bagel.html

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This example is a straight translation of the OTcl Tutorial http://www.isi.edu/nsnam/otcl/doc/tutorial.html to NX. It serves as a very short intro to the basic elements of scripting with NX and provides a comparison study to OTcl.

package req nx
nx::test configure -count 1

Suppose we need to work with many bagels in our application. We might start by creating a Bagel class.

% nx::Class create Bagel
::Bagel

We can now create bagels and keep track of them using the info method.

% Bagel create abagel
::abagel

% abagel info class
::Bagel

% Bagel info instances
::abagel

Of course, bagels don’t do much yet. They should remember whether they’ve been toasted. We can create and access an instance variable by defining an property for the class. All instance variables are per default public in the sense of C++.

% Bagel property {toasted 0}

Since abagel was created before the definition of the property we have to set the default value for it using the setter method. Again, the info method helps us keep track of things.

% abagel info vars

% abagel configure -toasted 0

% abagel info vars
toasted

% abagel cget -toasted
0

But we really want them to begin in an untoasted state to start with.

% Bagel create bagel2
::bagel2

% bagel2 info vars
toasted

% bagel2 cget -toasted
0

Our bagels now remember whether they’ve been toasted. Let is recreate the first one.

% lsort [Bagel info instances]
::abagel ::bagel2

% ::abagel destroy

% Bagel info instances
::bagel2

% Bagel create abagel
::abagel

Now we’re ready to add a method to bagels so that we can toast them. Methods have an argument list and body like regular Tcl procs. Here’s the toast method.

% Bagel public method toast {} {
      if {[incr :toasted] > 1} then {
        error "something's burning!"
      }
}
::nsf::classes::Bagel::toast

The defined methods can be queried with info. We see as well the setter method for the variable toasted.

% Bagel info methods
toast

Aside from setting the toasted variable, the body of the toast method demonstrates how to access instance variables by using a leading colon in the name.

We invoke the toast method on bagels in the same way we use the info and destroy methods that were provided by the system. That is, there is no distinction between user and system methods.

% abagel toast
% abagel toast
something's burning!

Now we can add spreads to the bagels and start tasting them. If we have bagels that aren’t topped, as well as bagels that are, we may want to make toppable bagels a separate class. Let explore inheritance with these two classes, starting by making a new class SpreadableBagel that inherits from Bagel. A SpreadableBagel has an property toppings which might have multiple values. Initially, toppings are empty.

% nx::Class create SpreadableBagel -superclass Bagel {
    :property -incremental {toppings:0..n ""}
}
::SpreadableBagel

% SpreadableBagel cget -superclass
::Bagel
% SpreadableBagel info superclasses
::Bagel

% SpreadableBagel info heritage
::Bagel ::nx::Object

Let’s add a taste method to bagels, splitting its functionality between the two classes and combining it with next.

% Bagel public method taste {} {
    if {${:toasted} == 0} then {
    return raw!
  } elseif {${:toasted} == 1} then {
    return toasty
  } else {
    return burnt!
  }
}
::nsf::classes::Bagel::taste

% SpreadableBagel public method taste {} {
    set t [next]
    foreach i ${:toppings} {
       lappend t $i
    }
    return $t
}
::nsf::classes::SpreadableBagel::taste

% SpreadableBagel create abagel
::abagel

% abagel toast
% abagel toppings add jam
jam
% abagel toppings add m&m
m&m jam

% abagel taste
toasty m&m jam

Of course, along come sesame, onion, poppy, and a host of other bagels, requiring us to expand our scheme. We could keep track of flavor with an instance variable, but this may not be appropriate. Flavor is an innate property of the bagels, and one that can affect other behavior - you wouldn’t put jam on an onion bagel, would you? Instead of making a class hierarchy, let’s use multiple inheritance to make the flavor classes mixins that add a their taste independent trait to bagels or whatever other food they are mixed with.

% nx::Class create Sesame {
    :public method taste {} {concat [next] "sesame"}
}
::Sesame

% nx::Class create Onion {
    :public method taste {} {concat [next] "onion"}
}
::Onion

% nx::Class create Poppy {
    :public method taste {} {concat [next] "poppy"}
}
::Poppy

Well, they don’t appear to do much, but the use of next allows them to be freely mixed.

% nx::Class create SesameOnionBagel -superclass SpreadableBagel -mixin {Sesame Onion}
::SesameOnionBagel

% SesameOnionBagel create abagel -toppings butter
::abagel

% abagel taste
raw! butter onion sesame

For multiple inheritance, the system determines a linear inheritance ordering that respects all of the local superclass orderings. You can examine this ordering with an info option. next follows this ordering when it combines behavior.

% SesameOnionBagel info heritage
::Sesame ::Onion ::SpreadableBagel ::Bagel ::nx::Object

% abagel info precedence
::Sesame ::Onion ::SesameOnionBagel ::SpreadableBagel ::Bagel ::nx::Object

We can also combine our mixins with other classes, classes that need have nothing to do with bagels, leading to a family of chips.

% nx::Class create Chips {
    :public method taste {} {return "crunchy"}
}
::Chips

% nx::Class create OnionChips -superclass Chips -mixin Onion
::OnionChips

% OnionChips create abag
::abag

% abag taste
crunchy onion

bagel.html

Listing of doc/example-scripts/bagel.tcl