Cross-cutting logging in Ruby - ruby

Question

I'm trying to add logging to a method from the outside (Aspect-oriented-style)
class A
def test
puts "I'm Doing something..."
end
end
class A # with logging!
alias_method :test_orig, :test
def test
puts "Log Message!"
test_orig
end
end
a = A.new
a.test
The above works alright, except that if I ever needed to do alias the method again, it goes into an infinite loop. I want something more like super, where I could extend it as many times as I needed, and each extension with alias its parent.

Answer 1

Another alternative is to use unbound methods:
class A
original_test = instance_method(:test)
define_method(:test) do
puts "Log Message!"
original_test.bind(self).call
end
end
class A
original_test = instance_method(:test)
counter = 0
define_method(:test) do
counter += 1
puts "Counter = #{counter}"
original_test.bind(self).call
end
end
irb> A.new.test
Counter = 1
Log Message!
#=> #....
irb> A.new.test
Counter = 2
Log Message!
#=> #.....
This has the advantage that it doesn't pollute the namespace with additional method names, and is fairly easily abstracted, if you want to make a class method add_logging or what have you.
class Module
def add_logging(*method_names)
method_names.each do |method_name|
original_method = instance_method(method_name)
define_method(method_name) do |*args,&blk|
puts "logging #{method_name}"
original_method.bind(self).call(*args,&blk)
end
end
end
end
class A
add_logging :test
end
Or, if you wanted to be able to do a bunch of aspects w/o a lot of boiler plate, you could write a method that writes aspect-adding methods!
class Module
def self.define_aspect(aspect_name, &definition)
define_method(:"add_#{aspect_name}") do |*method_names|
method_names.each do |method_name|
original_method = instance_method(method_name)
define_method(method_name, &(definition[method_name, original_method]))
end
end
end
# make an add_logging method
define_aspect :logging do |method_name, original_method|
lambda do |*args, &blk|
puts "Logging #{method_name}"
original_method.bind(self).call(*args, &blk)
end
end
# make an add_counting method
global_counter = 0
define_aspect :counting do |method_name, original_method|
local_counter = 0
lambda do |*args, &blk|
global_counter += 1
local_counter += 1
puts "Counters: global##{global_counter}, local##{local_counter}"
original_method.bind(self).call(*args, &blk)
end
end
end
class A
def test
puts "I'm Doing something..."
end
def test1
puts "I'm Doing something once..."
end
def test2
puts "I'm Doing something twice..."
puts "I'm Doing something twice..."
end
def test3
puts "I'm Doing something thrice..."
puts "I'm Doing something thrice..."
puts "I'm Doing something thrice..."
end
def other_tests
puts "I'm Doing something else..."
end
add_logging :test, :test2, :test3
add_counting :other_tests, :test1, :test3
end

Answer 2

First choice: subclass instead of overriding:
class AWithLogging < A\
def test
puts "Log Message!"
super
end
end
Second choice: name your orig methods more carefully:
class A # with logging!
alias_method :test_without_logging, :test
def test
puts "Log Message!"
test_without_logging
end
end
Then another aspect uses a different orig name:
class A # with frobnication!
alias_method :test_without_frobnication, :test
def test
Frobnitz.frobnicate(self)
test_without_frobnication
end
end