Mac Easy 2010 May/Mac Life Ubuntu.iso/casper/filesystem.squashfs/usr/share/perl5/Class/Accessor.pm

Perl POD Document | 2007-10-23 | 17.8 KB | 676 lines

package Class::Accessor;
require 5.00502;
use strict;
$Class::Accessor::VERSION = '0.31';

=head1 NAME

  Class::Accessor - Automated accessor generation

=head1 SYNOPSIS

  package Employee;
  use base qw(Class::Accessor);
  Employee->mk_accessors(qw(name role salary));

  # Meanwhile, in a nearby piece of code!
  # Class::Accessor provides new().
  my $mp = Foo->new({ name => "Marty", role => "JAPH" });

  my $job = $mp->role;  # gets $mp->{role}
  $mp->salary(400000);  # sets $mp->{salary} = 400000 (I wish)

  # like my @info = @{$mp}{qw(name role)}
  my @info = $mp->get(qw(name role));

  # $mp->{salary} = 400000
  $mp->set('salary', 400000);


=head1 DESCRIPTION

This module automagically generates accessors/mutators for your class.

Most of the time, writing accessors is an exercise in cutting and
pasting.  You usually wind up with a series of methods like this:

    sub name {
        my $self = shift;
        if(@_) {
            $self->{name} = $_[0];
        }
        return $self->{name};
    }

    sub salary {
        my $self = shift;
        if(@_) {
            $self->{salary} = $_[0];
        }
        return $self->{salary};
    }

  # etc...

One for each piece of data in your object.  While some will be unique,
doing value checks and special storage tricks, most will simply be
exercises in repetition.  Not only is it Bad Style to have a bunch of
repetitious code, but it's also simply not lazy, which is the real
tragedy.

If you make your module a subclass of Class::Accessor and declare your
accessor fields with mk_accessors() then you'll find yourself with a
set of automatically generated accessors which can even be
customized!

The basic set up is very simple:

    package My::Class;
    use base qw(Class::Accessor);
    My::Class->mk_accessors( qw(foo bar car) );

Done.  My::Class now has simple foo(), bar() and car() accessors
defined.

=head2 What Makes This Different?

What makes this module special compared to all the other method
generating modules (L<"SEE ALSO">)?  By overriding the get() and set()
methods you can alter the behavior of the accessors class-wide.  Also,
the accessors are implemented as closures which should cost a bit less
memory than most other solutions which generate a new method for each
accessor.


=head1 METHODS

=head2 new

    my $obj = Class->new;
    my $obj = $other_obj->new;

    my $obj = Class->new(\%fields);
    my $obj = $other_obj->new(\%fields);

Class::Accessor provides a basic constructor.  It generates a
hash-based object and can be called as either a class method or an
object method.

It takes an optional %fields hash which is used to initialize the
object (handy if you use read-only accessors).  The fields of the hash
correspond to the names of your accessors, so...

    package Foo;
    use base qw(Class::Accessor);
    Foo->mk_accessors('foo');

    my $obj = Class->new({ foo => 42 });
    print $obj->foo;    # 42

however %fields can contain anything, new() will shove them all into
your object.  Don't like it?  Override it.

=cut

sub new {
    my($proto, $fields) = @_;
    my($class) = ref $proto || $proto;

    $fields = {} unless defined $fields;

    # make a copy of $fields.
    bless {%$fields}, $class;
}

=head2 mk_accessors

    Class->mk_accessors(@fields);

This creates accessor/mutator methods for each named field given in
@fields.  Foreach field in @fields it will generate two accessors.
One called "field()" and the other called "_field_accessor()".  For
example:

    # Generates foo(), _foo_accessor(), bar() and _bar_accessor().
    Class->mk_accessors(qw(foo bar));

See L<CAVEATS AND TRICKS/"Overriding autogenerated accessors">
for details.

=cut

sub mk_accessors {
    my($self, @fields) = @_;

    $self->_mk_accessors('rw', @fields);
}


{
    no strict 'refs';

    sub _mk_accessors {
        my($self, $access, @fields) = @_;
        my $class = ref $self || $self;
        my $ra = $access eq 'rw' || $access eq 'ro';
        my $wa = $access eq 'rw' || $access eq 'wo';

        foreach my $field (@fields) {
            my $accessor_name = $self->accessor_name_for($field);
            my $mutator_name = $self->mutator_name_for($field);
            if( $accessor_name eq 'DESTROY' or $mutator_name eq 'DESTROY' ) {
                $self->_carp("Having a data accessor named DESTROY  in '$class' is unwise.");
            }
            if ($accessor_name eq $mutator_name) {
                my $accessor;
                if ($ra && $wa) {
                    $accessor = $self->make_accessor($field);
                } elsif ($ra) {
                    $accessor = $self->make_ro_accessor($field);
                } else {
                    $accessor = $self->make_wo_accessor($field);
                }
                unless (defined &{"${class}::$accessor_name"}) {
                    *{"${class}::$accessor_name"} = $accessor;
                }
                if ($accessor_name eq $field) {
                    # the old behaviour
                    my $alias = "_${field}_accessor";
                    *{"${class}::$alias"} = $accessor unless defined &{"${class}::$alias"};
                }
            } else {
                if ($ra and not defined &{"${class}::$accessor_name"}) {
                    *{"${class}::$accessor_name"} = $self->make_ro_accessor($field);
                }
                if ($wa and not defined &{"${class}::$mutator_name"}) {
                    *{"${class}::$mutator_name"} = $self->make_wo_accessor($field);
                }
            }
        }
    }

    sub follow_best_practice {
        my($self) = @_;
        my $class = ref $self || $self;
        *{"${class}::accessor_name_for"}  = \&best_practice_accessor_name_for;
        *{"${class}::mutator_name_for"}  = \&best_practice_mutator_name_for;
    }

}

=head2 mk_ro_accessors

  Class->mk_ro_accessors(@read_only_fields);

Same as mk_accessors() except it will generate read-only accessors
(ie. true accessors).  If you attempt to set a value with these
accessors it will throw an exception.  It only uses get() and not
set().

    package Foo;
    use base qw(Class::Accessor);
    Class->mk_ro_accessors(qw(foo bar));

    # Let's assume we have an object $foo of class Foo...
    print $foo->foo;  # ok, prints whatever the value of $foo->{foo} is
    $foo->foo(42);    # BOOM!  Naughty you.


=cut

sub mk_ro_accessors {
    my($self, @fields) = @_;

    $self->_mk_accessors('ro', @fields);
}

=head2 mk_wo_accessors

  Class->mk_wo_accessors(@write_only_fields);

Same as mk_accessors() except it will generate write-only accessors
(ie. mutators).  If you attempt to read a value with these accessors
it will throw an exception.  It only uses set() and not get().

B<NOTE> I'm not entirely sure why this is useful, but I'm sure someone
will need it.  If you've found a use, let me know.  Right now it's here
for orthoginality and because it's easy to implement.

    package Foo;
    use base qw(Class::Accessor);
    Class->mk_wo_accessors(qw(foo bar));

    # Let's assume we have an object $foo of class Foo...
    $foo->foo(42);      # OK.  Sets $self->{foo} = 42
    print $foo->foo;    # BOOM!  Can't read from this accessor.

=cut

sub mk_wo_accessors {
    my($self, @fields) = @_;

    $self->_mk_accessors('wo', @fields);
}

=head1 DETAILS

An accessor generated by Class::Accessor looks something like
this:

    # Your foo may vary.
    sub foo {
        my($self) = shift;
        if(@_) {    # set
            return $self->set('foo', @_);
        }
        else {
            return $self->get('foo');
        }
    }

Very simple.  All it does is determine if you're wanting to set a
value or get a value and calls the appropriate method.
Class::Accessor provides default get() and set() methods which
your class can override.  They're detailed later.

=head2 follow_best_practice

In Damian's Perl Best Practices book he recommends separate get and set methods
with the prefix set_ and get_ to make it explicit what you intend to do.  If you
want to create those accessor methods instead of the default ones, call:

    __PACKAGE__->follow_best_practice

=head2 accessor_name_for / mutator_name_for

You may have your own crazy ideas for the names of the accessors, so you can
make those happen by overriding C<accessor_name_for> and C<mutator_name_for> in
your subclass.  (I copied that idea from Class::DBI.)

=cut

sub best_practice_accessor_name_for {
    my ($class, $field) = @_;
    return "get_$field";
}

sub best_practice_mutator_name_for {
    my ($class, $field) = @_;
    return "set_$field";
}

sub accessor_name_for {
    my ($class, $field) = @_;
    return $field;
}

sub mutator_name_for {
    my ($class, $field) = @_;
    return $field;
}

=head2 Modifying the behavior of the accessor

Rather than actually modifying the accessor itself, it is much more
sensible to simply override the two key methods which the accessor
calls.  Namely set() and get().

If you -really- want to, you can override make_accessor().

=head2 set

    $obj->set($key, $value);
    $obj->set($key, @values);

set() defines how generally one stores data in the object.

override this method to change how data is stored by your accessors.

=cut

sub set {
    my($self, $key) = splice(@_, 0, 2);

    if(@_ == 1) {
        $self->{$key} = $_[0];
    }
    elsif(@_ > 1) {
        $self->{$key} = [@_];
    }
    else {
        $self->_croak("Wrong number of arguments received");
    }
}

=head2 get

    $value  = $obj->get($key);
    @values = $obj->get(@keys);

get() defines how data is retreived from your objects.

override this method to change how it is retreived.

=cut

sub get {
    my $self = shift;

    if(@_ == 1) {
        return $self->{$_[0]};
    }
    elsif( @_ > 1 ) {
        return @{$self}{@_};
    }
    else {
        $self->_croak("Wrong number of arguments received");
    }
}

=head2 make_accessor

    $accessor = Class->make_accessor($field);

Generates a subroutine reference which acts as an accessor for the given
$field.  It calls get() and set().

If you wish to change the behavior of your accessors, try overriding
get() and set() before you start mucking with make_accessor().

=cut

sub make_accessor {
    my ($class, $field) = @_;

    # Build a closure around $field.
    return sub {
        my $self = shift;

        if(@_) {
            return $self->set($field, @_);
        }
        else {
            return $self->get($field);
        }
    };
}

=head2 make_ro_accessor

    $read_only_accessor = Class->make_ro_accessor($field);

Generates a subroutine refrence which acts as a read-only accessor for
the given $field.  It only calls get().

Override get() to change the behavior of your accessors.

=cut

sub make_ro_accessor {
    my($class, $field) = @_;

    return sub {
        my $self = shift;

        if (@_) {
            my $caller = caller;
            $self->_croak("'$caller' cannot alter the value of '$field' on objects of class '$class'");
        }
        else {
            return $self->get($field);
        }
    };
}

=head2 make_wo_accessor

    $read_only_accessor = Class->make_wo_accessor($field);

Generates a subroutine refrence which acts as a write-only accessor
(mutator) for the given $field.  It only calls set().

Override set() to change the behavior of your accessors.

=cut

sub make_wo_accessor {
    my($class, $field) = @_;

    return sub {
        my $self = shift;

        unless (@_) {
            my $caller = caller;
            $self->_croak("'$caller' cannot access the value of '$field' on objects of class '$class'");
        }
        else {
            return $self->set($field, @_);
        }
    };
}

=head1 EXCEPTIONS

If something goes wrong Class::Accessor will warn or die by calling Carp::carp
or Carp::croak.  If you don't like this you can override _carp() and _croak() in
your subclass and do whatever else you want.

=cut

use Carp ();

sub _carp {
    my ($self, $msg) = @_;
    Carp::carp($msg || $self);
    return;
}

sub _croak {
    my ($self, $msg) = @_;
    Carp::croak($msg || $self);
    return;
}

=head1 EFFICIENCY

Class::Accessor does not employ an autoloader, thus it is much faster
than you'd think.  Its generated methods incur no special penalty over
ones you'd write yourself.

  accessors:
               Rate   Basic Average    Fast  Faster  Direct
  Basic    189150/s      --    -42%    -51%    -55%    -89%
  Average  327679/s     73%      --    -16%    -22%    -82%
  Fast     389212/s    106%     19%      --     -8%    -78%
  Faster   421646/s    123%     29%      8%      --    -76%
  Direct  1771243/s    836%    441%    355%    320%      --

  mutators:
               Rate   Basic Average    Fast  Faster  Direct
  Basic    173769/s      --    -34%    -53%    -59%    -90%
  Average  263046/s     51%      --    -29%    -38%    -85%
  Fast     371158/s    114%     41%      --    -13%    -78%
  Faster   425821/s    145%     62%     15%      --    -75%
  Direct  1699081/s    878%    546%    358%    299%      --

Class::Accessor::Fast is faster than methods written by an average programmer
(where "average" is based on Schwern's example code).

Class::Accessor is slower than average, but more flexible.

Class::Accessor::Faster is even faster than Class::Accessor::Fast.  It uses an
array internally, not a hash.  This could be a good or bad feature depending on
your point of view.

Direct hash access is, of course, much faster than all of these, but it
provides no encapsulation.

Of course, it's not as simple as saying "Class::Accessor is slower than
average".  These are benchmarks for a simple accessor.  If your accessors do
any sort of complicated work (such as talking to a database or writing to a
file) the time spent doing that work will quickly swamp the time spend just
calling the accessor.  In that case, Class::Accessor and the ones you write
will be roughly the same speed.


=head1 EXAMPLES

Here's an example of generating an accessor for every public field of
your class.

    package Altoids;

    use base qw(Class::Accessor Class::Fields);
    use fields qw(curiously strong mints);
    Altoids->mk_accessors( Altoids->show_fields('Public') );

    sub new {
        my $proto = shift;
        my $class = ref $proto || $proto;
        return fields::new($class);
    }

    my Altoids $tin = Altoids->new;

    $tin->curiously('Curiouser and curiouser');
    print $tin->{curiously};    # prints 'Curiouser and curiouser'


    # Subclassing works, too.
    package Mint::Snuff;
    use base qw(Altoids);

    my Mint::Snuff $pouch = Mint::Snuff->new;
    $pouch->strong('Blow your head off!');
    print $pouch->{strong};     # prints 'Blow your head off!'


Here's a simple example of altering the behavior of your accessors.

    package Foo;
    use base qw(Class::Accessor);
    Foo->mk_accessor(qw(this that up down));

    sub get {
        my $self = shift;

        # Note every time someone gets some data.
        print STDERR "Getting @_\n";

        $self->SUPER::get(@_);
    }

    sub set {
        my ($self, $key) = splice(@_, 0, 2);

        # Note every time someone sets some data.
        print STDERR "Setting $key to @_\n";

        $self->SUPER::set($key, @_);
    }


=head1 CAVEATS AND TRICKS

Class::Accessor has to do some internal wackiness to get its
job done quickly and efficiently.  Because of this, there's a few
tricks and traps one must know about.

Hey, nothing's perfect.

=head2 Don't make a field called DESTROY

This is bad.  Since DESTROY is a magical method it would be bad for us
to define an accessor using that name.  Class::Accessor will
carp if you try to use it with a field named "DESTROY".

=head2 Overriding autogenerated accessors

You may want to override the autogenerated accessor with your own, yet
have your custom accessor call the default one.  For instance, maybe
you want to have an accessor which checks its input.  Normally, one
would expect this to work:

    package Foo;
    use base qw(Class::Accessor);
    Foo->mk_accessors(qw(email this that whatever));

    # Only accept addresses which look valid.
    sub email {
        my($self) = shift;
        my($email) = @_;

        if( @_ ) {  # Setting
            require Email::Valid;
            unless( Email::Valid->address($email) ) {
                carp("$email doesn't look like a valid address.");
                return;
            }
        }

        return $self->SUPER::email(@_);
    }

There's a subtle problem in the last example, and it's in this line:

    return $self->SUPER::email(@_);

If we look at how Foo was defined, it called mk_accessors() which
stuck email() right into Foo's namespace.  There *is* no
SUPER::email() to delegate to!  Two ways around this... first is to
make a "pure" base class for Foo.  This pure class will generate the
accessors and provide the necessary super class for Foo to use:

    package Pure::Organic::Foo;
    use base qw(Class::Accessor);
    Pure::Organic::Foo->mk_accessors(qw(email this that whatever));

    package Foo;
    use base qw(Pure::Organic::Foo);

And now Foo::email() can override the generated
Pure::Organic::Foo::email() and use it as SUPER::email().

This is probably the most obvious solution to everyone but me.
Instead, what first made sense to me was for mk_accessors() to define
an alias of email(), _email_accessor().  Using this solution,
Foo::email() would be written with:

    return $self->_email_accessor(@_);

instead of the expected SUPER::email().


=head1 AUTHORS

Copyright 2007 Marty Pauley <[e-mail]>

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the same terms as Perl itself.  That means either (a) the GNU General Public
License or (b) the Artistic License.

=head2 ORIGINAL AUTHOR

Michael G Schwern <[e-mail]>

=head2 THANKS

Liz and RUZ for performance tweaks.

Tels, for his big feature request/bug report.


=head1 SEE ALSO

L<Class::Accessor::Fast>

These are some modules which do similar things in different ways
L<Class::Struct>, L<Class::Methodmaker>, L<Class::Generate>,
L<Class::Class>, L<Class::Contract>

L<Class::DBI> for an example of this module in use.

=cut

1;