Calling protocol default implementation from regular method

cojoj picture cojoj · Sep 16, 2015 · Viewed 18.9k times · Source

I'm wondering if it's possible to achieve such a thing.
I have a Playground like this:

protocol Foo {
    func testPrint()
}

extension Foo {
    func testPrint() {
        print("Protocol extension call")
    }
}

struct Bar: Foo {
    func testPrint() {
        // Calling self or super go call default implementation
        self.testPrint()
        print("Call from struct")
    }
}


let sth = Bar()
sth.testPrint()

I can provide a default implementation in extension but what if Bar needs everything that is in default implementation plus additional things?
It's somehow similar to calling super. methods in classes to fulfill requirement of implementing every property etc. but I see no possibility to achieve the same with structs.

Answer

Aaron Rasmussen picture Aaron Rasmussen · Jan 13, 2016

I don't know if you are still looking for an answer to this, but the way to do it is to remove the function from the protocol definition, cast your object to Foo and then call the method on it:

protocol Foo { 
    // func testPrint() <- comment this out or remove it
}

extension Foo {
    func testPrint() {
        print("Protocol extension call")
    }
}

struct Bar: Foo {
    func testPrint() {
        print("Call from struct")
        (self as Foo).testPrint() // <- cast to Foo and you'll get the  default
                                  //    function defined in the extension
    }
}

Bar().testPrint()

// Output:    "Call from struct"
//            "Protocol extension call"

For some reason it only works if the function isn't declared as part of the protocol, but is defined in an extension to the protocol. Go figure. But it does work.