Hello,


I cannot find a way to define methods (I mean "member functions) outside the main type-definition body:

struct X {}
void X.say () {writeln("I say!");}
==>
Element.d(85): semicolon expected, not '.'

Do I overlook anything, or is this simply impossible? In the latter case, what is the problem? (In many languages, not only dynamic ones, method are or at least can be defined apart.)


Denis
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
vit esse estrany ☣

spir.wikidot.com

spir:

> Do I overlook anything, or is this simply impossible?

Even if you find some trick to do it, it's not the D way. A language syntax is defined by its conventions too.

Bye,
bearophile

On 12/18/10 07:19, spir wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> 
> I cannot find a way to define methods (I mean "member functions) outside the main type-definition body:
> 
> struct X {}
> void X.say () {writeln("I say!");}
> ==>
> Element.d(85): semicolon expected, not '.'
> 
> Do I overlook anything, or is this simply impossible? In the latter case, what is the problem? (In many languages, not only dynamic ones, method are or at least can be defined apart.)
> 
> 
> Denis
> -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> vit esse estrany ☣
> 
> spir.wikidot.com
> 

As bearophile says, it just isn't the "D way" to do things.

But, if you absolutely must (or just want to, for "playing" sakes) there
are ways of faking it using opDispatch.  Here's one I just tossed
together and tested (DMD 2.050) right now.

--------------------------------------------------
import std.stdio;

class Foo {

	static addExternalMethod( void function( Foo ) fp, string id ) {
		_methodRegistry[ id ] = fp;
	}

	private static void function( Foo )[ string ] _methodRegistry;

	this ( string name ) {
		_name = name;
	}

	@property const
	string name () { return _name; }

	private string _name;

	void opDispatch ( string Id ) () {
		if ( auto fp = Id in _methodRegistry ) {
			(*fp)( this );
		}
	}

}

void _foo_sayHello (Foo self) {
	writefln( "Hello, I am %s.", self.name );
}

static this () {
	Foo.addExternalMethod( &_foo_sayHello, "sayHello" );
}

void main () {
	auto foo = new Foo( "Grant" );
	foo.sayHello();
}
--------------------------------------------------

Of course, there is the obvious issue of the 'method' signatures having
to be the same, in this case.  You'd have to find a better solution to
the 'registry' issue, at the very least, in order to make it really usable.

Generally speaking, though, I'm not sure what the real value would be in doing this in D.  Did you have a particular use case in mind, or was it just idle exploration?

-- Chris N-S

On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 03:37:37 -0600
Christopher Nicholson-Sauls <ibisbasenji@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 12/18/10 07:19, spir wrote:
> > Hello,
> > 
> > 
> > I cannot find a way to define methods (I mean "member functions) outside the main type-definition body:
> > 
> > struct X {}
> > void X.say () {writeln("I say!");}
> > ==>
> > Element.d(85): semicolon expected, not '.'
> > 
> > Do I overlook anything, or is this simply impossible? In the latter case, what is the problem? (In many languages, not only dynamic ones, method are or at least can be defined apart.)
> > 
> > 
> > Denis
> > -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> > vit esse estrany ☣
> > 
> > spir.wikidot.com
> > 
> 
> As bearophile says, it just isn't the "D way" to do things.
> 
> But, if you absolutely must (or just want to, for "playing" sakes) there
> are ways of faking it using opDispatch.  Here's one I just tossed
> together and tested (DMD 2.050) right now.
> 
> [code snipped]
>
> Generally speaking, though, I'm not sure what the real value would be in doing this in D.  Did you have a particular use case in mind, or was it just idle exploration?

Thank you very for this example use of opdispatch :-)
I'm still exploring the language (which I like very much, except for some given features *). Actually, I just wanted to know whether it's possible, because I'm used to this way and find it more practicle or readable in various cases. But it is not a problem.

Denis

(*) Some inherited from C/C++ (unhelpful syntax or semantics, mainly), some among the newest (too abstract or complicated, i'd say).
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
vit esse estrany ☣

spir.wikidot.com

On 12/19/10 06:52, spir wrote:
> On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 03:37:37 -0600
> Christopher Nicholson-Sauls <ibisbasenji@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> On 12/18/10 07:19, spir wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>>
>>> I cannot find a way to define methods (I mean "member functions) outside the main type-definition body:
>>>
>>> struct X {}
>>> void X.say () {writeln("I say!");}
>>> ==>
>>> Element.d(85): semicolon expected, not '.'
>>>
>>> Do I overlook anything, or is this simply impossible? In the latter case, what is the problem? (In many languages, not only dynamic ones, method are or at least can be defined apart.)
>>>
>>>
>>> Denis
>>> -- -- -- -- -- -- --
>>> vit esse estrany ☣
>>>
>>> spir.wikidot.com
>>>
>>
>> As bearophile says, it just isn't the "D way" to do things.
>>
>> But, if you absolutely must (or just want to, for "playing" sakes) there
>> are ways of faking it using opDispatch.  Here's one I just tossed
>> together and tested (DMD 2.050) right now.
>>
>> [code snipped]
>>
>> Generally speaking, though, I'm not sure what the real value would be in doing this in D.  Did you have a particular use case in mind, or was it just idle exploration?
> 
> Thank you very for this example use of opdispatch :-)
> I'm still exploring the language (which I like very much, except for some given features *). Actually, I just wanted to know whether it's possible, because I'm used to this way and find it more practicle or readable in various cases. But it is not a problem.
> 
> Denis
> 
> (*) Some inherited from C/C++ (unhelpful syntax or semantics, mainly), some among the newest (too abstract or complicated, i'd say).
> -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> vit esse estrany ☣
> 
> spir.wikidot.com
> 

No problem.  opDispatch has a number of possible uses.  Another thing I've done with it before is to wrap the message passing system from std.concurrency, to ease defining message protocols.  Basically I define a message as a struct, then define an opDispatch that looks for the pattern 'sendBLAH(...)' and forwards that to 'tid.send(BLAHMessage(...), thisTid())' auto-magically.  To make it really magical I had to create some code-generation for the receiving end so it would provide an argument to receive/receiveTimeout for each handleBLAH method I define.

It had a few little bugs/quirks though, which is why I haven't ever shared it.

-- Chris N-S