Author: larry
Date: Thu Aug 21 12:58:24 2008
New Revision: 14576
Modified:
doc/trunk/design/syn/S12.pod
Log:
remove failover from methods to subs
Modified: doc/trunk/design/syn/S12.pod
==============================================================================
--- doc/trunk/design/syn/S12.pod (original)
+++ doc/trunk/design/syn/S12.pod Thu Aug 21 12:58:24 2008
@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@
Maintainer: Larry Wall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 27 Oct 2004
- Last Modified: 5 Aug 2008
+ Last Modified: 21 Aug 2008
Number: 12
- Version: 62
+ Version: 63
=head1 Overview
@@ -1036,14 +1036,21 @@
!$obj; # same as $obj.prefix:<!>
-A method call first considers methods (including multi-methods and submethods)
-from the class hierarchy of its invocant, and fails over to the subroutine
-dispatcher as a last resort only if no method can be found in the class
-hierarchy.
+A method call considers only methods (including multi-methods and submethods)
+from the class hierarchy of its invocant, and fails if none is found. The
+object in question is in charge of interpreting the meaning of the method
+name, so if the object is a foreign object, the name will be interpreted
+by that foreign runtime.
A subroutine call considers only visible subroutines (including
-submethods) of that name. There is no fail-over from subroutine
-to method dispatch. However, you may use C<is export> on a method
+submethods) of that name. The object itself has no say in the
+dispatch; the subroutine dispatcher considers only the types the
+arguments involved, along with the name. Hence foreign objects passed
+to subroutines are forced to follow Perl semantics (to the extent
+foreign types can be coerced into Perl types, otherwise they fail).
+
+There is no fail-over either from subroutine to method dispatch or
+vice versa. However, you may use C<is export> on a method
definition to make it available also as a multi sub. As with indirect
object syntax, the first argument is still always the invocant,
but the export allows you to use a comma after the invocant instead of
