From: Evan Senter <evansenter@...>
Date: 2009-11-22T16:09:26+09:00
Subject: How to alias_method_chain initialize from a mixin.

Hi,

I've been having a little trouble the past couple days getting an
alias_method_chain working on the initialize method via a module getting
mixed into a class. For example:

- - - - -

module Dsl
  def self.included(base)
    base.instance_eval do
      include InstanceMethods

      alias_method :initialize_without_block_support, :initialize
      alias_method :initialize, :initialize_with_block_support
    end
  end

  module InstanceMethods
    def initialize_with_block_support
      p "initialize_with_block_support"
      initialize_without_block_support
    end
  end
end

class Something
  include Dsl

  def initialize
    p "initialize_without_block_support"
  end
end

Something.new #=> prints "initialize_without_block_support", should
print "initialize_with_block_support" as well.

- - - - -

The problem in this contrived example (I believe) is that initialize is
redefined in the Something class body after the module is mixed in, thus
negating the alias_method_chain that was set up previously. So one
option is to just include modules after the initialize method is
defined, but that's not at all elegant, so I've been trying to find a
better way.

The next possibility I considered was using the method_added hook.
Something that would work like the following:

- - - - -

module Dsl
  def self.included(base)
    base.extend ClassMethods
    base.instance_eval { include InstanceMethods }
  end

  module ClassMethods
    def method_added(name)
      if name == :initialize && !@redefining_initialize
        @redefining_initialize = :stop_those_infinite_loops!

        alias_method :initialize_without_block_support, :initialize
        alias_method :initialize, :initialize_with_block_support

        remove_instance_variable :@redefining_initialize
      end
    end
  end

  module InstanceMethods
    def initialize_with_block_support
      p "initialize_with_block_support"
      initialize_without_block_support
    end
  end
end

class Something
  include Dsl

  def initialize
    p "initialize_without_block_support"
  end
end

Something.new

- - - - -

This works, but feels pretty hackety. If you happen to have any
experience doing something like this and have an alternative solution,
or feedback on this implementation using method_added, I'd appreciate
hearing it. As a note, the @redefining_initialize guard is necessary
because alias_method triggers the method_added hook.

Thanks for your time!
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