<i>GOO</i> Manual -- Generics

|  |  | Generics

## Generics

Generic functions provide a form of polymorphism allowing many implementation methods with varying parameter types, called specializers. Methods on a given generic function are chosen according to applicability and are then ordered by specificity. A method is applicable if each argument is an instance of each corresponding specializer. A method A is more specific than method B if all of A's specializers are subtypes of B's. During method dispatch three cases can occur:

- if no methods are applicable then a no-applicable-method error is signaled,
- if methods are applicable but are not orderable then an ambiguous-method error is signaled,
- if methods are applicable and are orderable then the most specific method is called and the next methods are established.

`<gen>` | `(<fun>)` | `C`
`fun-mets` | `(x|<gen> => <lst>)` | `P`
| returns `x`'s methods. |
`gen-add-met` | `(x|<gen> y|<met> => <gen>)` | `G`
| adds method `y` to generic `x`. |
`ord-app-mets` | `(x|<gen> args|... => (tup ord|<lst> amb|<lst>))` | `G`
| returns both the list of sorted applicable methods and any ambiguous methods when generic `x` is called with arguments args. |
`DG` | `(DG ,name ,sig)` | `S`
| defines a binding with name `,name` bound to a generic with signature `,sig`. |

|  |  | Generics