[STUB] TRAIL: Mathematica: The Webel recipe for Abstract Data Type (ADT) pseudo classes with inheritance for the Wolfram Language

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Webel: Programmers who can count higher than one (1) know that you don't have to choose exclusively between object-orientation (and classes) and functional programming. You can have your cake and eat it. It's not XOR!

And Dr Darren of Webel IT Australia will show exactly how!

TIP: Mathematica: COMING SOON! Webel's ultimate guide to using Abstract Data Types to create pseudo-classes WITH INHERITANCE in Wolfram Language, all modelled in SysML! [There's already some examples and some detailed policy notes.]

This Webel tutorial trail STUB is currently just to record some main policies behind the Webel recipe for pseudo-classes using (so-called) Abstract Data Types (ADTs), which blend brilliantly with the "super functional" capabilities of the Wolfram Language for Mathematica. The entire recipe is also modelled in Systems Modeling Language v1 (SysML^®).

To learn some more about this project, visit also this expanded intro:

Dr Darren of Webel IT Australia makes the case for better object-orientation for Mathematica using pseudo class ADTs without losing the super-functional power of the Wolfram Language

Or visit some of the POLICY note pages linked below, which already have some explanations and code examples:

Some Webel ADT recipe POLICY Note pages

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: The term 'Abstract Data Types (ADTs)' is used informally (the ADTs do not always adhere to strict mathematical definitions of ADTs). Just please think of it here as meaning a "strong type" for Mathematica.

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: POLICY: The expression '$$' is reserved as the primary named parameter for the defining pattern of all ADT classes that extend the universal base 'ADT' class.

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: POLICY: The Abstract Data Types (ADTs) are stateless functional (although inheritance and overrides are supported), with no caching by default (although there is nice optional caching using CreateUUID[] and Once[]).

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: POLICY: The ADT-Methods of an ADT-Class are created as TagSetDelayed UpValues using the 'signature' of the ADT-Class and its defining 'pattern' as 1st argument

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: POLICY: Every named concrete Abstract Data Type (ADT) class has a ONE unique "signature" (which is the pattern passed to the "definer" functions). To vary a signature, define another unique ADT class name.

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: DEFINITION/CONVENTION: Functions that populate ADTs with reusable ADT-method UpValues are called 'definers' and include '$def' in the name after a Package scope indicator: Example: adt$def$ADT, my$def$MY$CleverList

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: POLICY: Definer functions MUST return the self-declared or injected 'pattern' that determines the unique "ADT-signature" of the defined ADT class.

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: There is an 'ADT' universal base class that has no supers. It "blesses" every other sub-class ADT by populating it with some common ADT-method UpValues against its signature pattern via the 'adt$def$All[]' definer.

Mathematica: NAMING CONVENTION: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: An UpValue that can be invoked on an ADT accepting its unique 'signature' pattern as (at least) 1st argument is called an "ADT-method"'. They are NOT methods in the general object-oriented sense!

Mathematica: POLICY: Webel: ADT pseudo classes that define membership of ADT-classes in a domain package have ADT-signature MemberInterface[$$:None] and MUST NOT populate ADT-method UpValues in their definers.

Mathematica: POLICY: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: Multiple inheritance is supported via ONE (only) ADT-Class and one or more ADT-MemberInterfaces (which have no ADT-Method UpValues)

Mathematica: Webel ADT pseudo classes: A tricky POLICY & CONVENTION: Client packages MUST access the special "wrapped" primary named ADT-parameter '$$' via $ContextAliases! The recommended alias is "A`" (which stands of course for ADT).

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: TIP: Prefer the Decorator Pattern over multiple inheritance of ADT-Method UpValues! (But not because "inheritance is evil", it isn't.)

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: POLICY/DEFINITION: Every "hard coded" definer or defining client of a definer has a corresponding ADT ArchetypeClass. Example ("hard coded"): The definer 'my$def$MY$SmartList' has ArchetypeClass 'MY$SmartList'.

Mathematica: Webel: ADT pseudo classes: CONVENTION: PROVISIONAL: The infix operator for calling ADT-Methods on ADT "objects" is the CircleDot (⊙ in Notebooks). ISSUE: \[CircleDot] is NOT GOOD FOR USE IN IDEs!

Background on ADTs and strong types for Mathematica

You may wish to also read this forum posting answer by the ever helpful Mathematica expert Leonid Shiffrin, or any of the books on Mathematica by Roman Maeder

Start here

Dr Darren of Webel IT Australia makes the case for better object-orientation for Mathematica using pseudo class ADTs without losing the super-functional power of the Wolfram Language

Sections

Slides in this trail

If you want to navigate the entire tutorial including the additional explanatory text, click on the title link of the first slide to view the full slide page, then use the next links to move through the slides pages. If you just want to view the slide images only in sequence, click on any slide to view it larger in a viewer, then click again to move through each slide in the tutorial trail.

Dr Darren of Webel IT Australia makes the case for better object-orientation for Mathematica using pseudo class ADTs without losing the super-functional power of the Wolfram Language