Object Creation and Message Syntax

'Instantiation', or the instantiation of a class, is used in this manual to mean the creation of an object instance without regard to how that creation is achieved. For instantiation to occur the instance must be associated with a class, must be sized if the class is indexed, and must be named unless created at runtime as dynamic and nameless. Objects range in complexity from simple BYTEs and INTs through the "toolbox objects" such as windows and views that participate in Mac Toolbox operations. Mops provides several language elements designed to cope with this range of complexity in an economical way.

Message syntax is very uniform unless you need to explicity control the binding of a message, that is, the association of a message with a specific method definition. In the simple case no uncertainty about the receiver's class exists and the binding occurs at compile time (early binding), but in other cases it must be achieved at runtime (late binding). The choice between the two, and the attendant tradeoffs, is dictated by overall program design as discussed in the following chapter, "More About Objects". Complete syntax fo