MethodSupport            package:methods            R Documentation

Additional (Support) Functions for Methods

Description:

     These are support routines for computations on formal methods.

Usage:

     listFromMethods(generic, where, table)

     getMethodsForDispatch(fdef, inherited = FALSE)

     cacheMethod(f, sig, def, args, fdef, inherited = FALSE)

     resetGeneric(f, fdef, mlist, where, deflt)

Summary of Functions:


     'listFromMethods': A list object describing the methods for the
          function 'generic', supplied either as the function or the
          name of the function.   For user code, the function
          'findMethods' or 'findMethodSignatures' is recommended
          instead,  returning a simple list of methods or a character
          matrix of the signatures.

          If 'where' is supplied, this should be an environment or
          search list position from which a table of methods for the
          generic will be taken.  If 'table' is supplied, this is
          itself assumed to be such a table.  If neither argument is
          supplied, the table is taken directly from the generic
          function (that is, the current set of methods defined for
          this generic).

          Returns an object of class '"LinearMethodsList"' (see
          LinearMethodsList) describing all the methods in the relevant
          table.

     'resetGeneric': reset the currently defined methods for the
          generic function named 'f', found in environment 'where' or
          explicitly supplied as an argument.  Other arguments are
          obsolete and ignored.

          Called for its side effect of resetting all inherited methods
          in the generic function's internal table. Normally not called
          directly, since changes to methods and the loading and
          detaching  of packages all generate a call automatically.

     'cacheMethod': Store the definition for this function and
          signature in the method metadata for the function.  Used to
          store extensions of coerce methods found through inheritance,
          and to cache methods with 'callNextMethod' information.

          No persistent effect, since the method metadata is
          session-scope only.

     'getMethodsForDispatch': Get the table of  methods representing
          the methods for function 'f'. For user code, the function
          'findMethods' or 'findMethodSignatures' is recommended
          instead,  returning a simple list of methods or a character
          matrix of the signatures.


