From: zdennis <zdennis@...>
Date: 2006-04-13T05:44:37+09:00
Subject: Re: Difference between classes' methods and its "own" methods?

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TRANS wrote:
> Little confused, why don't the product the same thing?
> 
>   X.methods(false)
>   => ["xxx"]
> 
>   irb(main):018:0> (class << X; self; end).instance_methods(false)
>   => ["xxx", "to_yaml", "yaml_tag_subclasses?", "new", "superclass", "allocate"]
> 

I may be wrong, but I think....it has to do with the 'virtual class instance X of Class'. ie: (class << X; self; end)

The virtual class instance itself is a clone of it's superclass. In this case, the superclass of X is Class]. Since the virtual
class instance is a clone of Class it includes all of it's singleton_methods, plus it's own which are defined after the call to
"class X"

This works as you go up the inheritance chain with more subclasses:

  irb(main):001:0> class X; def self.xxx; end; end
  => nil
  irb(main):002:0> X.methods false
  => ["xxx"]
  irb(main):003:0> (class << X ; self ; end ).instance_methods false
  => ["xxx", "new", "superclass", "allocate"]
  irb(main):004:0> class Y < X; end;
  irb(main):005:0* Y.methods false
  => []
  irb(main):006:0> (class << Y ; self ; end ).instance_methods false
  => ["xxx", "new", "superclass", "allocate"]
  irb(main):007:0> class Z < Y; end;
  irb(main):008:0* (class << Z ; self ; end ).instance_methods false
  => ["xxx", "new", "superclass", "allocate"]

The superclass is getting *cloned* during the creation of the subclass. I think that clone is being used as the virtual class
instance.

I may be way off, but I thought I'd attempt to make sense. I am going to play with this tonight or tomorrow... class.c is my target...

Zach
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