Re: down casting ???

[Jerome Vouillon <vouillon@clipper.ens.fr>]

> the :> operator make possible to coerce an expression from a type t1 to a
> super type t (this coercion is safe), but how to go from t to t1 ???
> (ok, a dynamic check is need, this operation can raise an exception)
> 
> When one use collections of object, this kind of feature is useful. isn't it ?

There are some programming tricks that lessen the need for such a feature.
Here are two examples.

     Jerome


class virtual print_interf () =
  virtual print : unit
  (* Possibly some more methods... *)
end;;
class opt_print () =
  method print_interf = (None : print_interf option)
end;;
class virtual can_print () as self =
  inherit opt_print () inherit print_interf ()
  method print_interf = Some (self :> print_interf)
end;;

class a () =
  inherit opt_print ()
end;;
class b () =
  inherit can_print ()
  method print = print_string "xxx"
end;;
let x1 = new a ();;
let x2 = new b ();;
List.iter
  (function x -> match x#print_interf with None -> () | Some y -> y#print)
  [x1; (x2 :> a)];;

(**********************************************************************)

class virtual int_interf () = virtual x : int end;;
class virtual string_interf () = virtual x : string end;;
class virtual visitor () =
  virtual int : int_interf -> unit
  virtual string : string_interf -> unit
end;;
class virtual visited () =
  virtual accept : visitor -> unit
end;;
class virtual int_wrapper () as self =
  inherit visited ()
  inherit int_interf ()
  method accept visitor = visitor#int (self :> int_interf)
end;;
class virtual string_wrapper () as self =
  inherit visited ()
  inherit string_interf ()
  method accept visitor = visitor#string (self :> string_interf)
end;;

class printer () =
  inherit visitor ()
  method int obj = print_int obj#x
  method string obj = print_string obj#x
end;;
class a x0 =
  inherit int_wrapper ()
  val x = x0
  method x = x
end;;
class b x0 =
  inherit string_wrapper ()
  val x = x0
  method x = x
end;;
let p = new printer ();;
let x1 = new a 7;;
let x2 = new b "xxx";;
List.iter (function x -> x#accept p) [(x1 :> visited); (x2 :> visited)];;