Skip to main content


Eclipse Community Forums
Forum Search:

Search      Help    Register    Login    Home
Home » Modeling » TMF (Xtext) » Xtend2: extended type-based collection filters
Xtend2: extended type-based collection filters [message #1009819] Fri, 15 February 2013 19:26 Go to next message
Axel Guckelsberger is currently offline Axel GuckelsbergerFriend
Messages: 354
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Hi all,

I have been using Xtend 2 for a good while now and love it. In the meanwhile
I ported around 400 Xpand files and Java classes so I think I have become
used to it.

Nevertheless I have two questions regarding the collection handling. I think
these points are quite easy to solve (beginner-level), maybe they are even
worth to be added to the documentation as "best practices".

We can use the typeof() method for type-based filters, for example doing
something like this:

val books = myObjects.filter(typeof(Book))

We can also use arbitrary filters by properties or extension methods

val myBooks = books.filter(e|e.active && e.isOwnBook)
(active is a simple property here while isOwnBook is an example for an
extension method)

When working with meta classes it is a very common use case to iterative
over collection subsets based on certain types. For recurring filters we
create extension methods to encapsulate the filter logic. That is all fine.

1. Is it possible to combine multiple types in a filter clause?

For example if I want to get a few sub types of a base class, but not all of
them.

val booksAndPages = myObjects.filter(typeof(Book) || typeof(Page))

Until now I used to work with a helper method for these use cases, like
that:

val booksAndPages = myObjects.filter(e|e.isBookOrPage)

def isBookOrPage(Object it) {
switch (it) {
Book: true
Page: true
default: false
}
}

While the idea of an extension method in general looks not bad to me (see
above) the shown usage of the switch statement admittedly seems not very
elegant, hence I would like to get rid of it.


2. Is it possible to exclude (instead of include) the according type?

Of course this is a special case of question one, but if this is required it
wouldn't be appropriate to select all except one types as this would create
an unrequired maintenance point as this would require that new types are
added to that list always.
Therefore I was curious whether there exists a syntax shorthand for
excluding a type from a collection.

val allExceptBooks = myObjects.filter(!typeof(MyType))

or (using exclude() following Xtend 1)

val allExceptBooks = myObjects.exclude(typeof(MyType))

or (using the minus operator)

val allExceptBooks = myObjects - myObjects.filter(typeof(MyType))


Thanks for your answers,

Axel
Re: Xtend2: extended type-based collection filters [message #1009831 is a reply to message #1009819] Fri, 15 February 2013 20:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Christian Dietrich is currently offline Christian DietrichFriend
Messages: 14665
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Hi,

(1)
have a look what actually happens: The filter call is mapped to org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.IterableExtensions.filter(Iterable<?>, Class<T>)
which calls (with some indirections org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.IterableExtensions.filter(Iterable<?>, Class<T>))
this contains something filter(unfiltered, Predicates.instanceOf(type));
=> the call

a.filter(typeof(String)) is the same as a.filter(Predicates::instanceOf(typeof(String)))

=> you could easily build an extension like

	def <T> Iterable<T> filter(Iterable<T> unfiltered, Class<T>... types) {
		unfiltered.filter(Predicates::or(types.map[Predicates::instanceOf(it)]))
	}


(2) here you could do write something that uses Predicates::not


Twitter : @chrdietrich
Blog : https://www.dietrich-it.de
Re: Xtend2: extended type-based collection filters [message #1010017 is a reply to message #1009831] Sat, 16 February 2013 09:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Axel Guckelsberger is currently offline Axel GuckelsbergerFriend
Messages: 354
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Thanks Christian,

I am going to address this in detail soon.

Axel


Christian Dietrich wrote:

> Hi,
>
> (1)
> have a look what actually happens: The filter call is mapped to
> org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.IterableExtensions.filter(Iterable<?>,
> Class<T>) which calls (with some indirections
> org.eclipse.xtext.xbase.lib.IterableExtensions.filter(Iterable<?>,
> Class<T>)) this contains something filter(unfiltered,
> Predicates.instanceOf(type)); => the call
>
> a.filter(typeof(String)) is the same as
> a.filter(Predicates::instanceOf(typeof(String)))
>
> => you could easily build an extension like
>
>
> def <T> Iterable<T> filter(Iterable<T> unfiltered, Class<T>... types) {
> unfiltered.filter(Predicates::or(types.map[Predicates::instanceOf(it)]))
> }
>
> (2) here you could do write something that uses Predicates::not
Re: Xtend2: extended type-based collection filters [message #1010040 is a reply to message #1010017] Sat, 16 February 2013 10:40 Go to previous message
Axel Guckelsberger is currently offline Axel GuckelsbergerFriend
Messages: 354
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Hi Christian,

works like a charm.

Thanks again!

Axel


Axel Guckelsberger wrote:

> Thanks Christian,
>
> I am going to address this in detail soon.
>
> Axel
Previous Topic:No hovers in Fowler's State-Machine
Next Topic:Empty rule
Goto Forum:
  


Current Time: Thu Apr 25 21:32:47 GMT 2024

Powered by FUDForum. Page generated in 0.03638 seconds
.:: Contact :: Home ::.

Powered by: FUDforum 3.0.2.
Copyright ©2001-2010 FUDforum Bulletin Board Software

Back to the top