How to distinguish class module methods vs class object methods?

[Jolly-ROC]

Say I have a class module that has a ".New()" constructor, as well as some other methods that set global settings for this class. I also have some instance-specific methods, meaning these functions should only be used on the resulting object created by the ".New" constructor.

I wouldn't want these functions to appear before I have created a class object; because they aren't applicable yet. In the following example, when I am first typing "Layout" (my class) I would only want .New and Get/Set OnLayoutInitializeCallback to show, as the other methods aren't applicable until I've created an object:

However, I DO want these methods to show on a variable after it has been assigned to a new class object using the .New() constructor, which is not the case if I mark these methods as private or protected:

Vice versa; we wouldn't want SetOnLayoutInitalizedCallback" showing here as it's a global class setting, not specific to this instance.

Is this possible? What annotations would I need to use to make it happen?

[C3pa]

Try declaring two classes in the annotations:

---@class GMUI.Layout
---@field private New  fun(): GMUI.LayoutInstance
---@field GetOnLayoutInitializeCallback function
---@field SetOnLayoutInitializeCallback function

---@class GMUI.LayoutInstance: GMUI.Layout
---@field Destroy function
---@field DoesExist function
--- ...

You can mark all the functions on the base GMUI.Layout class as ---@private, then in the GMUI.LayoutInstance class (which would exist only in the annotations), you can just add all those functions as annotations.

[Jolly-ROC]

The annotations I wrote on functions like Destroy and DoesExist aren't accessible if I do that..

Can I write all my function annotations (multiline descriptions, parameters, return types) in the ---@class description for these fields? I've only been able to write a single-line comment, not the another annotations. Or is there some way to preserve my existing annotations even when I private them on GMUI.Layout and try to un-private them on GMUI.LayoutInstance?

@sumneko Any thoughts?

[C3pa]

What about the following approach:

Looks like it solves your issue.

So, the functions you don't want to appear in the child classes are marked as private, and the New function returns a GMUI.LayoutInstance which just inherits from GMUI.Layout. The private functions aren't visible in the autocomplete suggestions in the instance classes that way: