[comment {-*- tcl -*- doctools manpage}]
[manpage_begin tool n 0.8]
[keywords TOOL]
[copyright {2015 Sean Woods <yoda@etoyoc.com>}]
[moddesc   {Standardized OO Framework for development}]
[titledesc {TclOO Library (TOOL) Framework}]
[category TclOO]
[keywords TclOO]
[keywords framework]
[require Tcl "8.6 9"]
[require sha1]
[require dicttool]
[require oo::meta]
[require oo::dialect]
[description]
[para]
This module implements the Tcl Object Oriented Library framework, or [emph TOOL]. It is
intended to be a general purpose framework that is useable in its own right, and
easily extensible.
[para]
TOOL defines a metaclass with provides several additional keywords to the TclOO
description langauge, default behaviors for its consituent objects, and
top-down integration with the capabilities provided by the [package oo::meta] package.
[para]
The TOOL metaclass was build with the [package oo::dialect] package, and thus can
be used as the basis for additional metaclasses. As a metaclass, TOOL has it's own
"class" class, "object" class, and define namespace.
[example {
package require tool

# tool::class workds just like oo::class
tool::class create myclass {
}

# tool::define works just like oo::define
tool::define myclass method noop {} {}

# tool::define and tool::class understand additional keywords
tool::define myclass array_ensemble mysettings mysettings {}

# And tool interoperates with oo::define
oo::define myclass method do_something {} { return something }

# TOOL and TclOO objects are interchangeable
oo::class create myooclass {
  superclass myclass
}
}]
[para]
Several manual pages go into more detail about specific keywords and methods.
[list_begin definitions]
[def [package tool::array_ensemble]]
[def [package tool::dict_ensemble]]
[def [package tool::method_ensemble]]
[def [package tool::object]]
[def [package tool::option_handling]]
[list_end]

[section Keywords]
TOOL adds new (or modifies) keywords used in the definitions of classes. However,
the new keywords are only available via calls to [emph {tool::class create}] or [emph tool::define]

[list_begin definitions]

[call tool::define [cmd class_method] [arg arglist] [arg body]]
Defines a method for the class object itself. This method will be passed on to descendents of the class,
unlike [cmd {self method}].

[call tool::define [cmd array] [arg name] [arg contents]]

Declares a variable [arg name] which will be initialized as an array, populated with [arg contents] for objects of this class, as well as any
objects for classes which are descendents of this class.

[call tool::define [cmd array_ensemble] [arg methodname] [arg varname] [opt cases]]

Declares a method ensemble [arg methodname] which will control access to variable
[arg varname]. Cases are a key/value list of method names and bodies which will be
overlaid on top of the standard template. See [package tool::array_ensemble].
[para]
One method name is reserved: [cmd initialize]. [cmd initialize] Declares the initial values to be populated in the array, as a key/value list,
and will not be expressed as a method for the ensemble.

[call tool::define [cmd dict_ensemble] [arg methodname] [arg varname] [opt cases]]

Declares a method ensemble [arg methodname] which will control access to variable
[arg varname]. Cases are a key/value list of method names and bodies which will be
overlaid on top of the standard template. See [package tool::dict_ensemble].
[para]
One method name is reserved: [cmd initialize]. [cmd initialize] Declares the initial values to be populated in the array, as a key/value list,
and will not be expressed as a method for the ensemble.

[call tool::define [cmd method] [arg methodname] [arg arglist] [arg body]]

If [arg methodname] contains ::, the method is considered to be
part of a method ensemble. See [package tool::method_ensembles]. Otherwise
this command behaves exactly like the standard [namespace oo::define] [cmd method]
command.


[call tool::define [cmd option] [arg name] [arg dictopts]]

Declares an option. [arg dictopts] is a key/value list defining parameters for the option. See [package tool::option_handling].

[example {
tool::class create myclass {
  option color {
    post-command: {puts [list %self%'s %field% is now %value%]}
    default: green
  }
}
myclass create foo
foo configure color purple
> foo's color is now purple
}]

[call tool::define [cmd property] [opt branch] [arg field] [arg value]]

Defines a new leaf in the class metadata tree. With no branch, the
leaf will appear in the [emph const] section, accessible by either the
object's [cmd property] method, or via [cmd oo::meta::info] [emph class] [cmd {get const}] [emph field]:

[call tool::define [cmd variable] [arg name] [arg value]]

Declares a variable [arg name] which will be initialized with the value [arg value] for objects of this class, as well as any
objects for classes which are descendents of this class.

[list_end]

[section {Public Object Methods}]

The TOOL object mother of all classes defines several methods to enforces consistent
behavior throughout the framework.

[list_begin definitions]

[call [emph object] [cmd cget] [arg option]]

Return the value of this object's option [arg option]. If the [cmd {property options_strict}] is true
for this class, calling an option which was not declared by the [cmd option] keyword will throw
an error. In all other cases if the value is present in the object's [emph options] array that
value is returned. If it does not exist, the object will attempt to retrieve a property of the same
name.

[call [emph object] [cmd configure] [opt keyvaluelist]]
[call [emph object] [cmd configure] [arg field] [arg value] [opt field] [opt value] [opt ...]]

This command will inject new values into the objects [emph options] array, according to the rules
as set forth by the option descriptions. See [package tool::option_handling] for details.

[cmd configure] will strip leading -'s off of field names, allowing it to behave in a quasi-backward
compatible manner to tk options.

[call [emph object] [cmd configurelist] [opt keyvaluelist]]

This command will inject new values into the objects [emph options] array, according to the rules
as set forth by the option descriptions. This command will perform validation and alternate storage
rules. It will not invoke trigger rules. See [package tool::option_handling] for details.

[call [emph object] [cmd forward] [arg stub] [arg forward]]

A passthrough to [cmd {oo:objdefine [self] forward}]

[call [emph object] [cmd graft] [arg stub] [arg forward]]

Delegates the [arg <stub>] method to the object or command designated by [arg forward]

[example {
tool::object create A
tool::object create B
A graft buddy B
A configure color red
B configure color blue
A cget color
> red
A <buddy> cget color
> blue
}]

[list_end]

[section {Private Object Methods}]
[list_begin definitions]
[call [emph object] [cmd InitializePublic]]
Consults the metadata for the class to ensure every array, option, and variable
which has been declared but not initialized is initialized with the default value.

This method is called by the constructor and the morph method. It is safe to
invoke multiple times.

[call [emph object] [cmd Eval_Script] [opt script]]
Executes a block of text within the namespace of the object. Lines that
begin with a # are ignored as comments. Commands
that begin with :: are interpreted as calling a global command. All other
Tcl commands that lack a "my" prefix are given one, to allow the script
to exercise internal methods. This method is intended for configuration scripts,
where the object's methods are intepreting a domain specific language.

[example {
tool::class myclass {
  constructor script {
    my Eval_Script $script
  }
  method node {nodename info} {
    my variable node
    dict set node $nodename $info
  }
  method get {args} {
    my variable node
    return [dict get $node $args]
  }
}
myclass create movies {
  # This block of code is executed by the object
  node {The Day the Earth Stood Still} {
    date: 1952
    characters: {GORT Klatoo}
  }
}
movies get {The Day the Earth Stood Still} date:
> 1952
}]

[call [emph object] [cmd Option_Default] [arg field]]

Computes the default value for an option. See [package tool::option_handling].

[list_end]

[section AUTHORS]
Sean Woods

[vset CATEGORY tcloo]
[include ../common-text/feedback.inc]
[manpage_end]


