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digitalmars.D - Good way to implement class.dup?

reply "Kris" <fu bar.com> writes:
Any ideas on how to implement .dup for classes; a method which correctly 
handles subclasses?

This is for bitwise, shallow copy only.

- Kris
Jan 14 2006
parent reply Sean Kelly <sean f4.ca> writes:
Kris wrote:
 Any ideas on how to implement .dup for classes; a method which correctly 
 handles subclasses?
 
 This is for bitwise, shallow copy only.
To produce a correct resulting instance, I don't think there's any way around the use of a virtual function. For example, consider this: class C { this() { ptr = &buf[0]; } char* ptr; char[100] buf; } A memcpy would result in the ptr member of the new instance of C pointing to the original C's buffer. I suppose some reflection could be done to try to work around this, but it seems like a risky venture. Sean
Jan 14 2006
next sibling parent James Dunne <james.jdunne gmail.com> writes:
Sean Kelly wrote:
 Kris wrote:
 
 Any ideas on how to implement .dup for classes; a method which 
 correctly handles subclasses?

 This is for bitwise, shallow copy only.
To produce a correct resulting instance, I don't think there's any way around the use of a virtual function. For example, consider this: class C { this() { ptr = &buf[0]; } char* ptr; char[100] buf; } A memcpy would result in the ptr member of the new instance of C pointing to the original C's buffer. I suppose some reflection could be done to try to work around this, but it seems like a risky venture. Sean
Sounds like a good proposal for a deep copy / shallow copy overloadable operator set? Come to think of it, I can't think of any OO language (off the top of my head) that provides the programmer the ability to define shallow copy / deep copy semantics! Amazing... the simplest operation. A compile-time-only reflection API would be wonderful here. Imagine writing a pseudo-method to duplicate your class by writing a simple foreach statement which iterates over a compile-time-generated list of all your class members... Wouldn't that be cool? Next best thing to that would be to modify DMDFE to generate D code to perform such an operation on any given class.
Jan 14 2006
prev sibling parent reply "Kris" <fu bar.com> writes:
Yep; it would need to be customizable. That would require a virtual method, 
as you say. Is there a mechanism to implememt a 'default' bitwise copy?

- Kris


"Sean Kelly" <sean f4.ca> wrote in message 
news:dqc18f$kb1$1 digitaldaemon.com...
 Kris wrote:
 Any ideas on how to implement .dup for classes; a method which correctly 
 handles subclasses?

 This is for bitwise, shallow copy only.
To produce a correct resulting instance, I don't think there's any way around the use of a virtual function. For example, consider this: class C { this() { ptr = &buf[0]; } char* ptr; char[100] buf; } A memcpy would result in the ptr member of the new instance of C pointing to the original C's buffer. I suppose some reflection could be done to try to work around this, but it seems like a risky venture. Sean
Jan 14 2006
parent Sean Kelly <sean f4.ca> writes:
It would be easy enough to add a virtual function 'dup' to Object.  Or 
are you wondering whether something like this is possible:

class MyBase {
     int x;
}

class MyClass : MyBase {
     int y;
}

MyClass c1 = new MyClass();
MyBase  b1 = c1;
MyBase  b2 = b1.dup;
MyClass c2 = cast(MyClass) b2;
assert( c2 == c1 ); // ie. preserves the value of y

Since dynamic casting is supported, I imagine this information must be 
somehow available.  I haven't tried it, but perhaps something like this 
would work?:

typeid( b1 ).tsize;

With consideration for the fact that everything is actually a handle 
:-p.  Or maybe this would need to wait for improved RTTI?


Sean

Kris wrote:
 Yep; it would need to be customizable. That would require a virtual method, 
 as you say. Is there a mechanism to implememt a 'default' bitwise copy?
 
 - Kris
 
 
 "Sean Kelly" <sean f4.ca> wrote in message 
 news:dqc18f$kb1$1 digitaldaemon.com...
 Kris wrote:
 Any ideas on how to implement .dup for classes; a method which correctly 
 handles subclasses?

 This is for bitwise, shallow copy only.
To produce a correct resulting instance, I don't think there's any way around the use of a virtual function. For example, consider this: class C { this() { ptr = &buf[0]; } char* ptr; char[100] buf; } A memcpy would result in the ptr member of the new instance of C pointing to the original C's buffer. I suppose some reflection could be done to try to work around this, but it seems like a risky venture. Sean
Jan 23 2006