Objective-C: when to use function vs method - objective-c

I've started using Xcode's refactoring abilities (edit > refactor > extract) and noticed that Xcode offers to extract a method or a function.
I've read here and elsewhere about the differences between the two and understand that a method is connected to a class while a function is not. So I'm not looking for definitions, please.
Assuming that no arguments are involved, when is it appropriate to use one instead of the other? I understand that if something isn't really about the class then it could be a function but again, that's just about the definitions. I'm looking for good ol' use cases.
In my personal case, I'm trying to refactor some code out of the AppDelegate's applicationDidEnterBackground. As it is the only place to handle events upon entering the background, the only way to clean up the code is to extract subroutines into .. well, functions. But they'd be inside AppDelegate.m so wouldn't they be methods?
Hmmm..

Personally, I only use functions if, and only if, the following two requirements are met:
I use it so frequently within a given class, or throughout the project, that it warrants being generalized.
It has no side-effects or context dependancies (none of that void *context mess).
In my opinion, C-style functions should only be used as a last resort or in cases where you truly need functional behavior within this kind of an application. Event handling is both application-specific, and context sensitive, so it's best if you left that alone and focused on refactoring common patterns out.

You use functions when you have a, well, function ;-) You know the definitions: a method has an implicit argument self and can access instance variables using that; a function has no implicit arguments - everything it needs must be passed in.
If you are refactoring part of a larger method, that part does not access instance variables, and you are not refactoring it so that a subclass can override it, then let Xcode build you a function. When its done add static to it so it is private to the class.
In doing this you've lost nothing and made it clear that the piece of code is a function - it does not alter the state of the object.
There is of course no hard line between picking a function and a method, its a fuzzy boundary. If a piece of code, say, just accesses one or two instance variables but does not update them then you might pick a function - again making it clear that the object state is not being modified. But you don't want to pass lots of instance variables in as parameters, that is just hard to read (and inefficient).
Using functions can be good, and its certainly not bad to do so in Objective-C.

Method of a class usually need to access instance variables connected to that class. Functions in Objective-C are not connected to a class, and therefore have no access to any non-public member variables of classes.
Consider the class KNode, which contains member variable _memberVar.
#interface KNode : NSObject {
int _memberVar;
}
#end
Any method of this class could access and change the member variable, but any old function cannot, as it is private.
#implementation KNode
- (void)modify {
_memberVar = 10;
}
#end
The following function will not work
void modify(KNode * node) {
_memberVar = 10;
}

Two small but meaningful advantages of functions:
They can be internal-only by marking them static, or
__attribute__((visibility("hidden"))), which is helpful for framework developers
They can be inlined. For example, I use this pattern for fast lazy queue creation:
static inline dispatch_queue_t sharedQueue() {
static dispatch_queue_t queue;
static dispatch_once_t once;
dispatch_once(&once, ^{
queue = dispatch_queue_create("foo", 0);
});
return queue;
}

Related

Accessing an Objective-C ivar from outside the class at runtime

I know this idea completely breaks encapsulation, but say I have the following class extension:
#interface MyClass () {
int reallyImportantIvar;
}
// ...
#end
Normally, the class behaves like it should inside the Objective-C layer - sending and receiving messages, etc. However there is one ('public') subroutine where I need the best possible performance and very low latency, so I would prefer to use a C method. Of course, if I do, I can no longer access reallyImportantIvar, which is the key to my performance-critical task.
It seems I have two options:
Make the instance variable a static variable instead.
Directly access the instance variable through the Objective-C runtime.
My question is: is Option 2 even possible, and if so, what is its overhead? (E.g. Am I still looking at an O(n) algorithm to look up a class's instance variables anyway?)
Actually, if the definition of the C function is within the #implementation block of the class, then it can access private ivars on that class via the usual object->someIvar notation. So while you can use the runtime to access this, I don't think you need to. Just implement the function within the #implementation block of the class in question, and you should be just fine.
Another alternative is to declare the ivar as #package or #public. Then code outside your class's implementation that can #include that class extension can use the ivar.
#public allows any code to do so. #package limits the scope to the same binary as the class's implementation, which is usually appropriate when writing a shared library.
The Objective-C runtime includes the object_getInstanceVariable() function. I believe that's what you're looking for. I haven't checked in detail, but I don't believe there is any big difference between accessing it that way and the normal way.

Objective-C: Use singleton vs. use class as an object?

I've been wondering in what cases it is really necessary to adopt the singleton pattern in objective-C (e.g., define a dedicated class and create a single instance), that using the class as an object won't do.
Particularly, I'm thinking of the following solution:
Define and use appropriate class methods, instead of instance methods on the singleton instance;
Use static variables (file-scope globals), instead of instance variables of the singleton instance;
Use the class object when registering as an observer for notifications, instead of the singleton instance. Although the class object is an objective-C object in its own right (right?), this would require that the notification handler registered be a class method; (is this possible?)
For example, instead of having a Texture class (model object) and a TextureManager singleton (resource manager), you could have all texture creation/cleanup implemented as class methods and static variables of the same Texture class (factory pattern plus some resource management).
Any thoughts on this design?
EDIT:
Now that I think of it, and still in the Texture example above, even if I keep the two classes separate (Texture and TextureManager) I must choose between A. Having the manager be a singleton, and operate it with instance methods, or B. Having the manager be an instanceless, auxiliary class. To clarify:
Texture* myTexture = [[TextureManager defaultManager] textureWithName:#"TextureName"];
// (singleton, client uses instance methods)
versus
Texture* myTexture = [TextureManager textureWithName:#"TextureName"];
// (Class standing in for singleton, client uses class methods)
The latter looks more straightforward and less cumbersome/verbose, but I wonder which design is "more correct". Of course, the former allows for more than one TextureManager instance shall the need arise (not in my case).
I have been thinking about the same thing and I think I have an answer for you.
It depends on what you need to do with it. Neither is necessarily more "correct".
Read on if you want the details of how I came to my conclusion or scroll down to the tl;dr section.
As you said, it would appear (externally) less cumbersome to access the singleton to have the class manage the singleton for you. Essentially you would do this by replacing the singleton's factory method with an initializer method. Looking at Apple's documentation on this you can see where they show a "shared" method that acts as the factory to produce the singleton upon demand.
static MyGizmoClass *sharedGizmoManager = nil;
+ (MyGizmoClass*)sharedManager
{
if (sharedGizmoManager == nil) {
sharedGizmoManager = [[super allocWithZone:NULL] init];
}
return sharedGizmoManager;
}
Instead of doing this you could replace the method with a void initializer like so:
+ (void)initializeMyGizmo
{
if (sharedGizmoManager == nil) {
sharedGizmoManager = [[super allocWithZone:NULL] init];
}
// whatever else needs to be done to the singleton to initialize it
}
and then ONLY ever use class methods and allow the MyGizmoClass to manage updates to the singleton like [MyGizmoClass setGizmoName:#"Gadget"].
NOTE: In this scenario it would be confusing to someone looking at the .h file to see properties, in which case they may come to the conclusion that they should create an instance of the object themselves, or be able to have access to the singleton in some form or fashion. So if you were to go the route of encapsulating access to the singleton it would not be wise to use public variables.
To that point:
If you do limit access to solely through the class itself you lose any getters and setters or other free things that come along with properties. This means that if MyGizmoClass were to have as part of it's model an NSString *gizmoName you would be forced to create custom getters and setters for this "property" and keep it either as an ivar or property in an interface extension in the .m file (i.e. private) of the singleton class, or as an adjacent static variable.
So this begs the question (and is what got me pondering in the first place), should we even include the line static MyGizmoClass *sharedGizmoManager = nil; at all or can we nix the internal interface extension altogether and replace any possible ivars or properties that we want to limit access to with static implementations in the implementation?
I answered that already...
It depends on what you need to do with it.
tl;dr
First Scenario
If you ever (even the slightest chance) need to subclass your
TextureManager or could create multiple instances of it (making it
no longer a singleton) it would be better to stick to the regular
Apple convention for a singleton.
This includes multiple "singletons" wherein you might have several
TextureManagers preconfigured with different settings.
In this case you would use properties as you need them (publicly or
privately) as well as ivars. You could also use a mix of ivars and
statics but you would still always need to have a static instance of
your TextureManager inside of the TextureManager implementation.
Second Scenario
If you ONLY will ever need ONE instance of the TextureManager and it will run completely standalone with no intermixing further down the line then you could completely remove the static instance of your class within the implementation in the .m file and replace ivars and properties with static variables within that implementation.
This can be useful if you are storing off properties or settings in CoreData and only need them for configuration.
Just remember in this case you will have to create all getters and setters for the static variables and will only be able to access them using class methods (but that's sorta the point).
Other Interesting Stuff
This answer offers an interesting solution to the question of when and how to call the "initializer" method or create the singleton. This can be used with each scenario to either initialize the singleton in the first scenario, or preload defaults into the class-level statics in the second scenario.
If you want to stick with a static singleton in the implementation you might look at this article to give you a better idea at the true "global scope" of your singleton.
Yes you can definitely make a Texture class without needing a singleton.
Singletons probably should not be created and used as an object.
Singletons can be used for many important things.
I certainly don't know all of the things they can be used for, but i will tell you what i have used them for in the past.
I usually use singletons for level navigation in a game with many levels (like Angry Birds).
By level navigation, i mean... when a player completes a certain level in a game i simply call a class method on the singleton and pass in the level number, then the singleton's class method figures out which level is next (if user presses 'next level' button).
I can help you understand the Singleton class better and when it applies.
Pattern : Singleton
Intent : Enforce that a class can only have a single instance, as well as making that instance accessible to any other object.
Motivation : Sometimes we need to make sure that there exists only a single object of a certain type in our problem domain. Example: A student carries around only a single backpack, which he can fill with books. We would not want to relate him to secondary backpack, with even more books.
Use when :
There is need for only a single instance of a class, and that instance must be accessible from different objects within your code.
When you (possibly) need to be able to add more functionality to that class by subclassing it.

Why use Singletons?

OK, I know this question might seem irrelevant or too basic, but - since I always want to know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it, if it fits my design - please shed some light.
So, here's what I need :
Let's say we've got a class
We want to use its methods from pretty much anywhere
Instead of passing an object around, I decided to go for class methods and pseudo-global instances
So, let's say we've got a class named "MyDocumentManager".
This is what I usually do :
+ (MyDocumentManager*)documentManager
{
MyDocumentManager* newDocumentManager = [[MyDocumentManager alloc] init];
if (newDocumentManager)
{
// initialize that new document manager
}
return newDocumentManager;
}
And then use it like :
[[MyDocumentManager documentManager] someMethod];
However, I usually see people suggesting something like :
+ (MyDocumentManager*)sharedManager
{
static dispatch_once_t pred;
static MyDocumentManager *sharedManager;
dispatch_once(&pred, ^{
sharedManager = [[MyDocumentManager alloc] init];
});
return sharedManager;
}
So, here's my questions :
Is is the same thing?
If not, what is the difference?
What are the pros/cons of its approach? (in terms of memory/speed/etc)
Which one should I use and why?
Do they both fit what I need them for?
Is it the same thing?
No.
If not, what is the difference?
What you have doesn't implement a singleton, since it allocates a new instance of the class upon every function call. It's rather called a factory method. The definition of a singleton is that a certain class method always returns the same instance of the class.
Which one should I use and why?
You should generally avoid using singletons, because it's often considered bad practice, although there are cases when it's handy to have them. For example, if you have a class that uses encapsulated data but you only need quasi class-level methods, then it's better to implement a singleton with properly placed instance variables than implement class methods and tons of global/static variables (this is because in Objective-C, classes can't have member variables, only objects).
Do they both fit what I need them for?
You decide that.
The code you pasted in "what I usually do" is broken. It doesn't return a singleton. It returns a brand new object every time you call it (and if this isn't ARC then it's leaking it too).
The code you pasted as what people suggest is the correct code. Not only does it return a shared object each time, without leaking, but it's also thread-safe (so far as initialization of the object is concerned; it doesn't say anything about whether use of the object is thread-safe).

Finding out which class is calling a function - iOS, objective C

I have a function - myFunc() in class A. There are multiple other classes calling this function.
How will I be able to find out which class is calling myFunc() at a particular instance?
Would someone be able to help me with this?
Conceptually, this information is available in the stack, though it isn't easy to get to. Most solutions would involve creating an exception in order to capture the stack trace, and then reading the trace. I haven't tried this, but it might work:
void myFunc()
{
NSArray *stack = [NSThread callStackSymbols];
// I have no idea if the current function call is at the 0 or last position
// of the array. Experiment here!
}
Pertinent documentation: NSThread Class Reference
Note that if you want your function to behave differently depending on who is calling, DO NOT DO THIS. It's fragile (there are no guarantees about whether the format of what callStackSymbols returns will change).
It's better to simply pass a parameter into your function. If you're dealing with a C-function callback API, there is typically a void * "context" or "info" parameter that you can use to pass in an arbitrary pointer. This could be a pointer to your object.
Use the Visitor pattern
Have each of the calling classes implement a common protocol that defines the interface of the behavior you are looking to achieve.
Add the protocol as a parameter to myFunc.
When calling myFunc(), specify self as the parameter.
myFunc can now invoke any of the protocol methods without knowing about the other specific classes.
This way you adhere to the concepts of encapsulation.

Is the use of header-less method implementations good practise or frowned upon?

If you write method implementations in Objective-C, it is pretty standard to sum up the methods of a class in the corresponding #interface blocks. Publically accessible methods go in the header file's interface, not-so-public methods can go in an empty category on top of the implementation file.
But it's not neccessary to declare an interface for every method. If you only reference the methods below their implementation code of the same class/file, there's no need to put any declaration anywhere else.
-(void) doSomething {
}
-(void) doSomethingElse {
[self doSomething];
}
Coming from another language, this is new to me. And I can't seem to decide whether it is nice and pretty to keep the interface blocks clean, or whether it should be prevented because the order of method implementations seem like a weird dependency to have.
What is the general public's opinion of this matter?
The general rule I follow is that if the only method calling doSomething is doSomethingElse then it's fine to not have doSomething be part of the declared private interface. But the moment a second method makes use of doSomething I add it to the declared interface.
The thinking behind this is that as long as the method is only ever called from one place there's no reason to think of it as modular or reusable code. Instead it's more like the method exists just to tidy up the implementation of its calling method. In essence, the method doesn't really stand on its own, so there's no point in treating it like an interface method. But as soon as a second method is making the same call it demonstrates that the code is in fact reusable and useful in more than just the original context, and able to stand on its own as a useful function. So at that point, it becomes a declared part of the private interface.
Some other coding style choices make answering this question really easy:
If you document every method at its declaration point, then not having a declaration means that either these methods are missing documentation, or they are documented at definition; either way it's inconsistent. If you follow the school of thought that most methods should be so self-explanatory from their name that they don't need documentation, this might not be an issue.
Some people advocate ordering methods from more general to more specific; in that model your example is ordered wrong, and the only way to fix it is to have a declaration.
There's also the question of whether you would find it annoying to get unexpected compiler errors when you do simple re-ordering or re-factoring just because you happened to start using a method earlier, and have to stop and add the declaration at that point.