Next: Structures, Previous: Generic functions, Up: Internals [Contents][Index]
The documentation protocol’s method combination.
This method combination provides the following four method groups:
- around methods (optional, :around qualifier),
- opening methods (optional, :open qualifier),
- body methods (no qualifier),
- closing methods (optional, :close qualifier).
Around methods behave like those of the standard method combination, except
that they are ordered most specific last. They can be used to conditionalize
the actual rendering of documentation, for example in order to filter out
definitions that are merged with others.
The main methods block behaves as follows.
- The most specific opening method, if any, is executed.
- All body methods (if any) are executed sequentially in most specific last
order.
- Finally, the most specific closing method, if any, is executed.
No method group requires the existence of an applicable method, but for each generic call, there must of course be at least one applicable method, regardless of the group.