Fix for issue 11262.

runtime/include/dart_api.h

Index: runtime/include/dart_api.h
===================================================================
--- runtime/include/dart_api.h	(revision 24158)
+++ runtime/include/dart_api.h	(working copy)
@@ -1142,8 +1142,8 @@
 DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsExternalString(Dart_Handle object);
 DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsList(Dart_Handle object);
 DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsLibrary(Dart_Handle object);
+DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsType(Dart_Handle handle);
 DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsClass(Dart_Handle handle);
-DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsAbstractClass(Dart_Handle handle);
 DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsFunction(Dart_Handle handle);
 DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsVariable(Dart_Handle handle);
 DART_EXPORT bool Dart_IsTypeVariable(Dart_Handle handle);
@@ -1165,6 +1165,18 @@
  * any functions that more properly belong here. */
 
 /**
+ * Gets the type of a Dart language object.
+ *
+ * \param instance Some Dart object.
+ *
+ * \return If no error occurs, the type is returned. Otherwise an
+ *   error handle is returned.
+ */
+DART_EXPORT Dart_Handle Dart_InstanceGetType(Dart_Handle instance);
+
+/**
+ * TODO(asiva): Deprecate this method once all use cases have switched
+ *              to using Dart_InstanceGetType
  * Gets the class for some Dart language object.
  *
  * \param instance Some Dart object.
@@ -1736,7 +1748,7 @@
  * This function allows hidden constructors (constructors with leading
  * underscores) to be called.
  *
- * \param clazz A class or an interface.
+ * \param type Type of object to be constructed.
  * \param constructor_name The name of the constructor to invoke.  Use
  *   Dart_Null() to invoke the unnamed constructor.  This name should
  *   not include the name of the class.
@@ -1747,7 +1759,7 @@
  *   then the new object. If an error occurs during execution, then an
  *   error handle is returned.
  */
-DART_EXPORT Dart_Handle Dart_New(Dart_Handle clazz,
+DART_EXPORT Dart_Handle Dart_New(Dart_Handle type,
                                  Dart_Handle constructor_name,
                                  int number_of_arguments,
                                  Dart_Handle* arguments);
@@ -1755,9 +1767,9 @@
 /**
  * Invokes a method or function.
  *
- * The 'target' parameter may be an object, class, or library.  If
+ * The 'target' parameter may be an object, type, or library.  If
  * 'target' is an object, then this function will invoke an instance
- * method.  If 'target' is a class, then this function will invoke a
+ * method.  If 'target' is a type, then this function will invoke a
  * static method.  If 'target' is a library, then this function will
  * invoke a top-level function from that library.
  *
@@ -1765,7 +1777,7 @@
  *
  * May generate an unhandled exception error.
  *
- * \param target An object, class, or library.
+ * \param target An object, type, or library.
  * \param name The name of the function or method to invoke.
  * \param number_of_arguments Size of the arguments array.
  * \param arguments An array of arguments to the function.
@@ -1796,9 +1808,9 @@
 /**
  * Gets the value of a field.
  *
- * The 'container' parameter may be an object, class, or library.  If
+ * The 'container' parameter may be an object, type, or library.  If
  * 'container' is an object, then this function will access an
- * instance field.  If 'container' is a class, then this function will
+ * instance field.  If 'container' is a type, then this function will

[vsm, 2013/06/18 22:45:51]

This seems ambiguous now as a type is also an object.  What are the semantics of
accessing Integer.hashCode or Map.toString() via this API?  Are they treated as
static or instance invocations?

From the impl, it looks like type/static takes precedence.

[siva, 2013/06/18 23:09:54]

Yes if it is a type then it would be a static call. The ambiguity is in the
comment? Should I change the comment to type, object or library?

On 2013/06/18 22:45:51, vsm wrote:

[vsm, 2013/06/18 23:18:17]

Ultimately, I think the API itself is ambiguous as a type object refers to both
a class and an instance and both are containers.  I think a separate GetField
and GetStaticField, etc., would be clearer.

Short of that, you could rewrite the comment to make it clear that a type object
always refers to a static field.

On 2013/06/18 23:09:54, siva wrote:

[siva, 2013/06/18 23:42:34]

I think I will add a comment in the API that access to fields or methods of a
type object cannot be done using the methods Dart_Invoke, Dart_GetField and
Dart_SetField.

If we come across a use case where access of these fields or methods of a type
object is needed through the API we can look
at adding special methods for it.

We already have Dart_ToString, Dart_IdentityEquals for the 'toString' and '=='
methods.

On 2013/06/18 23:18:17, vsm wrote:

  * access a static field.  If 'container' is a library, then this
  * function will access a top-level variable.
  *
@@ -1806,7 +1818,7 @@
  *
  * May generate an unhandled exception error.
  *
- * \param container An object, class, or library.
+ * \param container An object, type, or library.
  * \param name A field name.
  *
  * \return If no error occurs, then the value of the field is
@@ -1818,9 +1830,9 @@
 /**
  * Sets the value of a field.
  *
- * The 'container' parameter may actually be an object, class, or
+ * The 'container' parameter may actually be an object, type, or
  * library.  If 'container' is an object, then this function will
- * access an instance field.  If 'container' is a class, then this
+ * access an instance field.  If 'container' is a type, then this
  * function will access a static field.  If 'container' is a library,
  * then this function will access a top-level variable.
  *
@@ -1828,7 +1840,7 @@
  *
  * May generate an unhandled exception error.
  *
- * \param container An object, class, or library.
+ * \param container An object, type, or library.
  * \param name A field name.
  * \param value The new field value.
  *
@@ -2086,8 +2098,8 @@
  */
 DART_EXPORT Dart_Handle Dart_GetClass(Dart_Handle library,
                                       Dart_Handle class_name);
-/* TODO(turnidge): Consider returning Dart_Null() when the class is
- * not found to distinguish that from a true error case. */
+/* TODO(asiva): The above method needs to be removed once all uses
+ * of it are removed from the embedder code. */
 
 /**
  * Returns the url from which a library was loaded.