ME STANDARD CLASS LIBRARY

Description

A named entity which can be included in collections. The basic class for building widgets.

Instance properties

collection: Specifies which collection, if any, the component is included in. Initially NOTHING to indicate the component does not belong to a collection.
name: Specifies the name of the component.

Instance methods

clone: Protected. Overrides method inherited from Entity as a null method to prevent cloning of components.
delete: Protected. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Removes the component from its collection (if any) by calling the collection's find and remove methods, then destroys the component by calling the superclass method.
get_collection: Public. Getter for collection.
get_name: Public. Getter for name.
set_collection: Public. Specialized setter for collection. It takes no parameters but uses the target of the calling method (obtained by last) as an implict parameter. If the current value of collection is NOTHING, verifies that the component is included in the collection specified by the implicit parameter by calling its find method; if it is, sets collection to the parameter. If the implicit parameter is equal to the current value of collection, sets collection to NOTHING. In all other cases, set_collection acts as a null method.

Class method

new: Protected. Overrides method inhertied from Entity. Creates a new component by calling the superclass method. The parameter initializes the name property; it must be an identifier.

Constant

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Variables

Superclasses

Variable, Entity

Description

Reference constants with events.

Instance properties

data, read, write: Inherited from Variable.

Instance methods

clone, delete, get: Public. Inherited from Variable.
get_data: Protected. Inherited from Variable.
get_read, get_write: Public. Inherited from Variable.
read: Private. Inhertied from Variable.
set: Public. Overrides method inherited from Variable. Ignores any parameters and retains the constant's current value. Calls the superclass method in order to raise the write event.
set_data: Protected. Inherited from Variable.
set_read, set_write: Public. Inherited from Variable.
write: Private. Inhertied from Variable.

Class method

new: Public. Inherited from Variable.

Container

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclass

Interfaces

Basic, General, Interface

Description

Generic base class for containers.

Instance properties

data: Contains the elements of the container.
data_type: Type specifier for elements of the container.
key_type: For subclasses which implement Mapped, type specifer for the keys which are mapped to the values; for other containers, always "anything".
keys: For subclasses which implement Mapped, contains the keys which are mapped to the values; for other containers, an empty sequence.

Instance methods

add: Public. For Container itself and subclasses which don't implement Sorted, adds the first parameter to the container at the position specifed by by second parameter, which must be an integer. To add the target to the end of the container, the second parameter may be 0 or the size of the container plus 1. Negative integers count from the end, with -1 indicating the position just before the end. If the second parameter is less than the negative of the size of the container or greater than the size of the container, throws Invalid_Index and doesn't perform the add.

For subclasses which implement Sorted but do not implement Mapped, the first parameter is added at its proper sorted position and the second parameter is ignored. If the subclass implements Unique, throws Duplicate_Element and doesn't perform the add if the first parameter duplicates an existing element.

For subclasses which implement Mapped, the first parmaeter is the element to be added and the second is its associated key. If the subclass implements Unique, throws Duplicate_Element and doesn't perform the add if the second parameter duplicates an existing key.

In all cases, the new element is type checked (as is the key for subclasses which implement Mapped), and Type_Check_Failure is thrown if the type check fails. Returns the position where the element was added; if the add fails, returns NIL.
clear: Public. Removes all elements from the container.
clone: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity to allow public access.
delete: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Calls clear to empty the container, then destroys the container by calling the superclass method.
find: Public. Finds its parameter in the container and returns its index. If there are mulitple occurances, returns the index of the first. If the parameter is not found, returns 0 if the subclass does not implement Sorted; if it does, returns the negative of the index the parameter would have if it were to be add added to the container by the add method.
find all: Retruns a sequences containing the indexes of all occurances of the parameter in the container. If the parameter is not found, returns an empty sequence.
find_last: The same as find, except if multiple occurances of the parameter are found, returns the index of the last one.
get: Returns the element whose index is specified by the parameter, which must be an integer. Negative indexes may be used where -1 is the last element of the container. If the container has a size of 0, throws Empty_Container and returns NOTHING. If the paramater is 0, less than the negative of the size of the container, or greater than the size of the container, throws Invalid_Index and returns NOTHING.
get_data: Public. Getter for data.
get_data_type: Public. Getter for data_type.
get_key: Public. For subclasses which implement Mapped, returns the key of the element whose index is specified by the parameter, which must be an integer. Negative indexes may be used as in get. If the container has a size of 0, throws Empty_Container and returns NOTHING. If the paramater is 0, less than the negative of the size of the container, or greater than the size of the container, throws Invalid_Index and returns NOTHING. For subclasses which do not implement Mapped, returns NOTHING.
get_key_type: Public. Getter for key_type.
get_keys: Public. Getter for keys.
get_size: Public. Returns the number of elements in the container.
remove: Public. Removes and returns the element whose index is specified by the parameter. Negative indexes may be used as in get. If the container has a size of 0, throws Empty_Container and returns NOTHING. If the parameter is 0, less than the negative of the size of the container, or greater than the size of the container, throws Invalid_Index and returns NOTHING.

Class method

new: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity to allow public access.

Container_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclass: Exception
Description: Used to indicate an error in a container operation. Normally one of its subclasses would be thrown.

Counted_Instances

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Counted

Superclass

Description

A class which counts the number of its instances in existence at any time. Subclases may limit the number of instances allowed to exist at one time.

Class properties

count: The number of instances of the class currently in existence.
maximum: The maximum number of instances of the class allowed to be in existence at the same time. Defaults to 0, which specifies that no maximum is imposed.

Instance methods

clone: Protected. Overrides method inhertied from Entity. Checks if count is less than maximum or maximum is 0. If so, increments count and clones the instance by calling the superclass method; if not, throws Too_Many_Instances and returns NOTHING.
delete: Protected. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Decrements count, then destroys the instance by calling the superclass method.
deserialize: Private. Increments count, then checks if count is less than or equal to maximum or maximum is 0. If not, throws Too_Many_Instances and deletes the instance by calling delete. Returns NOTHING

Class methods

get_count, get_maximum: Public. Getters for count and maximum.
initialize: Protected. If passed a positive integer parameter by a subclass' initialize method, sets maximum to the parameter, otherwise sets maximum to 0. Returns NOTHING.
new: Protected. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Checks if count is less than maximum or maximum is 0. If so, increments count and creates a new instance by calling the superclass method; if not, throws Too_Many_Instances and returns NOTHING.

Deserialize_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclasses: Bad_Serialization, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an error in the deserialization process.

Duplicate_Element

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclasses: Container_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an attempt to add an element to a container which duplicates an existing element when this constitutes an error: for example, a container whose class implements Unique.

Empty_Container

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclasses: Container_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an attempt to read or remove an element from an empty container.

End_Of_File

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.File_Errors
Superclasses: File_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an end-of-file condition, especially an unexpected one.

Entity

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Kernel

Description

The universal base class for all normal classes. Entity has no superclass.

Instance methods

clone: Protected. Makes a shallow copy of the instance: if a property value is itself an instance, only the reference is copied.
delete: Destroys the instance.

Class method

new: Creates a new instance.

Exception

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Description: The universal base class for all exceptions. Exception has no superclass.

Extension

Type: interface
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclasses: General, Interface
Description: A tag interface which is used to define wrapper classes for containers.

File_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.File_Errors
Superclass: Exception
Description: Used to indicate a file handling error. Usually one of its subclasses would be thrown.

File_Lock_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.File_Errors
Superclasses: File_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an attempt to access a locked file.

File_Open_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.File_Errors
Superclasses: File_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an failed attempt to open a file.

File_Read_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.File_Errors
Superclasses: File_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an failed attempt to from read a file.

File_Write_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.File_Errors
Superclasses: File_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an failed attempt to write to a file.

Full_Container

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclasses: Container_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an attempt to add an element to a limited capacity container which would cause the size of the container to exceed its allowable maximum.

General

Type: interface
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclass: Interface
Description: A tag interface which is used indicate a container or a wrapper class for containers.

Integer_Overflow

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Math_Errors
Superclasses: Overflow, Math_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an overflow condition in integer math.

Interface

Type: interface
Package: ME_Kernel
Description: The universal base class for all interfaces. Interface has no superclass.

Internal_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Misc_Errors
Superclass: Exception
Description: Used to indicate an error in the internal operation of a method.

Invalid_Index

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclass: Container_Error, Exception
Description: Used by container methods which take an index parameter to specify a particular element. Thrown if the index is an integer but does not specify a legal position. Type_Check_Failure should be thrown for non-integer indexes and Empty_Container should be thrown when applicable in preference to Invalid_Index.

Invalid_Target

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclasses: Calling_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate that the target of a method call or property access is a deleted instance or is not an entity.

Invalid_Type

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclasses: Bad_Parameter, Calling_Error, Exception
Description: Used by validate to indicate that the type parameter is not a properly formatted type specifier.

Limited

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclass

Interfaces

Extension, General, Interface

Description

A wrapper class which provides limited capacity containers.

Instance properties

capacity: The maximum number of elements allowed in the container.
container: An instance of a container class which actually holds the elements.

Instance methods

add: Public. Checks the size of container. If it exceeds capacity, throws Full_Container; if not passes its parameters to container's add method. Returns NOTHING
clone: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Creates and returns a deep copy of the instance.
delete: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Deletes container then destroys the instance by calling the superclass method.
get_capacity: Public. Getter for capacity.
undefined_method: Protected. Delegates method calls to container.

Class method

new: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity. The first parameter must be an instance of a container class (any class which implements Basic) or a wrapper for a container class (any class whic implements Extension); the second must be a positive integer. The parameters initialize container and capacity, respectively. Returns the new instance.

Lock_Once

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Interfaces

Extension, General, Interface

Superclass

Locking, Entity

Description

A wrapper class which provides lockable containers wich can't be unlocked.

Instance properties

container, locked: Inherited form Locking.

Instance methods

clone, delete: Public. Inherited from Locking.
undefined_method: Protected. Inherited from Locking.
unlock: Public. Overrides method inherited from Locking as a null method to prevent unlocking.

Class method

new: Public. Inherited from Locking.

Locked_Container

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclasses: Container_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an attempt to add an element to, remove an element from, or clear a lockable container which is locked.

Locking

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclass

Extension, , General Interface

Interfaces

Description

A wrapper class which provides lockable containers.

Instance properties

container: An instance of a container class which actually holds the elements.
locked: A boolean indicating wheter the container is locked. Initialized to FALSE.

Instance methods

clone: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Creates and returns a deep copy of the instance.
delete: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity. Deletes container then destroys the instance by calling the superclass method.
get_locked: Public. Getter for locked.
lock: Public. Sets locked to TRUE.
undefined_method: If the method is add, clear, or remove and locked is TRUE, throws Locked_Container; if not, delegates the method call to container.
unlock: Public. Sets locked to FALSE.

Class method

new: Overrides method inherited from Entity. The parameter must be an instance of a container class (any class which implements Basic) or a wrapper for a container class (any class which implements Extension). The parameter initializes container. Returns the new instance.

Map

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_lib.Containers

Superclasses

Multi_Map, Container, Entity

Interfaces

Unique, Mapped, Sorted, Basic, General, Interface

Desription

A container which maps sorted key values to data. Duplicate keys are not allowed.

Instance properties

data, data_type, key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add: Public. Inherited from Multi_Map.
clear, clone, delete, find, find_all, find_last, get, get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_key, get_keys, get_size, remove: Public. Inherited from Container.

Class methods

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Mapped

Type

interface

Package

ME_Std_lib.Containers

Superclasses

Description

An interface which is used to define a container which maps sorted key values to data.

Instance Methods

get_key: Returns the key of the element whose index is specified by the the parameter.

Math_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Math_Errors
Superclass: Exception
Description: Used to indicate a mathematical error. Normally one of its subclasses would be thrown.

Method_Wrapper

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Kernel

Superclass

Description

Provides wrapper instances to allow the indirect call of a method. Primarily intended for event handlers.

Instance property

call_data: A sequence containing the target entity of the method to be called and all needed information about the method.

Instance methods

call: Public. Passes its parameters to the wrapped method, returns the method's return value. If the target entity is a deleted instance, set call_data to NIL and returns NOTHING. Returns NOTHING if call_data is already NIL.
clone, delete: Public. Override methods inherited from Entity to provide public access.
deserialize: Private. Recreates the call_data value from the deserialized object and internal class information. If this fails, sets call_data to NIL.

Class method

new: Public. Overrides method inherited from Entity. The first parameter is the target entity, the second is the name of the instance or class method (as appropriate) to be called on the target. Creates a new instance and initializes call_data with the target, the method name, and internal method information needed to call the method. Returns the newly created instance.

Missing_Parameter

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclasses: Bad_Parameter, Calling_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate that a required method parameter is not present. Missing_Parameter is seldom thrown directly but is commonly thrown via validate.

Multi_Map

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclasses

Interfaces

Mapped, Sorted, Basic, General, Interface

Description

A container which maps sorted key values to data. Duplicate keys are allowed.

Instance properties

data, data_type, Key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add: Public. Overrides method inherited from Container. Inherited from Multi_Map. Takes two parameters, the key and the data. Passes them to the superclass method in reverse order.
clear, clone, delete, find, find_all, find_last, get, get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_key, get_keys, get_size, remove: Public. Inherited from Container.

Class methods

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Multi_Set

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclasses

Interfaces

Description

A container which in which the elements are sorted. Duplicate elements are allowed.

Instance properties

data, data_type, key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add, clear, clone, delete, find, find_all, find_last, get, get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_keys, get_size, remove: Public. Inherited from Container.

Class methods

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Overflow

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Math_Errors
Superclasses: Math_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an overflow conditon. Normally one of its subclasses would be thrown.

Platform_Not_Supported

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Misc_Errors
Superclass: Exception
Description: Used to indicate an inappropriate attempt to use platform-specific features; for example, attempting to use Linux features in a Win32 program.

Priority_Queue

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclasses

Queue, Container, Entity

Interfaces

Description

A first-in-first-out data stream in which the elements may be given a prority. Higher priority elements go out before lower priority elements regardless of when they came in.

Instance properties

data, data_type, key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add: Public. Overrides method inherited from Queue. The first parameter is the element. The optional second parameter is the priority, which must be an atom (defaults to 0). Calls the superclass method with a sequence in the form {-priority,element} as its parameter. This sorts the queue so that the highest priority element is at the front of the queue.
clear, clone, delete: Public. Inherited from Container.
find, find_all, find_last: Public. Override methods inherited from Container. The first parameter is the element to be searched for, the optional second parameter is the priority of the element (which defaults to 0). Calls the superclass method with a sequence in the form {-priority,element} as its parameter.
get: Overrides method inherited from Container. Gets the element specified by the parameter by calling the superclass method. Returns {element,priority}.
get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_key, get_keys, get_size: Public. Inherited from Container.
remove: Public. Overrides method inherited from Queue. Removes the element at the front of the queue by calling the superclass method. This will be the highest priority element or the first element added to the queue among elements of equally high priority. Returns {element,priority}.

Class method

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Priority_Stack

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclasses

Stack, Container, Entity

Interfaces

Description

A last-in-first-out data stream in which the elements may be given a prority. Higher priority elements go out before lower priority elements regardless of when they came in.

Instance properties

data, data_type, key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add: Public. Overrides method inherited from Stack. The first parameter is the element. The optional second parameter is the priority, which must be an atom (defaults to 0). Calls the superclass method with a sequence in the form {priority,element} as its parameter. This sorts the stack so that the highest priority element is at the top of the stack.
clear, clone, delete: Public. Inherited from Container.
find, find_all, find_last: Public. Override methods inherited from Container. The first parameter is the element to be searched for, the optional second parameter is the priority of the element (which defaults to 0). Calls the superclass method with a sequence in the form {priority,element} as its parameter.
get: Overrides method inherited from Container. Gets the element specified by the parameter by calling the superclass method. Returns {element,priority}.
get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_key, get_keys, get_size: Public. Inherited from Container.
remove: Public. Overrides method inherited from Stack. Removes the element at the top of the stack by calling the superclass method. This will be the highest priority element or the last element added to the stack among elements of equally high priority. Returns {element,priority}.

Class method

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Program

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Kernel

Superclass

Description

Precreated application class for use with start_program and end_program. Program is local to the method_euphoria.e file and is not intended for use as a superclass.

Instance methods

clone, delete: Protected. Inherited from Entity.

Class methods

main: Private. A null method. Using start_program causes top level code to execute as if it were in this method.
new: Protected. Inherited from Entity.

Queue

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclasses

Counted_Instances, Entity

Interfaces

Basic, General, Interface

Description

A first-in-first-out data stream: the first element added to the queue is the first element removed.

Instance properties

data, data_type, key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add: Public. Overrides method inherited from Container. The single parameter is the element. Adds the element to the back of the queue by calling the superclass method with 0 (=add after end of container) as its second parameter.
clear, clone, delete, find, find_all, find_last, get, get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_key, get_keys, get_size: Public. Inherited from Container.
remove: Public. Overrides method inherited from Container. Takes no parameters. Removes and returns the element at the front of the queue by calling the superclass method with 1 (=first element of the container) as its parameter.

Class method

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Serialize_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclasses: Bad_Serialization, Exception
Description: Used to indicate an error in the serialization process.

Set

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclasses

Multi_Set, Container, Entity

Interfaces

Unique, Sorted, Basic, General, Interface

Description

A container which in which the elements are sorted. Duplicate elements are not allowed.

Instance properties

data, data_type, key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add, clear, clone, delete, find, find_all, find_last, get, get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_key, get_keys, get_size, remove: Public. Inherited from Container.

Class methods

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Singleton

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Counted

Superclasses

Description

A class which may have at most one instance in existence at a time.

Class properties

count, maximum: Inherited from Counted_Instances.

Instance methods

clone, delete: Protected. Inherited from Counted_Instances.

Class methods

get_count, get_maximum: Public. Inherited from Counted_Instances.
initialize: Protected. Overrides method inherited from Counted_Instances. Calls the superclass method, passing 1 as the parameter.
new: Protected. Inherited from Counted_Instances.

Sorted

Type: interface
Package: ME_Std_lib.Containers
Superclasses: Basic, General, Interface
Description: A tag interface which is used to define a container in which the elements are sorted.

Stack

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Containers

Superclasses

Interfaces

Basic, General, Interface

Description

A last-in-first-out data stream: the last element added to the stack is the first element removed.

Instance properties

data, data_type, key_type, keys: Inherited from Container.

Instance methods

add: Public. Overrides method inherited from Container. The single parameter is the element. Adds the element to the top of the stack by calling the superclass method with 0 (=add after end of container) as its second parameter.
clear, clone, delete, find, find_all, find_last, get, get_data, get_data_type, get_key_type, get_key, get_keys, get_size: Public. Inherited from Container.
remove: Public. Overrides method inherited from Container. Takes no parameters. Removes and returns the element at the top of the stack by calling the superclass method with -1 (=last element of the container) as its parameter.

Class method

new: Public. Inherited from Container.

Too_Many_Instances

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Counted
Superclass: Exception
Description: Used by Counted_Instances to indicate an attempt to create an instance which would cause the number of currently existing instances of the particular subclass of Counted_Instances to exceed the maximum number allowed for that subclass.

Type_Check_Failure

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclasses: Bad_Parameter, Calling_Error, Exception
Description: Used to indicate that a method parameter is not of the appropriate type. Type_Check_Failure is seldom thrown directly but is commonly thrown via validate.

Undefined_Method

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclass: Calling_Error, Exception
Description: Thrown by call_method when an attempt is made to call a method that is not defined for its target.

Undefined_Property

Type: exception
Package: ME_Kernel
Superclass: Calling_Error, Exception
Description: Thrown by get_property or set_property when an attempt is made to access a property that is not defined for its target.

Unique

Type: interface
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Containers
Superclasses: Sorted, Basic, Interface
Description: A tag interface which is used to define a container which does not allow duplicate elements.

Unknown_Error

Type: exception
Package: ME_Std_Lib.Misc_Errors
Superclass: Exception
Description: Used to indicate an error for which details are unknown.

Variable

Type

normal class

Package

ME_Std_Lib.Variables

Superclass