NAME

Object::group - Pragma to implement group of properties

VERSION 1.4

Included in OOTools 1.4 distribution. The distribution includes:

• Class::constr

  Pragma to implement constructor methods

• Class::props

  Pragma to implement lvalue accessors with options

• Class::group

  Pragma to implement group of properties accessors with options

• Object::props

  Pragma to implement lvalue accessors with options

• Object::group

  Pragma to implement group of properties accessors with options

SYNOPSIS

Class

package MyClass ;

# creates constructor method
use Class::costr ;

# implement group method without options
use Object::group { name  => 'myGroup' ,
                    props => [qw(prop1 prop2)]
                  } ;

# with options
use Object::group { name      => 'myOtherGroup' ,
                    no_strict => 1  ;
                    props => [ { name    => [qw(prop3 prop4)] ,
                                 default => 'something'
                               }
                             ]
                  } ;

Usage

my $object = MyClass->new ;

$object->myGroup( prop1 => 1 ,
                  prop2 => 2 ) ;

my @keys     = $object->myGroup
my $hash_ref = $object->myGroup

my $value = $object->prop2 ;             # $value == 2
   $value = $object->myGroup('prop2') ;  # $value == 2
   $value = $hash_ref->{prop2} ;         # $value == 2
   $value = $object->{myGroup}{prop2} ;  # $value == 2

# the default will initialize the hash reference
my $other_hash_ref = $object->myOtherGroup
   $value = $other_hash_ref->{prop3}     # $value eq 'something'
   
# adding a unknow property (see no_strict)
$object->myOtherGroup(prop5 => 5) ;

DESCRIPTION

This pragma easily implements accessor methods for group of properties.

It creates an accessor method for each property in the props option as you where using the Object::props pragma, and creates an accessor method for the group.

Note: The grouped properties will be stored in e.g. $Object-{group}{property}> instead of the usual $Object-{property}>

Whit the accessor method for the group you can:

• set a group of properties by passing an hash of values to the accessor

• retrieve (in list context) the list of the names of the (already defined) properties of the group

• retrieve (in scalar context) the reference to the underlying hash containing the grouped properties.

Note: The underlaying hash contains:

• all the already set properties of the class and base classes

• all the properties with a default or rt_default option (of the class and base classes, even if they have not been set yet)

INSTALLATION

Prerequisites

Perl version >= 5.6.1

CPAN

perl -MCPAN -e 'install OOTools'

Standard installation

From the directory where this file is located, type:

perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

OPTIONS

name

The name of the group method.

no_strict

With no_strict option set to a true value, the method accepts and sets also unknown properties (i.e. not predeclared). You have to access the unknown properties without any accessor method. All the other options will work as expected. Without this option the method will croak if any property does not have an accessor method.

props

This option creates the same properties accessor methods as you would use directly the Object::props pragma. It accepts a reference to an array, containing the same structured parameters as such accepted by the Object::props pragma.

SUPPORT and FEEDBACK

I would like to have just a line of feedback from everybody who tries or actually uses this module. PLEASE, write me any comment, suggestion or request. ;-)

More information at http://perl.4pro.net/?Object::group.

AUTHOR and COPYRIGHT

© 2003 by Domizio Demichelis <dd@4pro.net>.

All Rights Reserved. This module is free software. It may be used, redistributed and/or modified under the same terms as perl itself.

CREDITS

Thanks to Juerd Waalboer (http://search.cpan.org/author/JUERD) that with its Attribute::Property inspired the creation of this distribution.

cpanm Class::new

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Class::new