0.03, C3 reqs and loading mro.pm

[gitmo/MRO-Compat.git] / README

NAME
    MRO::Compat - mro::* interface compatibility for Perls < 5.9.5

SYNOPSIS
       package FooClass; use base qw/X Y Z/;
       package X;        use base qw/ZZZ/;
       package Y;        use base qw/ZZZ/;
       package Z;        use base qw/ZZZ/;

       package main;
       use MRO::Compat;
       my $linear = mro::get_linear_isa('FooClass');
       print join(q{, }, @$linear);

       # Prints: "FooClass, X, ZZZ, Y, Z"

DESCRIPTION
    The "mro" namespace provides several utilities for dealing with method
    resolution order and method caching in general in Perl 5.9.5 and higher.

    This module provides those interfaces for earlier versions of Perl (back
    to 5.6.0 anyways).

    It is a harmless no-op to use this module on 5.9.5+. If you're writing a
    piece of software that would like to use the parts of 5.9.5+'s mro::
    interfaces that are supported here, and you want compatibility with
    older Perls, this is the module for you.

    Some parts of this interface will work better with Class::C3::XS
    installed, but it's not a requirement.

    This module never exports any functions. All calls must be fully
    qualified with the "mro::" prefix.

    The interface documentation here serves only as a quick reference of
    what the function basically does, and what differences between
    MRO::Compat and 5.9.5+ one should look out for. The main docs in 5.9.5's
    mro are the real interface docs, and contain a lot of other useful
    information.

VERSION 0.02
    This is the first release of this new module, and on top of that, the
    Perl 5.9.5 it seeks to provide compatibility with isn't even out yet.

    If you're going to use/depend on this, please keep abreast of possible
    interface changes in the next few versions. Once Perl 5.9.5 is out the
    door the interfaces should stabilize on whatever 5.9.5 has to offer. In
    the meantime, don't be surprised if MRO::Compat and 5.9.5's interfaces
    aren't perfectly in sync at all times.

Functions
  mro::get_linear_isa($classname[, $type])
    Returns an arrayref which is the linearized MRO of the given class. Uses
    whichever MRO is currently in effect for that class by default, or the
    given MRO (either "c3" or "dfs" if specified as $type).

    The linearized MRO of a class is a single ordered list of all of the
    classes that would be visited in the process of resolving a method on
    the given class, starting with itself. It does not include any duplicate
    entries.

    Note that "UNIVERSAL" (and any members of "UNIVERSAL"'s MRO) are not
    part of the MRO of a class, even though all classes implicitly inherit
    methods from "UNIVERSAL" and its parents.

  mro::import
    This allows the "use mro 'dfs'" and "use mro 'c3'" syntaxes, providing
    you "use MRO::Compat" first. Please see the "USING C3" section for
    additional details.

  mro::set_mro($classname, $type)
    Sets the mro of $classname to one of the types "dfs" or "c3". Please see
    the "USING C3" section for additional details.

  mro::get_mro($classname)
    Returns the MRO of the given class (either "c3" or "dfs").

    It considers any Class::C3-using class to have C3 MRO even before
    Class::C3::initialize() is called.

  mro::get_isarev($classname)
    Returns an arrayref of classes who are subclasses of the given
    classname. In other words, classes who we exist, however indirectly, in
    the @ISA inheritancy hierarchy of.

    This is much slower on pre-5.9.5 Perls with MRO::Compat than it is on
    5.9.5+, as it has to search the entire package namespace.

  mro::is_universal($classname)
    Returns a boolean status indicating whether or not the given classname
    is either "UNIVERSAL" itself, or one of "UNIVERSAL"'s parents by @ISA
    inheritance.

    Any class for which this function returns true is "universal" in the
    sense that all classes potentially inherit methods from it.

  mro::invalidate_all_method_caches
    Increments "PL_sub_generation", which invalidates method caching in all
    packages.

    Please note that this is rarely necessary, unless you are dealing with a
    situation which is known to confuse Perl's method caching.

  mro::method_changed_in($classname)
    Invalidates the method cache of any classes dependent on the given
    class. In MRO::Compat on pre-5.9.5 Perls, this is an alias for
    "mro::invalidate_all_method_caches" above, as pre-5.9.5 Perls have no
    other way to do this. It will still enforce the requirement that you
    pass it a classname, for compatibility.

    Please note that this is rarely necessary, unless you are dealing with a
    situation which is known to confuse Perl's method caching.

  mro::get_pkg_gen($classname)
    Returns an integer which is incremented every time a local method of or
    the @ISA of the given package changes on Perl 5.9.5+. On earlier Perls
    with this MRO::Compat module, it will probably increment a lot more
    often than necessary.

USING C3
    While this module makes the 5.9.5+ syntaxes "use mro 'c3'" and
    "mro::set_mro("Foo", 'c3')" available on older Perls, it does so merely
    by passing off the work to Class::C3.

    It does not remove the need for you to call Class::C3's "initialize()",
    "reinitialize()", and/or "uninitialize()" at the appropriate times as
    documented in the Class::C3 docs.

    Because MRO::Compat has Class::C3 as a pre-requisite, and requires it at
    "use" time, you can blindly call those functions in code that uses
    MRO::Compat. Under 5.9.5+ with MRO::Compat, your calls to those
    functions will become a no-op and everything will work fine.

SEE ALSO
    Class::C3

    mro

AUTHOR
    Brandon L. Black, <blblack@gmail.com>

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
    Copyright 2007 Brandon L. Black <blblack@gmail.com>

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