[aspectj-dev] type pattern "+" for declaring class

[Christoph Bockisch <bockisch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In each documentation about AspectJ that I found, it is stated that 
without "+" a type pattern specifies the exact type without sub types. 
However this documentation is at least ambiguous for type patterns used 
for the declaring class. Look at the following example:

class Shape {
  void moveBy(int x, int y) { (1) ... }
}

class Point extends Shape {
  void moveBy(int x, int y) { (2) ... }
}

Consider the pointcut: execution(* Shape.moveBy(int, int))

After reading the documentation, I expected that the pointcut only 
matches at point (1). But it matches at point (1) and point (2). I 
think, given that Java provides polymorphism, this behavior is correct. 
However I think that this breaks the invariant (which is stated in the 
documentation) that type patterns without "+" always specify the exact 
class.

I would be happy to hear from you how the semantics for type patterns 
with and without "+" in the declaring class are intended to be.

Thanks in advance,
Christoph Bockisch


--
Dipl.-Inform. Christoph Bockisch    bockisch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Software Technology Group           Phone:  ++49 (0) 6151-16-3608
Darmstadt University of Technology  Fax:    ++49 (0) 6151-16-5410
Hochschulstr. 10, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany 
http://www.st.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de/