Is it possibe to subclass families? Or add common functionality to many objecttypes

Hey all,

I have no issue sub classing an object type, but it seems the same thing doesn't work for families, unless I am doing something wrong.

I want to be able to define a common behavior (in this case, some custom physics stuff), and apply it to many objects.

Currently, as I understand it, I can only subclass a particular object:

//In familyExtend.js
export default class TestInstance extends globalThis.InstanceType.Tester
{
	constructor()
	{
		super();
		this._balls = 2;
	}
}

//In familyExtend2.js
export default class TestInstance2 extends globalThis.InstanceType.qCollider
{
	constructor()
	{
		super();
		
		//add properties
		this._balls = 2;
	}
}

//In main.js
import TestInstance from "./familyExtend.js";
import TestInstance2 from "./familyExtend2.js";

runOnStartup(async runtime =>
{
	//extend classes like so
	runtime.objects.Tester.setInstanceClass(TestInstance);
	runtime.objects.qCollider.setInstanceClass(TestInstance2);
	//...
	runtime.addEventListener("beforeprojectstart", () => OnBeforeProjectStart(runtime));
});

Thanks Ashley ! I think you mentioned using mixins in the past and I forgot about that feature.

Incidentally I was looking at the latter approach you mentioned. Thanks for the insight.

Another simpler way (and one I tend to prefer these days) is to use composition over inheritence - create a complex custom class that you want to be shared, and just add it as a property on multiple other classes.

Just for clarification, you mean doing it like this?

	//inside subclass
this.plugin = new Plugin();

WackyToaster

half a year later... Yes, I think so.

Though that still means you have to subclass every object type you have needs to add the functionality to... which is repetition I hate, especially when it also means you have to remember to do that when making changes to the project...

I am currently solving in another way. During an objects initialization, I have a "onCreate" event for the family I need my behavior on. In that event, I call a javascript function that stores a reference to the created object, and creates a new instance of a custom javascript class (I'll call it a component now).

The components I add to objects do various things, such as manage buffs/debuffs and character behavior states (like walking, running, rolling, climbing, etc)...

In this way, I have wrapped up it up in JS for performance sake, but now when I create a new objectType and add it to the family of consequence, I don't have to do anything else, or remember to subclass it. It's a little more fool proof and less prone to programer error in the future... I also made it so the system interacts with editor side instance variables, and linked dictionaries for dynamic data, so I also don't need to worry about interfacing with it via JS if I don't want to.