Objects

Objects, like records, are like a collection of named (possibly mutable) variables packaged in curly braces {}. But there are four key differences:

• We define an object by using the object keyword.
• We specify the visibility of the named variables with either the public or private keyword.
• We specify the mutability of the named variables with either the let or var keyword.
• Only public variables are part of the type of an object.

Here's a simple example:

let obj = object {
    private let x = 0;
};

We declared an object by using the object keyword before the curly braces. We also declared the variable x with the let keyword.

The type of this object is the empty object type { }. This is because the x variable was declared private.

A typed object with a public field could look like this:

type Obj = { y : Nat };

let obj : Obj = object {
    private let x = 0;
    public let y = 0;
};

We defined the type beforehand, which consists only of one named variable y of type Nat. Then we declared an object with a public variable y. We used the object type to annotate the name of the variable obj.

Notice that x is not part of the type, therefore it is not accessible from outside the object.

The values of the variables inside objects (and inside records as well) could also be a function. As we saw in functions, functions also have a type and they could be assigned to a named variable.

let obj = object {
    private func f() {};
    private let x = f;
};

Inside the object, we first define a private function and then assign that function to a private immutable variable x. The type of this object is the empty object type { } because there are no public variables.

Lets change the visibility of our x variable:

let obj = object {
    private func f() {};
    public let x = f;
};

This object now has the following type:

{ x : () -> () }

This is the type of an object with one field named x, which is of function type () -> (). We could access this public field like this:

let result = obj.x();

let f = obj.x;

The first line actually calls the function and assigns the result to result. The second line only references the function and renames it.

Public functions in objects

Lets look at a useful object:

let balance = object {
    private let initialBalance = 100;

    public var balance = initialBalance;

    public func addAmount( amount : Nat ) : Nat {
        balance += amount;
        balance
    };
};

The first field is a private immutable variable named initialBalance with constant value 100. The second field is a public mutable variable named balance initiated with the value of initialBalance.

Then we encounter a declaration of a public function named addAmount, which takes one argument amount of type Nat and returns a value of type Nat. The function adds the value of amount to balance using the 'in place add' assignment operator and finally returns the new value of balance.

This object has the following type:

{
    addAmount : Nat -> Nat;
    var balance : Nat;
}

This object type has two fields. The addAmount field has function type Nat -> Nat. And the second field is a var mutable variable of type Nat.