CODE' eq (reftype($method) || ''))
        || confess "Your code block must be a CODE reference";
    my $full_method_name = ($self->name . '::' . $method_name);

    $method = $self->method_metaclass->wrap($method) unless blessed($method);    
        
    no strict 'refs';
    no warnings 'redefine';
    *{$full_method_name} = $method;
}

sub has_method {
    my ($self, $method_name) = @_;
    (defined $method_name && $method_name)
        || confess "You must define a method name";    

    my $sub_name = ($self->name . '::' . $method_name);   
    
    no strict 'refs';
    return 0 if !defined(&{$sub_name});        
    my $method = \&{$sub_name};
    return 0 if (svref_2object($method)->GV->STASH->NAME || '') ne $self->name &&
                (svref_2object($method)->GV->NAME || '')        ne '__ANON__';      
    
    # at this point we are relatively sure 
    # it is our method, so we bless/wrap it 
    $self->method_metaclass->wrap($method) unless blessed($method);
    return 1;
}

sub get_method {
    my ($self, $method_name) = @_;
    (defined $method_name && $method_name)
        || confess "You must define a method name";

    return unless $self->has_method($method_name);

    no strict 'refs';    
    return \&{$self->name . '::' . $method_name};
}

sub remove_method {
    my ($self, $method_name) = @_;
    (defined $method_name && $method_name)
        || confess "You must define a method name";
    
    my $removed_method = $self->get_method($method_name);    
    
    no strict 'refs';
    delete ${$self->name . '::'}{$method_name}
        if defined $removed_method;
        
    return $removed_method;
}

sub get_method_list {
    my $self = shift;
    no strict 'refs';
    grep { $self->has_method($_) } %{$self->name . '::'};
}

sub compute_all_applicable_methods {
    my $self = shift;
    my @methods;
    # keep a record of what we have seen
    # here, this will handle all the 
    # inheritence issues because we are 
    # using the &class_precedence_list
    my (%seen_class, %seen_method);
    foreach my $class ($self->class_precedence_list()) {
        next if $seen_class{$class};
        $seen_class{$class}++;
        # fetch the meta-class ...
        my $meta = $self->initialize($class);
        foreach my $method_name ($meta->get_method_list()) { 
            next if exists $seen_method{$method_name};
            $seen_method{$method_name}++;
            push @methods => {
                name  => $method_name, 
                class => $class,
                code  => $meta->get_method($method_name)
            };
        }
    }
    return @methods;
}

sub find_all_methods_by_name {
    my ($self, $method_name) = @_;
    (defined $method_name && $method_name)
        || confess "You must define a method name to find";    
    my @methods;
    # keep a record of what we have seen
    # here, this will handle all the 
    # inheritence issues because we are 
    # using the &class_precedence_list
    my %seen_class;
    foreach my $class ($self->class_precedence_list()) {
        next if $seen_class{$class};
        $seen_class{$class}++;
        # fetch the meta-class ...
        my $meta = $self->initialize($class);
        push @methods => {
            name  => $method_name, 
            class => $class,
            code  => $meta->get_method($method_name)
        } if $meta->has_method($method_name);
    }
    return @methods;
}

sub find_next_method_by_name {
    my ($self, $method_name) = @_;
    (defined $method_name && $method_name)
        || confess "You must define a method name to find"; 
    # keep a record of what we have seen
    # here, this will handle all the 
    # inheritence issues because we are 
    # using the &class_precedence_list
    my %seen_class;
    my @cpl = $self->class_precedence_list();
    shift @cpl; # discard ourselves
    foreach my $class (@cpl) {
        next if $seen_class{$class};
        $seen_class{$class}++;
        # fetch the meta-class ...
        my $meta = $self->initialize($class);
        return $meta->get_method($method_name) 
            if $meta->has_method($method_name);
    }
    return;
}

## Attributes

sub add_attribute {
    my $self      = shift;
    # either we have an attribute object already
    # or we need to create one from the args provided
    my $attribute = blessed($_[0]) ? $_[0] : $self->attribute_metaclass->new(@_);
    # make sure it is derived from the correct type though
    ($attribute->isa('Class::MOP::Attribute'))
        || confess "Your attribute must be an instance of Class::MOP::Attribute (or a subclass)";    
    $attribute->attach_to_class($self);
    $attribute->install_accessors();
    $self->get_attribute_map->{$attribute->name} = $attribute;
}

sub has_attribute {
    my ($self, $attribute_name) = @_;
    (defined $attribute_name && $attribute_name)
        || confess "You must define an attribute name";
    exists $self->get_attribute_map->{$attribute_name} ? 1 : 0;    
} 

sub get_attribute {
    my ($self, $attribute_name) = @_;
    (defined $attribute_name && $attribute_name)
        || confess "You must define an attribute name";
    # OPTIMIZATION NOTE:
    # we used to say `if $self->has_attribute($attribute_name)` 
    # here, but since get_attribute is called so often, we 
    # eliminate the function call here
    return $self->{'%:attributes'}->{$attribute_name} 
        if exists $self->{'%:attributes'}->{$attribute_name};   
    return; 
} 

sub remove_attribute {
    my ($self, $attribute_name) = @_;
    (defined $attribute_name && $attribute_name)
        || confess "You must define an attribute name";
    my $removed_attribute = $self->get_attribute_map->{$attribute_name};    
    return unless defined $removed_attribute;
    delete $self->get_attribute_map->{$attribute_name};        
    $removed_attribute->remove_accessors(); 
    $removed_attribute->detach_from_class();
    return $removed_attribute;
} 

sub get_attribute_list {
    my $self = shift;
    # OPTIMIZATION NOTE:
    # We don't use get_attribute_map here because 
    # we ask for the attribute list quite often 
    # in compute_all_applicable_attributes, so 
    # eliminating the function call helps 
    keys %{$self->{'%:attributes'}};
} 

sub compute_all_applicable_attributes {
    my $self = shift;
    my @attrs;
    # keep a record of what we have seen
    # here, this will handle all the 
    # inheritence issues because we are 
    # using the &class_precedence_list
    my (%seen_class, %seen_attr);
    foreach my $class ($self->class_precedence_list()) {
        next if $seen_class{$class};
        $seen_class{$class}++;
        # fetch the meta-class ...
        # OPTIMIZATION NOTE:
        # we grab the metaclass from the %METAS 
        # hash here to save the initialize() call
        my $meta = $METAS{$class};
        foreach my $attr_name ($meta->get_attribute_list()) { 
            next if exists $seen_attr{$attr_name};
            $seen_attr{$attr_name}++;
            push @attrs => $meta->get_attribute($attr_name);
        }
    }
    return @attrs;    
}

sub find_attribute_by_name {
    my ($self, $attr_name) = @_;
    # keep a record of what we have seen
    # here, this will handle all the 
    # inheritence issues because we are 
    # using the &class_precedence_list
    my %seen_class;
    foreach my $class ($self->class_precedence_list()) {
        next if $seen_class{$class};
        $seen_class{$class}++;
        # fetch the meta-class ...
        my $meta = $self->initialize($class);
        return $meta->get_attribute($attr_name)
            if $meta->has_attribute($attr_name);
    }
    return;
}

# Class attributes

sub add_package_variable {
    my ($self, $variable, $initial_value) = @_;
    (defined $variable && $variable =~ /^[\$\@\%]/)
        || confess "variable name does not have a sigil";
    
    my ($sigil, $name) = ($variable =~ /^(.)(.*)$/); 
    if (defined $initial_value) {
        no strict 'refs';
        *{$self->name . '::' . $name} = $initial_value;
    }
    else {
        my $e;
        {        
            # NOTE:
            # We HAVE to localize $@ or all 
            # hell breaks loose. It is not 
            # good, believe me, not good.
            local $@;
            eval $sigil . $self->name . '::' . $name;
            $e = $@ if $@;            
        }
        confess "Could not create package variable ($variable) because : $e" if $e;
    }
}

sub has_package_variable {
    my ($self, $variable) = @_;
    (defined $variable && $variable =~ /^[\$\@\%]/)
        || confess "variable name does not have a sigil";
    my ($sigil, $name) = ($variable =~ /^(.)(.*)$/); 
    no strict 'refs';
    defined ${$self->name . '::'}{$name} ? 1 : 0;
}

sub get_package_variable {
    my ($self, $variable) = @_;
    (defined $variable && $variable =~ /^[\$\@\%]/)
        || confess "variable name does not have a sigil";
    my ($sigil, $name) = ($variable =~ /^(.)(.*)$/); 
    my ($ref, $e);
    {
        # NOTE:
        # We HAVE to localize $@ or all 
        # hell breaks loose. It is not 
        # good, believe me, not good.
        local $@;        
        $ref = eval '\\' . $sigil . $self->name . '::' . $name;
        $e = $@ if $@;
    }
    confess "Could not get the package variable ($variable) because : $e" if $e;    
    # if we didn't die, then we can return it
    return $ref;
}

sub remove_package_variable {
    my ($self, $variable) = @_;
    (defined $variable && $variable =~ /^[\$\@\%]/)
        || confess "variable name does not have a sigil";
    my ($sigil, $name) = ($variable =~ /^(.)(.*)$/); 
    no strict 'refs';
    delete ${$self->name . '::'}{$name};
}

1;

__END__

=pod

=head1 NAME 

Class::MOP::Class - Class Meta Object

=head1 SYNOPSIS

  # assuming that class Foo 
  # has been defined, you can
  
  # use this for introspection ...
  
  # add a method to Foo ...
  Foo->meta->add_method('bar' => sub { ... })
  
  # get a list of all the classes searched 
  # the method dispatcher in the correct order 
  Foo->meta->class_precedence_list()
  
  # remove a method from Foo
  Foo->meta->remove_method('bar');
  
  # or use this to actually create classes ...
  
  Class::MOP::Class->create('Bar' => '0.01' => (
      superclasses => [ 'Foo' ],
      attributes => [
          Class::MOP:::Attribute->new('$bar'),
          Class::MOP:::Attribute->new('$baz'),          
      ],
      methods => {
          calculate_bar => sub { ... },
          construct_baz => sub { ... }          
      }
  ));

=head1 DESCRIPTION

This is the largest and currently most complex part of the Perl 5 
meta-object protocol. It controls the introspection and 
manipulation of Perl 5 classes (and it can create them too). The 
best way to understand what this module can do, is to read the 
documentation for each of it's methods.

=head1 METHODS

=head2 Self Introspection

=over 4

=item B<meta>

This will return a B<Class::MOP::Class> instance which is related 
to this class. Thereby allowing B<Class::MOP::Class> to actually 
introspect itself.

As with B<Class::MOP::Attribute>, 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 benifits 
of the MOP when subclassing it. 

=item B<get_all_metaclasses>

This will return an hash of all the metaclass instances that have 
been cached by B<Class::MOP::Class> keyed by the package name. 

=item B<get_all_metaclass_instances>

This will return an array of all the metaclass instances that have 
been cached by B<Class::MOP::Class>.

=item B<get_all_metaclass_names>

This will return an array of all the metaclass names that have 
been cached by B<Class::MOP::Class>.

=back

=head2 Class construction

These methods will handle creating B<Class::MOP::Class> objects, 
which can be used to both create new classes, and analyze 
pre-existing classes. 

This module will internally store references to all the instances 
you create with these methods, so that they do not need to be 
created any more than nessecary. Basically, they are singletons.

=over 4

=item B<create ($package_name, ?$package_version,
                superclasses =E<gt> ?@superclasses, 
                methods      =E<gt> ?%methods, 
                attributes   =E<gt> ?%attributes)>

This returns a B<Class::MOP::Class> object, bringing the specified 
C<$package_name> into existence and adding any of the 
C<$package_version>, C<@superclasses>, C<%methods> and C<%attributes> 
to it.

=item B<create_anon_class (superclasses =E<gt> ?@superclasses, 
                           methods      =E<gt> ?%methods, 
                           attributes   =E<gt> ?%attributes)>

This will create an anonymous class, it works much like C<create> but 
it does not need a C<$package_name>. Instead it will create a suitably 
unique package name for you to stash things into.

=item B<initialize ($package_name)>

This initializes and returns returns a B<Class::MOP::Class> object 
for a given a C<$package_name>.

=item B<construct_class_instance (%options)>

This will construct an instance of B<Class::MOP::Class>, it is 
here so that we can actually "tie the knot" for B<Class::MOP::Class> 
to use C<construct_instance> once all the bootstrapping is done. This 
method is used internally by C<initialize> and should never be called
from outside of that method really.

=item B<check_metaclass_compatability>

This method is called as the very last thing in the 
C<construct_class_instance> method. This will check that the 
metaclass you are creating is compatible with the metaclasses of all 
your ancestors. For more inforamtion about metaclass compatibility 
see the C<About Metaclass compatibility> section in L<Class::MOP>.

=back

=head2 Object instance construction and cloning

These methods are B<entirely optional>, it is up to you whether you want 
to use them or not.

=over 4

=item B<instance_metaclass>

=item B<get_meta_instance>

=item B<new_object (%params)>

This is a convience method for creating a new object of the class, and 
blessing it into the appropriate package as well. Ideally your class 
would call a C<new> this method like so:

  sub MyClass::new { 
      my ($class, %param) = @_;
      $class->meta->new_object(%params);
  }

Of course the ideal place for this would actually be in C<UNIVERSAL::> 
but that is considered bad style, so we do not do that.

=item B<construct_instance (%params)>

This method is used to construct an instace structure suitable for 
C<bless>-ing into your package of choice. It works in conjunction 
with the Attribute protocol to collect all applicable attributes.

This will construct and instance using a HASH ref as storage 
(currently only HASH references are supported). This will collect all 
the applicable attributes and layout out the fields in the HASH ref, 
it will then initialize them using either use the corresponding key 
in C<%params> or any default value or initializer found in the 
attribute meta-object.

=item B<clone_object ($instance, %params)>

This is a convience method for cloning an object instance, then  
blessing it into the appropriate package. This method will call 
C<clone_instance>, which performs a shallow copy of the object, 
see that methods documentation for more details. Ideally your 
class would call a C<clone> this method like so:

  sub MyClass::clone {
      my ($self, %param) = @_;
      $self->meta->clone_object($self, %params);
  }

Of course the ideal place for this would actually be in C<UNIVERSAL::> 
but that is considered bad style, so we do not do that.

=item B<clone_instance($instance, %params)>

This method is a compliment of C<construct_instance> (which means if 
you override C<construct_instance>, you need to override this one too), 
and clones the instance shallowly.

The cloned structure returned is (like with C<construct_instance>) an 
unC<bless>ed HASH reference, it is your responsibility to then bless 
this cloned structure into the right class (which C<clone_object> will
do for you).

As of 0.11, this method will clone the C<$instance> structure shallowly, 
as opposed to the deep cloning implemented in prior versions. After much 
thought, research and discussion, I have decided that anything but basic 
shallow cloning is outside the scope of the meta-object protocol. I 
think Yuval "nothingmuch" Kogman put it best when he said that cloning 
is too I<context-specific> to be part of the MOP.

=back

=head2 Informational 

=over 4

=item B<name>

This is a read-only attribute which returns the package name for the 
given B<Class::MOP::Class> instance.

=item B<version>

This is a read-only attribute which returns the C<$VERSION> of the 
package for the given B<Class::MOP::Class> instance.

=back

=head2 Inheritance Relationships

=over 4

=item B<superclasses (?@superclasses)>

This is a read-write attribute which represents the superclass 
relationships of the class the B<Class::MOP::Class> instance is
associated with. Basically, it can get and set the C<@ISA> for you.

B<NOTE:>
Perl will occasionally perform some C<@ISA> and method caching, if 
you decide to change your superclass relationship at runtime (which 
is quite insane and very much not recommened), then you should be 
aware of this and the fact that this module does not make any 
attempt to address this issue.

=item B<class_precedence_list>

This computes the a list of all the class's ancestors in the same order 
in which method dispatch will be done. This is similair to 
what B<Class::ISA::super_path> does, but we don't remove duplicate names.

=back

=head2 Methods

=over 4

=item B<method_metaclass>

=item B<add_method ($method_name, $method)>

This will take a C<$method_name> and CODE reference to that 
C<$method> and install it into the class's package. 

B<NOTE>: 
This does absolutely nothing special to C<$method> 
other than use B<Sub::Name> to make sure it is tagged with the 
correct name, and therefore show up correctly in stack traces and 
such.

=item B<alias_method ($method_name, $method)>

This will take a C<$method_name> and CODE reference to that 
C<$method> and alias the method into the class's package. 

B<NOTE>: 
Unlike C<add_method>, this will B<not> try to name the 
C<$method> using B<Sub::Name>, it only aliases the method in 
the class's package. 

=item B<has_method ($method_name)>

This just provides a simple way to check if the class implements 
a specific C<$method_name>. It will I<not> however, attempt to check 
if the class inherits the method (use C<UNIVERSAL::can> for that).

This will correctly handle functions defined outside of the package 
that use a fully qualified name (C<sub Package::name { ... }>).

This will correctly handle functions renamed with B<Sub::Name> and 
installed using the symbol tables. However, if you are naming the 
subroutine outside of the package scope, you must use the fully 
qualified name, including the package name, for C<has_method> to 
correctly identify it. 

This will attempt to correctly ignore functions imported from other 
packages using B<Exporter>. It breaks down if the function imported 
is an C<__ANON__> sub (such as with C<use constant>), which very well 
may be a valid method being applied to the class. 

In short, this method cannot always be trusted to determine if the 
C<$method_name> is actually a method. However, it will DWIM about 
90% of the time, so it's a small trade off I think.

=item B<get_method ($method_name)>

This will return a CODE reference of the specified C<$method_name>, 
or return undef if that method does not exist.

=item B<remove_method ($method_name)>

This will attempt to remove a given C<$method_name> from the class. 
It will return the CODE reference that it has removed, and will 
attempt to use B<Sub::Name> to clear the methods associated name.

=item B<get_method_list>

This will return a list of method names for all I<locally> defined 
methods. It does B<not> provide a list of all applicable methods, 
including any inherited ones. If you want a list of all applicable 
methods, use the C<compute_all_applicable_methods> method.

=item B<compute_all_applicable_methods>

This will return a list of all the methods names this class will 
respond to, taking into account inheritance. The list will be a list of 
HASH references, each one containing the following information; method 
name, the name of the class in which the method lives and a CODE 
reference for the actual method.

=item B<find_all_methods_by_name ($method_name)>

This will traverse the inheritence hierarchy and locate all methods 
with a given C<$method_name>. Similar to 
C<compute_all_applicable_methods> it returns a list of HASH references 
with the following information; method name (which will always be the 
same as C<$method_name>), the name of the class in which the method 
lives and a CODE reference for the actual method.

The list of methods produced is a distinct list, meaning there are no 
duplicates in it. This is especially useful for things like object 
initialization and destruction where you only want the method called 
once, and in the correct order.

=item B<find_next_method_by_name ($method_name)>

This will return the first method to match a given C<$method_name> in 
the superclasses, this is basically equivalent to calling 
C<SUPER::$method_name>, but it can be dispatched at runtime.

=back

=head2 Method Modifiers

Method modifiers are a concept borrowed from CLOS, in which a method 
can be wrapped with I<before>, I<after> and I<around> method modifiers 
that will be called everytime the method is called. 

=head3 How method modifiers work?

Method modifiers work by wrapping the original method and then replacing 
it in the classes symbol table. The wrappers will handle calling all the 
modifiers in the appropariate orders and preserving the calling context 
for the original method. 

Each method modifier serves a particular purpose, which may not be 
obvious to users of other method wrapping modules. To start with, the 
return values of I<before> and I<after> modifiers are ignored. This is 
because thier purpose is B<not> to filter the input and output of the 
primary method (this is done with an I<around> modifier). This may seem 
like an odd restriction to some, but doing this allows for simple code 
to be added at the begining or end of a method call without jeapordizing 
the normal functioning of the primary method or placing any extra 
responsibility on the code of the modifier. Of course if you have more 
complex needs, then use the I<around> modifier, which uses a variation 
of continutation passing style to allow for a high degree of flexibility. 

Before and around modifiers are called in last-defined-first-called order, 
while after modifiers are called in first-defined-first-called order. So 
the call tree might looks something like this:
  
  before 2
   before 1
    around 2
     around 1
      primary
     after 1
    after 2

To see examples of using method modifiers, see the following examples 
included in the distribution; F<InstanceCountingClass>, F<Perl6Attribute>, 
F<AttributesWithHistory> and F<C3MethodDispatchOrder>. There is also a 
classic CLOS usage example in the test F<017_add_method_modifier.t>.

=head3 What is the performance impact?

Of course there is a performance cost associated with method modifiers, 
but we have made every effort to make that cost be directly proportional 
to the amount of modifier features you utilize.

The wrapping method does it's best to B<only> do as much work as it 
absolutely needs to. In order to do this we have moved some of the 
performance costs to set-up time, where they are easier to amortize.

All this said, my benchmarks have indicated the following:

  simple wrapper with no modifiers             100% slower
  simple wrapper with simple before modifier   400% slower
  simple wrapper with simple after modifier    450% slower
  simple wrapper with simple around modifier   500-550% slower
  simple wrapper with all 3 modifiers          1100% slower

These numbers may seem daunting, but you must remember, every feature 
comes with some cost. To put things in perspective, just doing a simple 
C<AUTOLOAD> which does nothing but extract the name of the method called
and return it costs about 400% over a normal method call. 

=over 4

=item B<add_before_method_modifier ($method_name, $code)>

This will wrap the method at C<$method_name> and the supplied C<$code> 
will be passed the C<@_> arguments, and called before the original 
method is called. As specified above, the return value of the I<before> 
method modifiers is ignored, and it's ability to modify C<@_> is 
fairly limited. If you need to do either of these things, use an 
C<around> method modifier.

=item B<add_after_method_modifier ($method_name, $code)>

This will wrap the method at C<$method_name> so that the original 
method will be called, it's return values stashed, and then the 
supplied C<$code> will be passed the C<@_> arguments, and called.
As specified above, the return value of the I<after> method 
modifiers is ignored, and it cannot modify the return values of 
the original method. If you need to do either of these things, use an 
C<around> method modifier.

=item B<add_around_method_modifier ($method_name, $code)>

This will wrap the method at C<$method_name> so that C<$code> 
will be called and passed the original method as an extra argument 
at the begining of the C<@_> argument list. This is a variation of 
continuation passing style, where the function prepended to C<@_> 
can be considered a continuation. It is up to C<$code> if it calls 
the original method or not, there is no restriction on what the 
C<$code> can or cannot do.

=back

=head2 Attributes

It should be noted that since there is no one consistent way to define 
the attributes of a class in Perl 5. These methods can only work with 
the information given, and can not easily discover information on 
their own. See L<Class::MOP::Attribute> for more details.

=over 4

=item B<attribute_metaclass>

=item B<get_attribute_map>

=item B<add_attribute ($attribute_name, $attribute_meta_object)>

This stores a C<$attribute_meta_object> in the B<Class::MOP::Class> 
instance associated with the given class, and associates it with 
the C<$attribute_name>. Unlike methods, attributes within the MOP 
are stored as meta-information only. They will be used later to 
construct instances from (see C<construct_instance> above).
More details about the attribute meta-objects can be found in the 
L<Class::MOP::Attribute> or the L<Class::MOP/The Attribute protocol>
section.

It should be noted that any accessor, reader/writer or predicate 
methods which the C<$attribute_meta_object> has will be installed 
into the class at this time.

=item B<has_attribute ($attribute_name)>

Checks to see if this class has an attribute by the name of 
C<$attribute_name> and returns a boolean.

=item B<get_attribute ($attribute_name)>

Returns the attribute meta-object associated with C<$attribute_name>, 
if none is found, it will return undef. 

=item B<remove_attribute ($attribute_name)>

This will remove the attribute meta-object stored at 
C<$attribute_name>, then return the removed attribute meta-object. 

B<NOTE:> 
Removing an attribute will only affect future instances of 
the class, it will not make any attempt to remove the attribute from 
any existing instances of the class.

It should be noted that any accessor, reader/writer or predicate 
methods which the attribute meta-object stored at C<$attribute_name> 
has will be removed from the class at this time. This B<will> make 
these attributes somewhat inaccessable in previously created 
instances. But if you are crazy enough to do this at runtime, then 
you are crazy enough to deal with something like this :).

=item B<get_attribute_list>

This returns a list of attribute names which are defined in the local 
class. If you want a list of all applicable attributes for a class, 
use the C<compute_all_applicable_attributes> method.

=item B<compute_all_applicable_attributes>

This will traverse the inheritance heirachy and return a list of all 
the applicable attributes for this class. It does not construct a 
HASH reference like C<compute_all_applicable_methods> because all 
that same information is discoverable through the attribute 
meta-object itself.

=item B<find_attribute_by_name ($attr_name)>

This method will traverse the inheritance heirachy and find the 
first attribute whose name matches C<$attr_name>, then return it. 
It will return undef if nothing is found.

=back

=head2 Package Variables

Since Perl's classes are built atop the Perl package system, it is 
fairly common to use package scoped variables for things like static 
class variables. The following methods are convience methods for 
the creation and inspection of package scoped variables.

=over 4

=item B<add_package_variable ($variable_name, ?$initial_value)>

Given a C<$variable_name>, which must contain a leading sigil, this 
method will create that variable within the package which houses the 
class. It also takes an optional C<$initial_value>, which must be a 
reference of the same type as the sigil of the C<$variable_name> 
implies.

=item B<get_package_variable ($variable_name)>

This will return a reference to the package variable in 
C<$variable_name>. 

=item B<has_package_variable ($variable_name)>

Returns true (C<1>) if there is a package variable defined for 
C<$variable_name>, and false (C<0>) otherwise.

=item B<remove_package_variable ($variable_name)>

This will attempt to remove the package variable at C<$variable_name>.

=back

=head1 AUTHOR

Stevan Little E<lt>stevan@iinteractive.comE<gt>

=head1 COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright 2006 by Infinity Interactive, Inc.

L<http://www.iinteractive.com>

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the same terms as Perl itself. 

=cutchistian