From: David Alan Black <dblack@...>
Date: 2001-12-30T06:39:15+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:29654] Re: promoting self to subclass (was extending method of class A ...)

Hello --

On Sat, 29 Dec 2001, Mark Hahn wrote:

> Why not allow a method to "promote" it's object to a subclass of the object?
> I've wanted to do this before in ruby and Java.  It should be somewhat easy
> in ruby and nearly impossible in a static language.
[...]
> Where I've run into this need is when an initializer realizes that, based on
> input params, there is a more specific class for this data.  Another case is
> when an object is created and the "type" gets refined later.  If you want a
> specific example of this being used, let me know.

Yes, please :-)

I'm also wondering whether this is similar to the idea of a #become
method.  There's been a bunch of discussion on that here in the past.
In particular, see the thread starting at:
"[ruby-talk:19517] Why not?: Assigning to self"


David

-- 
David Alan Black
home: dblack@candle.superlink.net
work: blackdav@shu.edu
Web:  http://pirate.shu.edu/~blackdav