MOA Developer's Guide
MOA Interfaces | MOA Methods | MOA Types and Misc API
MOA Glossary
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- Class: A unit of implementation of one or more MOA
interfaces, corresponding to a class in other object models. The
class defines implementations for each method in its interfaces,
and provides ways to create and destroy the objects that provide
those implementations. In addition, the class defines a private
data structure--instance variables--accessible only within method
implementations.
Interface: A unit of interaction specified as a set of
function prototypes or methods. An interface is designed to provide
a template through which a provider and a user of the interface
can interact. An interface defines the names, argument types,
and return types for all its methods. It is identified by an interface
identifier, a 128 place integer that uniquely represents the interface
in code.
Instance variable: A member of a private data structure
belonging to an object. The instance variables for a particular
class of objects are accessible only within the method implementations
for the interfaces of the class.
Method: function prototype that specifies the name, calling
sequence, argument types, and return types for a specific procedure
of an interface. The functions prototyped within an interface
are referred to as its methods. The methods represent the actual
name binding of the function call: this name binding is independent
of the actual name used by a class for the method implementation.
Method implementation: a function that represents the implementation
of a specific method. A class definition specifies a name binding
from each method defined in an interface to the corresponding
method implementation in the class. In most cases, method implementations
are given a name consisting of the class name, and underbar, and
the method name; for example MyClass_MyMethod
MoaID: A 128 place integer type used to identify interfaces
and classes defined in MOA. Each interface and each class is assigned
its own unique MoaID when it is defined. These identifiers are
used within a program to identify and interact with a particular
interface or class. The MoaID for an interface is referred to
as its IID, or Interface Identifier. The MoaID for a class is
referred to as its CLSID, or Class Identifier.
Object: A unit of behavior, providing a specific set of
interfaces implemented by a class. Within its method implementations,
the object has access to the private data of its instance variables.
Externally, the only "visible" aspect of an object is
its collection of behaviors: the methods defined by its interfaces.
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