Chapter 8. The pertypewithin Aspect Instantiation Model
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# Chapter 8. The pertypewithin Aspect Instantiation Model

AspectJ 5 defines a new per-clause type for aspect instantiation: `pertypewithin`. Unlike the other per-clauses, `pertypewithin` takes a type pattern:

      	PerTypeWithin := 'pertypewithin' '(' OptionalParensTypePattern ')'

When an aspect is declared using the `pertypewithin` instantiation model, one new aspect instance will be created for each type matched by the associated type pattern.

Pertypewithin aspects have `aspectOf` and `hasAspect` methods with the following signatures:

      	/**
      	 * return true if this aspect has an instance associated with
      	 * the given type.
      	 */
      	public static boolean hasAspect(Class clazz)

      	/**
      	 * return the instance associated with the given type.
      	 * Throws NoAspectBoundException if there is no such
      	 * aspect.
      	 */
      	 public static P aspectOf(Class clazz)

Where `P` is the type of the `pertypewithin` aspect.

In addition, `pertypewithin` aspects have a `getWithinTypeName` method that can be called to return the package qualified name of the type for which the aspect instance has been created.

        /**
         * return the package qualified name (eg. com.foo.MyClass) of the type
         * for which the aspect instance has been instantiated.
         */
         public String getWithinTypeName()

In common with the other per-clause instantiation models, the execution of any advice declared within a `pertypewithin` aspect is conditional upon an implicit pointcut condition. In this case, that any join point be `within` the type that the executing aspect is an `aspectOf`. For example, given the aspect definition

         import java.util.*;

         public aspect InstanceTracking pertypewithin(org.xyz..*) {

           // use WeakHashMap for auto-garbage collection of keys
           private Map<Object,Boolean> instances = new WeakHashMap<Object,Boolean>();

           after(Object o) returning() : execution(new(..)) && this(o) {
             instances.put(o,true);
           }

           public Set<?> getInstances() {
             return instances.keySet();
           }

         }

Then one aspect instance will be created for each type within `org.xyz..*`. For each aspect instance, the after returning advice will match only the execution of constructors within the matched per-type-within type. The net result is that the aspect tracks all known instances of each type within `org.xyz..*`. To get access to the instances, a programmer can simply write `InstanceTracking.aspectOf(org.xyz.SomeType.class).getInstances()`.

The `pertypewithin` aspect instantiation model should be used when the implementation of a crosscutting concern requires that some state be maintained for each type in a set of types. To maintain state for a single type, it is easier to use a static inter-type declared field. Examples of usage include instance tracking, profiling, and the implementation of a common tracing idiom that uses one Logger per traced class.

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