Method and system for implementing virtual functions of an interface

• US 20050125805A1
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, William Gates
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, William Gates
• Inventors: Hasha, Richard
• Application Number:
  US11/039,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125805A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

A method and system for implementing functions in a class that inherits an interface and that inherits an implementing class which implements the interface. A forwarding system adds to the class for each virtual function a forwarding implementation of that virtual function. The forwarding implementation forwards its invocation to the implementation of that the virtual function in the implementing class. The forwarding system implements a special forwarding instruction that specifies the interface and implementing class. A developer of a class that inherits the interface and the implementing class inserts the forwarding instruction into the class definition. When the forwarding system encounters such an instruction during compilation of the class definition, the forwarding system provides an implementation of each virtual function of the interface that forwards its invocation to a corresponding virtual function in the implementing class. The forwarding system also forwards virtual functions of any direct or indirect base interface of the interface to the implementing class.

Claims

1. A method of operating a computer system, comprising:

providing a class object corresponding to a class of an object oriented programming language comprising a virtual function;

defining an implementation of the virtual function; and

automatically inserting an implementation of the virtual function in an second class object wherein the second class object has an inheritance relationship with the class object.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the class object is an abstract class.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the automatic insertion of the implementation is performed by a compiler.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said automatically inserting includes automatically inserting instructions corresponding to the implementation of the virtual function at a location of an indicator within the second object.

5. A computer-readable medium bearing computer executable instructions for carrying out the acts of:

providing a class object comprising a virtual function;

defining an implementation of the virtual function; and

automatically inserting an implementation of the virtual function in a second class object wherein the second class has an inheritance relationship with the class object.

6. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5 wherein the class object is an abstract class.

7. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5 wherein the automatic insertion of the implementation is performed by a compiler.

8. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5 wherein said automatically inserting includes automatically inserting instructions corresponding to the implementation of the virtual function at a location of an indicator included within the second object.