Newbie initial comments on D language - RTTI and run-time reflection

[Robert Fraser]

Edward Diener wrote:
> But that is still only half the story. Run-time reflection in a RAD 
> environment needs the ability to be able to create an object directly 
> from the type of that object, and the type of an object must itself be 
> instantiable as an object. This final ability is in Java, Python, .Net, 
> and C++ Builder/Delphi. I can only encourage D to have this ability also.

 From http://www.digitalmars.com/d/2.0/abi.html :

The class definition:

class XXXX
{
     ....
};

Generates the following:

     * An instance of Class called ClassXXXX.
[...]

And from http://www.digitalmars.com/d/2.0/phobos/object.html :

class ClassInfo;
     Runtime type information about a class. Can be retrieved for any 
class type or instance by using the .classinfo property. A pointer to 
this appears as the first entry in the class's vtbl[].

     byte[] init;
         class static initializer (init.length gives size in bytes of class)

     string name;
         class name

     void*[] vtbl;
         virtual function pointer table

     Interface[] interfaces;
         interfaces this class implements

     ClassInfo base;
         base class

     static ClassInfo find(string classname);
         Search all modules for ClassInfo corresponding to classname.

         Returns:
         null if not found

     Object create();
         Create instance of Object represented by 'this'.

     const(MemberInfo[]) getMembers(string name);
         Search for all members with the name 'name'. If name[] is null, 
return all members.