1.8 class behaviour

Behaviour is an super-class of class method and class variable, the classes than can define behaviour at the class level. Class behaviour itself has few properties, but sharing these simplifies and speeds up message passing.

The sub-classes class send_method, class get_method and class variable all define the methods behaviour->send and behaviour<-get which executes them in a send- or get operation. Sending a message to an object is thus realised using:

send(Object, Selector, Arg ...) :-
        get(Object, send_method, Selector,
                tuple(Receiver, Behaviour)),
        send(Behaviour, send, Receiver, Args ...)

(Pseudo code; Prolog cannot handle Arg ...)

See also

- class interceptor
- class object
- class class

1.8.1 Instance variables

behaviour <- context: class|object*

Definition context of this method. If the behaviour is associated with a class, this is always the class on which the behaviour was initially defined:

?- get(class(box), send_method, y, YMethod),
   get(YMethod, context, C).

C = @graphical_class

See also method<-inherited_from.

behaviour <- name: name

Selector of this behaviour. This is the name of the send- or get-behaviour handled by this method object.