Initialiser Inheritance confusion - ios

I am trying to build some mocking infrastructure, I want to be able to return a stubbed value and count the times the value was accessed. I have something simple like this:
class BasicMock<T> {
var callsCount = 0
private let backing: T
var result: T {
callsCount++
return backing
}
init(result: T) {
self.backing = result
}
}
class MockTimeDefinitionSerialiser: BasicMock<[String: [AnyObject]]>, TimeDefinitionSerialiserProtocol {
func serialiseTravelTime(travelTime: JSSTravelTime) -> [String: AnyObject] {
return result
}
}
However trying to build it:
let mockTimeDefinitionSerialiser = MockTimeDefinitionSerialiser(result: ["": ""])
Emits the error 'MockTimeDefinitionSerialiser' cannot be constructed because it has no accessible initialisers
My interpretation of the Swift docs is that I should automatically inherit the initialiser as I have set all stored properties.
What am I doing wrong?

Please remove any unnecessary code when asking a question. I was able to reduce your problem to this:
class Base<T> {
init(t: T) {}
}
class Sub: Base<Int> {}
Sub(t: 0) // error: 'Sub' cannot be constructed because it has no accessible initialisers
It seems like even though you specified the T in the subclass, the compiler cannot infer what the initialiser uses for T. I couldn't find a way to get the initialiser to be inherited, you'd have to use a workaround:
class Sub: Base<Int> {
override init(t: Int) {
super.init(t: t)
}
}

Related

Swift Type Erasure with Generic Enum and Generic Protocol

I have had to use type erasure in Swift a few times however it always involved a generic protocol. In this case, it involves both a generic enum and and generic protocol and I'm stumped.
Here is my generic enum and generic protocol with the necessary extension:
enum UIState<T> {
case Loading
case Success([T])
case Failure(ErrorType)
}
protocol ModelsDelegate: class {
associatedtype Model
var state: UIState<[Model]> { get set }
}
extension ModelsDelegate {
func getNewState(state: UIState<[Model]>) -> UIState<[Model]> {
return state
}
func setNewState(models: UIState<[Model]>) {
state = models
}
}
And here is my type erased generic class:
class AnyModelsDelegate<T>: ModelsDelegate {
var state: UIState<[T]> {
get { return _getNewState(UIState<[T]>) } // Error #1
set { _setNewState(newValue) }
}
private let _getNewState: ((UIState<[T]>) -> UIState<[T]>)
private let _setNewState: (UIState<[T]> -> Void)
required init<U: ModelsDelegate where U.Model == T>(_ models: U) {
_getNewState = models.getNewState
_setNewState = models.setNewState
}
}
I'm getting the following errors (they are marked in the code sample):
Error #1:
Cannot convert value of type '(UIState<[T]>).Type' (aka 'UIState<Array<T>>.Type') to expected argument type 'UIState<[_]>' (aka 'UIState<Array<_>>')
I have been working on this for awhile and there have been quite a few variations on this code that "almost worked". The error always has to do with the getter.
The problem that causes this error, as #dan has pointed out, is that on this line you're trying to pass a type as an argument, instead of an instance of that type:
get { return _getNewState(UIState<[T]>) }
However, I would question your use of an argument to this function in the first place, surely a getting function should have no argument at all? In this case you'll simply want your _getNewState function to have the signature () -> UIState<[T]>, and call it like so:
get { return _getNewState() }
Also, if your getNewState and setNewState(_:) functions in your protocol extension only exist in order to forward the getting and setting of your state property to the type-erasure – you can simplify your code by getting rid of them entirely and use closure expressions in the type-erasure's init instead:
_getNewState = { models.state }
_setNewState = { models.state = $0 }
(These work by capturing a reference to the models argument, for more info see Closures: Capturing Values)
Finally, I suspect that you mean to refer to UIState<T> rather than UIState<[T]> throughout your code, as T in this case refers to an element in the array that your .Success case has as an associated value (unless you want a 2D array here).
All in all, with the above proposed changes, you'll want your code to look something like this:
enum UIState<T> {
case Loading
case Success([T])
case Failure(ErrorType)
}
protocol ModelsDelegate: class {
associatedtype Model
var state: UIState<Model> { get set }
}
class AnyModelsDelegate<T>: ModelsDelegate {
var state: UIState<T> {
get { return _getNewState() }
set { _setNewState(newValue) }
}
private let _getNewState: () -> UIState<T>
private let _setNewState: (UIState<T>) -> Void
required init<U: ModelsDelegate where U.Model == T>(_ models: U) {
_getNewState = { models.state }
_setNewState = { models.state = $0 }
}
}

Inheriting initializer from generic class

I've seen some discussions about this problem, but have not read a satisfactory explanation. Can anybody tell me why this does not work?
class Parent<T> {
var data:T
init(data:T) {
self.data = data
}
}
class Child : Parent<Int> {}
let c = Child(data: 4)
The last line gives the error:
'Child' cannot be constructed because it has no accessible initializers
Do I really need to implement the initializer just to call super?
Edit:
To give a bit of context, the real code looks closer to the below. I have an Action class which uses generics, because I have another bit of code which can chain actions together and I want to use Swift's type safety to ensure that actions can be chained. Then I have a bunch of subclasses classes (e.g. CustomAction). I am looking for a way to avoid overriding the init method in each of the subclasses. Or alternatively, I want to understand why that's not possible.
class Action<Input, Output> {
var cachedOutput:Output?
init(cachedOutput:Output?) {
self.cachedOutput = cachedOutput
}
}
protocol CustomInput {}
protocol CustomOutput {}
class CustomAction : Action<CustomInput, CustomOutput> {
}
yes, you really need to override init method ..
class Parent<T> {
var data:T
init(data:T) {
self.data = data
}
}
class Child<T> : Parent<T> {
override init(data: T) {
super.init(data: data)
}
}
let c = Child(data: 4) // Child<Int>
let c2 = Child(data: "alfa") // Child<String>
what are the errors ...
// what is the type T ? it is undeclared!
class Child2: Parent2<T> {}
// how to specialize non-generic type Parent ? how to create it?
// i need an initializer in class Child3 ... Hm ...
class Child3: Parent<Int> {}
// cannot specialize non-generic type 'Parent'
class Child3: Parent<Int> {
override init(data: Int) {
super.init(data: data)
}
}
// So, Child3 must be of the same specialized type as Parent!!
that is terrible, isn't it? so look at my final example !
class Parent<T> {
var data:T
init(data:T) {
self.data = data
}
}
class Child<Double> : Parent<String> {
init(data: Double) {
super.init(data: "\(data)")
}
}
let c = Child(data: 4) // Child<Int> !!!!!
let d = Child(data: true) // Child<Bool> !!!
in your case it works like
class Parent<T> {
var data:T
init(data:T) {
self.data = data
}
}
class Child: Parent<String> {
init(data: Double) {
super.init(data: "\(data)")
}
}
let c = Child(data: 4)
print(c.dynamicType) // Child :-)
This now works in Swift 3. My original example now compiles. There is no mention of this in the Swift 3 Language changes, so I can only assume that this was a bug.

A static field inherited from the base class or protocol - how?

I want to be able to have the classes which have a static property (field) which is either inherited from the base class or "mixed" from a protocol. And every class should have it's own implementation of that property. Is it possible? Preferably, it to be immutable.
class C1 {
static let stProperty = "my prorepty1"
}
class C2 {
static let stProperty = "my prorepty2"
}
It's possible, but it's really hard to make this useful in Swift. How do you plan to refer to this property? Let's start with a super-simple implementation:
protocol SomeProtocol {
static var prop: String { get }
}
class C1: SomeProtocol {
static let prop = "This is One"
}
Great. So now I want a function that uses this:
func useProp(x: SomeProtocol) -> String {
return x.prop
// 'SomeProtocol' does not have a member named 'prop'
}
That doesn't work. x is an instance, but I want the type.
// Accessing members of protocol type value 'SomeProtocol.Type' is unimplemented
func useProp(x: SomeProtocol.Type) -> String {
return x.prop
}
This is probably how it will work some day given the word "unimplemented." But it doesn't work today.
func useProp(x: SomeProtocol) -> String {
// Accessing members of protocol type value 'SomeProtocol.Type' is unimplemented
return x.dynamicType.prop
}
Same thing.
Today, you really have to hang this on the object itself and not use static or class:
protocol SomeProtocol {
var prop: String { get }
}
class C1: SomeProtocol {
let prop = "This is One"
}
func useProp(x: SomeProtocol) -> String {
return x.prop
}
That's not so terrible in many cases, since the value for the class is probably also the value for any given instance of the class. And it's really all we can do today.
Of course your problem might be that you don't have an instance yet and you need this information to build an instance. That's really hard today and you should probably rethink your design. You'll generally have to use some other pattern like a Builder. See Generic Types Collection for more.
Now you also said:
or "mixed" from a protocol
I wouldn't say "mixed" here. If you really mean this like a Ruby "mixin", there is no such thing in Swift today. Swift folks often refer to this feature as "default implementation," and it's not currently possible (though I do expect it to come eventually). The only thing you can do in the protocol is say that the implementor has to provide this method somehow. You can't provide it for them.
Sure you can do that with a protocol:
protocol SomeProtocol {
static var foo: String { get }
}
class One: SomeProtocol {
class var foo: String {
get {
return "This is One"
}
}
}
Btw I agree with Rob Napier below that this is a bit off a oddball feature. I do think there are probably use-cases for it, but I also think those can be better implemented with other language features
protocol P {
class var stProperty: String { get }
}
class C1 {
class var stProperty: String {
return = "my property1"
}
}
class C2 {
class var stProperty: String {
return = "my property2"
}
}
Usage:
C2.prop //"my property2"
If you try:
C2.prop = "new value" //"cannot assign to the result of this expression"

EXC_BAD_ACCESS when using generics

I'm trying to implement a cache for my entities with using generics in Swift. Here is my code:
class BaseCache<T>: NSObject {
var allEntities = [T]()
// MARK: - Append
func appendEntities(newEntities: [T]) {
for entity in newEntities {
// Check if allEntities array already contains an entity
var contains = false
for item in allEntities {
// EXC_BAD_ACCESS in isEqual method (see below)
if isEqual(entity, rightEntity: item) {
contains = true
break
}
}
if !contains {
allEntities.append(entity)
}
}
}
func isEqual(leftEntity: T, rightEntity: T) -> Bool {
return false
}
}
Here is a concrete implementation of BaseCache:
class CourierCache<T: AftershipCourier>: BaseCache<T> {
override func isEqual(leftEntity: T, rightEntity: T) -> Bool {
println("\(leftEntity)") // EXC_BAD_ACCESS here
println("\(rightEntity)")
return rightEntity.slug == leftEntity.slug
}
}
Any ideas how to fix that? Thanks!
PS: Note that this question is not relevant to my question
Looks to me like you’ve found a Swift bug. Here’s as simple as I could get it:
class C { }
class Base<T> {
func callCrash(t: T) {
crash(t)
}
func crash(t: T) { }
}
class Sub<T: C>: Base<T> {
override func crash(t: T) {
println(t) // EXC_BAD_ACCESS here
}
}
let sub = Sub<C>()
sub.callCrash(C())
However, you would probably be better served by putting the ability to detect equality into a protocol, and then requiring the objects, rather than the cache, to check for equality.
#rakeshbs’s answer shows how to do this with Equatable, but I would add a couple of caveats that means you may not want to use this approach:
You are checking a property, slug, to test for equality. Equality in Swift implies substitutability – i.e. if two elements are equal via ==, they should be completely equivalent and you should be able to substitute one for the other without anyone noticing. If your ships have properties that can vary even while their slug property is the same, this will not be the case. This can lead to some nasty bugs if you use library functions like contains or sort that rely on this substitutability property. If you are using classes, then you might find the identity operator (===) is a good thing to use to implement the equality operator.
Using equatable and == operators and generics means your comparison function will be statically bound, because operators are not member functions. That means if you hold in your cache different objects in the hierarchy, you won't get dynamic dispatch on your == operator. That is, if you have an AftershipCourier cache and you put FastAftershipCourier classes in it, you could find that the == for AftershipCourier be run between them, instead of a custom == that compares FastAftershipCourier. So if you need dynamic behaviour, make sure to have == call a method on the passed-in argument, that can be overridden by subclasses, rather than just comparing properties directly.
To resolve both these issues, use a protocol of your own devising with a comparison function, have the courier classes implement it, and then call it within your cache code.
P.S. your for loop checking the entity against allEntities can be written as let alreadyContained = contains(allEntities) { entity.comparingFuncYouDecideOn($0) }
You can modify your code like this to achieve what you need. Make use of the Equatable protocol to compare the AfterCourier instances. And use type alias to fix the type inside CourierCache.
class BaseCache<T:Equatable> {
var allEntities :Array<T> = []
func appendEntities(newEntities: [T])
{
for entity in newEntities {
if !contains(allEntities,entity)
{
allEntities.append(entity)
}
}
}
func print()
{
println("Entities : \(allEntities)")
}
}
class CourierCache<S>: BaseCache<AftershipCourier>
{
func testCourier()
{
for courier in allEntities
{
println("Courier Slug: \(courier.slug)")
}
}
}
class AftershipCourier : Equatable,Printable
{
var description: String {
return "Courier Slug: \(slug)"
}
var slug : Int = 0
}
func == (lhs: AftershipCourier, rhs: AftershipCourier) -> Bool
{
return lhs.slug == rhs.slug
}
typealias AfterCourierCache = CourierCache<AftershipCourier>
You can use it like this.
var cache = CourierCache<AftershipCourier>()
var t1 = AftershipCourier()
t1.slug = 1
var t2 = AftershipCourier()
t2.slug = 2
cache.appendEntities([t1])
cache.appendEntities([t2])
cache.print()
cache.testCourier();

Generic on class that is subclassed

In my application written in Swift, I have the following class structure. Class A has a static method which does some stuff, but in a very simple form it looks like the code below.
class A {
class func create<T: A>() -> T? {
println(NSStringFromClass(T));
return nil;
}
}
Class B is subclassed from class A.
class B : A {
}
Now, when I execute the following code, the println command outputs A instead of B.
var myVar:B? = B.create();
I am not sure what I am doing wrong here, but I would expect it to output B.
When debugging and putting a breakpoint in the create method, the value $swift.type.T is defined as a Builtin.RawPointer MyApp.A instead of B.
Your generic class method on A doesn't make sense to me. Instead I would actually use something like the code below. This way it creates an instance of Self, which is whatever class you call it on. No need for generics in this case.
class A {
required init() {}
class func create() -> Self {
return self()
}
func test() -> String {
return "A"
}
}
class B : A {
override func test() -> String {
return "B"
}
}
let b = B.create() // "{A}" according to the playground, but it is a "B" instance!
b.test() // "B"
Please note that A needs a required initializer because the use of Self. When doing it in playground, the created instance is shown as {A} on the right. This is an error in Xcode I believe, the actual type is correct.
Edit:
I believe the code above isn't what you were looking for exactly, now I do get what you're trying to do. I would suggest not doing that by depending on the actual class name, but using a generic class to create the instances for you:
protocol Entity {
init()
class func entityName() -> String
}
class EntityFactory<T : Entity> {
class func newEntity() -> T? {
var entity: T?
// ... create entity here using T.entityName()
return entity
}
}
class Person : Entity {
required init() {}
class func entityName() -> String {
return "Person"
}
}
let person = EntityFactory<Person>.newEntity()
Think this is a more elegant solution, which moves the responsibility of creating an entity to a separate generic class. This results in code that is maintainable and testable. You can even abstract it out further for i.e. unit testing purposes, but that seems a bit out of scope here.

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