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at:tutorial:objects

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In this section, we explain how the object-oriented programming paradigm is implemented in AmbientTalk.

Objects, fields and methods

In AmbientTalk, objects are not instantiated from classes. Rather, they are either created ex-nihilo or by cloning and adapting existing objects, like prototypes in the SELF programming language. The definition of such a prototypical object contains a number of fields and methods that represent the object's state and behaviour respectively.

The following code illustrates the ex-nihilo creation of an object:

> def Point := object: { 
    def x := 0;
    def y := 0;
    def init(xCoord,yCoord) {
      x := xCoord;
      y := yCoord;
    };
    def sumOfSquares() { x*x + y*y };
  }
>><object:439658>

As all definitions in AmbientTalk, objects, fields and methods are defined using the def keyword. Fields are defined using a def name := value syntax while methods are defined using a name(parameters) {body} syntax.

Note that AmbientTalk not only supports traditional canonical syntax (e.g. o.m(a,b,c)) but also keyworded syntax (e.g. o.at: key put: value) for method definitions and message sends, as in SmallTalk.

In the example above, the state of the Point object is composed of x and y fields and its behaviour corresponds to the init and sumOfSquares methods. This object can be instantiated to create new points as follows:

> def aPoint := Point.new(2,3)
>><object:13393187>

Every object understands the message new, which creates a clone (a shallow copy) of the receiver object and initializes the clone by invoking its init method with the arguments that were passed to new (xCoord and yCoord in the example of the Point object). Hence, the init method plays the role of “constructor” for AmbientTalk objects. AmbientTalk’s object instantiation protocol closely corresponds to class instantiation in class-based languages, except that the new object is a clone of an existing object, rather than an empty object allocated from a class. We further explain the semantics of object cloning in subsection Delegation and cloning.

Sending messages

In AmbientTalk, computation is expressed in terms of objects sending messages to one another. Messages are used to invoke the fields and methods of the objects.

> aPoint.x
>>2
> aPoint.sumOfSquares()
>>13

This code shows two messages sent to the aPoint object defined above in this section. The x message acts as an accessor for the x field. The sumOfSquares message select the sumOfSquares method evaluates its body.

Cloning and instantiation

Delegation and Dynamic Inheritance

Delegation and cloning

First-class Delegation

Encapsulation

at/tutorial/objects.1182948278.txt.gz · Last modified: 2007/06/29 08:11 (external edit)