In the end it is probably a matter of conventions. Instruction how to construct something (e.g. Spec) / configuration information / descriptions / help information / examples are kept on the class side.
HH On 10/3/17, H. Hirzel <hannes.hir...@gmail.com> wrote: > The information for a help topic on the class side is used to create a > help instance. > > Even if I technically create several instances of a particular help > topic with information taken from the class side conceptually I have > only _one_ help topic. The instances all share exactly the same > content. > > Maybe the idea of 'Uniclass' (Etoys / Squeak') though not exactly the > same may help. > "UniClasses are classes for the instance specific behavior of just one > instance." > http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/2402 > > In Smalltalk I always have to deal with classes. A class is an object > as well. Good to keep information for cases where I do not care to > have different instances with different state. > > HTH > > Hannes > > On 10/3/17, Peter Uhnák <i.uh...@gmail.com> wrote: >> On Tue, Oct 3, 2017 at 2:17 PM, H. Hirzel <hannes.hir...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> This is as if you would ask >>> >>> why are specs on the class side? >>> >> >> I can certainly ask that, and there's in fact no reason why it would have >> to be there (because when the layout is being retrieved, the instance is >> already available). >> >> >>> You may actually see Help information as 'meta information'. It is >>> information about .... >>> >> >> If you put it on the class-side of the class that it is about then I >> would >> agree. But that is not the case here. The object is the content, not >> about >> the content. >> >> >>> >>> The content is only needed once per topic. No different instances of the >>> same topic. >>> >> >> This is not actually true; the topic is instantiated anew for every help >> browser opened (and every time browser is opened). >> >> And in fact the CustomHelp subclass is recasted to HelpTopic at runtime, >> which makes the entire class quite pointless; which is what I don't >> understand. >> >> Peter >> >
