Asp Forum - Superclass of a module

Todd Corenson

11/5/2007 10:38:00 PM

In Ruby 1.8, a Module does not have a superclass according to the
superclass and ancestors methods.

E.g.,

module Foo
end

Foo.ancestors # => [Foo]
Foo.superclass # => NoMethodError

Yet,

module Foo
self.append_features(b)
super
end
end

works when append_features is called either directly or when Foo is
included in a class. That is, super finds a superclass where
append_features is defined. According to the docs this class is Module.
Is this where append_features is actually defined? And if user-defined
modules have superclasses, why don't the superclass and ancestors
methods report this class?
--
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4 Answers

MenTaLguY

11/5/2007 10:57:00 PM

On Tue, 6 Nov 2007 07:38:01 +0900, Todd Corenson <todd@browsersys.com> wrote:
> Is this where append_features is actually defined? And if user-defined
> modules have superclasses, why don't the superclass and ancestors
> methods report this class?

Foo.append_features works because Foo is a Module (Foo.class == Module),
and Module#append_features is defined, the same way it would work for
any other sort of object.

Classes are the only special case; if Bar were a class, calling e.g.
Bar.hoge would also search the singleton methods defined on the classes in
Bar.ancestors, in addition to searching the regular instance methods on
Bar.class.ancestors.

-mental

Todd Corenson

11/6/2007 12:50:00 AM

Does this make Foo a singleton class of Module? This would explain how
Foo could respond to super, yet have no superclass. But this would
still be strange because

module Foo
def self.append_features(b)
super
end
end

would make append_features a module method and yet
Module.new.respond_to?(:append_features, true) is true. For a class,
this implies that append_features would be an instance method. I take
it this works differently for modules?

Mental Guy wrote:
> On Tue, 6 Nov 2007 07:38:01 +0900, Todd Corenson <todd@browsersys.com>
> wrote:
>> Is this where append_features is actually defined? And if user-defined
>> modules have superclasses, why don't the superclass and ancestors
>> methods report this class?
>
> Foo.append_features works because Foo is a Module (Foo.class == Module),
> and Module#append_features is defined, the same way it would work for
> any other sort of object.
>
> Classes are the only special case; if Bar were a class, calling e.g.
> Bar.hoge would also search the singleton methods defined on the classes
> in
> Bar.ancestors, in addition to searching the regular instance methods on
> Bar.class.ancestors.
>
> -mental

--
Posted via http://www.ruby-....

Rick DeNatale

11/6/2007 2:30:00 PM

On 11/5/07, Todd Corenson <todd@browsersys.com> wrote:
> Does this make Foo a singleton class of Module? This would explain how
> Foo could respond to super, yet have no superclass. But this would
> still be strange because
>
> module Foo
> def self.append_features(b)
> super
> end
> end
>
> would make append_features a module method and yet
> Module.new.respond_to?(:append_features, true) is true. For a class,
> this implies that append_features would be an instance method. I take
> it this works differently for modules?

No, Foo is an instance of Module.

module Foo
def self.append_features(b)
super
end
end

The self.append_features in the def means that we are defining the
method in the context
of the singleton class of Foo. Try running this:
class Module
def provides_method(meth)
instance_methods.include?(meth.to_s) ? "provides #{meth}" : "does
not provide #{meth}"
end
end

module Foo
def self.append_features(b)
puts "I am #{self}"
puts "My class is #{self.class} which
#{self.class.provides_method(:append_features)}"
sing_class = class <<self; self;end
puts "My singleton class is #{sing_class} which
#{sing_class.provides_method(:append_features)}"
super
end
end

class C
include Foo
end

which produces the following output:

I am Foo
My class is Module which does not provide append_features
My singleton class is #<Class:Foo> which provides append_features

--
Rick DeNatale

My blog on Ruby
http://talklikeaduck.denh...

Todd Corenson

11/7/2007 12:49:00 AM

Actually, Module does provide append_features. It's just that
append_features is a private instance method:

Module.private_instance_methods.include?("append_features") # => true

I now see what is going on in general. Class Class or Class Module
instance methods become Class or Module methods in instances of Class or
Module.

Instances of Class or Module create singletons to reference their Class
or Module methods. When an instance method of the same name exists in
Class or Module, that method is invoked by a call to super in the Class
or Module method defined in the singleton. No superclass is necessarily
involved.

Rick Denatale wrote:
> On 11/5/07, Todd Corenson <todd@browsersys.com> wrote:
>> would make append_features a module method and yet
>> Module.new.respond_to?(:append_features, true) is true. For a class,
>> this implies that append_features would be an instance method. I take
>> it this works differently for modules?
>
> No, Foo is an instance of Module.
>
> module Foo
> def self.append_features(b)
> super
> end
> end
>
> The self.append_features in the def means that we are defining the
> method in the context
> of the singleton class of Foo. Try running this:
> class Module
> def provides_method(meth)
> instance_methods.include?(meth.to_s) ? "provides #{meth}" : "does
> not provide #{meth}"
> end
> end
>
> module Foo
> def self.append_features(b)
> puts "I am #{self}"
> puts "My class is #{self.class} which
> #{self.class.provides_method(:append_features)}"
> sing_class = class <<self; self;end
> puts "My singleton class is #{sing_class} which
> #{sing_class.provides_method(:append_features)}"
> super
> end
> end
>
> class C
> include Foo
> end
>
> which produces the following output:
>
> I am Foo
> My class is Module which does not provide append_features
> My singleton class is #<Class:Foo> which provides append_features
>
>
> --
> Rick DeNatale
>
> My blog on Ruby
> http://talklikeaduck.denh...

--
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Superclass of a module

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