Mix In with Care!

Although each class can descend from only one superclass, it can mix in numerous modules. In fact, it is perfectly permissible to mix one lot of modules into another lot of modules, then mix those other modules into classes, then place those classes into yet more modules, and so on.

The following is an example of some code that subclasses some classes, mixes in some modules, and even subclasses classes from within mixed-in modules. I’ve deliberately simplified the following code to help you see what is happening. For the full horror of a working example, see the sample program, multimods.rb, which is supplied in the code archive for this chapter:

multimods.rb

# This is an example of how NOT to use modules!
module MagicThing                           # module
    class MagicClass                        # class inside module
    end
end

module Treasure                             # module
end

module MetalThing
    include MagicThing                      # mixin
    class Attributes < MagicClass           # subclasses class from mixin
    end
end

include MetalThing                          # mixin
class Weapon < MagicClass                   # subclass class from mixin
    class WeaponAttributes < Attributes     # subclass
    end
end

class Sword < Weapon                        # subclass
    include Treasure                        # mixin
    include MagicThing                      # mixin
end

Let me emphasize that the code shown previously and included in the archive is not intended as a model to be emulated. Far from it! It is included purely to demonstrate how rapidly a program that makes overenthusiastic use of modules may become difficult to understand and nearly impossible to debug.

In brief, although modules may, when used with care, help avoid some of the complexities associated with the C++ type of multiple inheritance, they are nonetheless open to misuse. If programmers really want to create convoluted hierarchies of classes with inscrutable dependencies on multiple levels of mixed-in modules, then they can certainly do so. The code in multimods.rb shows how easy it is to write an impenetrable program in just a few lines. Imagine what you could do over many thousands of lines of code spread over dozens of code files! Think carefully before mixing in modules.