# Copyright: 2001-2004 The Perl Foundation.  All Rights Reserved.
# $Id: mmd.pod 5463 2004-02-28 00:30:43Z mikescott $

=head1 NAME

docs/mmd.pod - Multimethod dispatch for binary opcode functions

=head1 SYNOPSIS

This system is set up to handle type-based dispatching for binary
(i.e. two-arg) functions. This includes, though isn't necessarily
limited to, binary operators such as addition or subtraction.

=head1 DESCRIPTION

The MMD system is straightforward, and currently must be explicitly
invoked, for example by a vtable function. (We may reserve the right
to use MMD in all circumstances, but currently do not) 

=head2 API

For the purposes of the API, each MMD-able function is assigned a
unique number which is used to find the correct function table. This 
is the C<func_num> parameter in the following functions. While Parrot
isn't restricted to a predefined set of functions, it I<does> set
things up so that all the binary vtable functions have a MMD table
preinstalled for them, with default behaviour.

=over 4

=item mmd_add_by_class(interp, func_num, left_class, right_class, funcptr)

Adds a new MMD function C<funcptr> to the C<func_num> function table
that will be invoked when the left parameter is of class C<left_class>
and the right parameter is of class C<right_class>. Both classes are
C<STRING *>s that hold the PMC class names for the left and right
sides. If either class isn't yet loaded, Parrot will cache the
information such that the function will be installed if at some point
in the future both classes are available.

Currently this is done by just assigning class numbers to the classes,
which the classes will pick up and use if they're later loaded, but we
may later put the functions into a deferred table that we scan when
PMC classes are loaded. Either way, the function will be guaranteed to
be installed when it's needed.

The function table must exist, but if it is too small, it will
automatically be expanded.

=item mmd_register(interp, func_num, left_type, right_type, funcptr)

Register a function C<funcptr> for MMD function table C<func_num> for
classes C<left_type> and C<right_type>. The left and right types are
C<INTVAL>s that represent the class ID numbers.

The function table must exist, but if it is too small, it will
automatically be expanded.

Currently the MMD system doesn't handle inheritance and
best match searching, as it assumes that all PMC types have no parent
type. This can be considered a bug, and will be resolved at some point
in the future.

=item mmd_dispatch_pmc(interp, left, right, dest, func_num)

Dispatch to a multimethod that "returns" a PMC. C<left>, C<right>, and
C<dest> are all PMC pointers, while C<func_num> is the MMD table that
should be used to do the dispatching.

The MMD system will figure out which function should be called based
on the types of C<left> and C<right> and call it, passing in C<left>,
C<right>, and C<dest> like any other binary vtable function.

This function has a void return type, like all the "take two PMCs,
return a PMC" vtable functions do.

=item STRING *mmd_dispatch_string(interp, left, right, func_num)

Dispatch to a multimethod that returns a string. C<left> and C<right>
are PMC pointers, while C<func_num> is the MMD table that should be
used to do the dispatching. The function is responsible for creating
the returned string.

=item INTVAL mmd_dispatch_intval(interp, left, right, func_num)

Like C<mmd_dispatch_string>, only it returns an INTVAL.

=item FLOATVAL mmd_dispatch_floatval(interp, left, right, func_num)

Like C<mmd_dispatch_string>, only it returns a FLOATVAL.

=item mmd_add_function(interp, func_num, default_func)

Add a new function table to the list of functions the MMD system knows
of. C<func_num> is the number of the new function, while
C<default_func> is the function to be called when the system doesn't
know which function it should call. (Because, for example, there
hasn't been a function installed that matches the left and right types
for a call)

=back

=head2 Constants

The following constants are defined to identify function tables:

=over 4

=item MMD_ADD

Addition

=item MMD_SUBTRACT

Subtraction

=item MMD_MULTIPLY

Multiplication

=item MMD_DIVIDE

Division

=item MMD_MOD

Accurate modulus

=item MMD_CMOD

C-style modulus

=item MMD_BAND

Binary and

=item MMD_BOR

Binary or

=item MMD_BXOR

Binary xor

=item MMD_BSL

Bitshift left

=item MMD_BSR

Bitshift right

=item MMD_CONCAT

String concatenation

=item MMD_LAND

Short-circuiting logical and

=item MMD_LOR

Short-circuiting logical or

=item MMD_LXOR

Logical xor (not short-circuiting)

=item MMD_REPEAT

String repetition

=item MMD_NUMEQ

Numeric equality

=item MMD_STREQ

String equality

=item MMD_NUMCMP

Numeric comparison

=item MMD_STRCMP

String comparison

=item MMD_SOR

Bitwise or of the string value

=item MMD_SAND

Bitwise and of the string value

=item MMD_SXOR

Bitwise xor of the string value

=back

=head2 Defaults

By default, functions are installed for all the functions that have
constants associated with them. They are all functions suitable for
calling with C<mmd_dispatch_pmc>.

The math functions (add, subtract, multiply, and divide) all work on
the float values of the left and right sides.

The cmod function does a plan C-style mod (the C C<%> operator) on the
integer value of the left and right sides.

The mod function does an fmod on the float values of the two sides.

The bitwise functions (and, or, xor, left shift, right shift) work on
the integer values of the two sides.

The concat function concatenates the string values of the left and
right sides.

The logical functions (and, or, xor) use the boolean values of the
left and right sides to see whether they should set_pmc the
destination to the left or right sides. The C<and> and C<or> functions
short-circuit, C<xor> does not.

The repeat function gets the string value of the left side and the
integer value of the right.

The numeric equal and numeric comparison functions work on the float
values of both sides.

The string equal and comparison functions work on the string values of
both sides.

The string bitwise ops (and, or, xor) take the string values of both
sides and do bitwise operations on the resulting bitstring.
