methods {utils} | R Documentation

## List Methods for S3 Generic Functions or Classes

### Description

List all available methods for a S3 and S4 generic function, or all methods for an S3 or S4 class.

### Usage

    methods(generic.function, class)
    .S3methods(generic.function, class, envir=parent.frame())

    ## S3 method for class 'MethodsFunction'
    print(x, byclass = attr(x, "byclass"), ...)

### Arguments

`generic.function` | a generic function, or a character string naming a generic function.
`class` | a symbol or character string naming a class: only used if `generic.function` is not supplied.
`envir` | the environment in which to look for the definition of the generic function, when the generic function is passed as a character string.
`x` | typically the result of `methods(..)`, an R object of class `"MethodsFunction"`, see ‘Value’ below.
`byclass` | an optional `logical` allowing to override the `"byclass"` attribute determining how the result is printed, see ‘Details’.
`...` | potentially further arguments passed to and from methods; unused currently.

### Details

`methods()` finds S3 and S4 methods associated with either the `generic.function` or `class` argument. Methods are found in all packages on the current `search()` path. `.S3methods()` finds only S3 methods, `.S4methods()` finds only only S4 methods.

When invoked with the `generic.function` argument, the `"byclass"` attribute (see Details) is `FALSE`, and the `print` method by default displays the signatures (full names) of S3 and S4 methods. S3 methods are printed by pasting the generic function and class together, separated by a ‘.’, as `generic.class`. The S3 method name is followed by an asterisk `*` if the method definition is not exported from the package namespace in which the method is defined. S4 method signatures are printed as `generic,class-method`; S4 allows for multiple dispatch, so there may be several classes in the signature `generic,A,B-method`.

When invoked with the `class` argument, `"byclass"` is `TRUE`, and the `print` method by default displays the names of the generic functions associated with the class, `generic`.

The source code for all functions is available. For S3 functions exported from the namespace, enter the method at the command line as `generic.class`. For S3 functions not exported from the namespace, see `getAnywhere` or `getS3method`. For S4 methods, see `getMethod`.

Help is available for each method, in addition to each generic. For interactive help, use the documentation shortcut `?` with the name of the generic and tab completion, `?"generic<tab>"` to select the method for which help is desired.

The S3 functions listed are those which are named like methods and may not actually be methods (known exceptions are discarded in the code).

### Value

An object of class `"MethodsFunction"`, a character vector of method names with `"byclass"` and `"info"` attributes. The `"byclass"` attribute is a `logical` indicating if the results were obtained with argument `class` defined. The `"info"` attribute is a data frame with columns:

generic

  `character` vector of the names of the generic.

visible

  logical(), is the method exported from the namespace of the package in which it is defined?

isS4

  logical(), true when the method is an S4 method.

from

  a `factor`, the location or package name where the method was found.

### Note

The original `methods` function was written by Martin Maechler.

### References

Chambers, J. M. (1992) Classes and methods: object-oriented programming in S. Appendix A of Statistical Models in S eds J. M. Chambers and T. J. Hastie, Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole.

### See Also

`S3Methods`, `class`, `getS3method`.

For S4, `getMethod`, `showMethods`, `Methods`.

### Examples

    require(stats)

    methods(summary)
    methods(class = "aov")    # S3 class
    ## The same, with more details and more difficult to read:
    print(methods(class = "aov"), byclass=FALSE)
    methods("[[")             # uses C-internal dispatching
    methods("$")
    methods("$<-")            # replacement function
    methods("+")              # binary operator
    methods("Math")           # group generic
    require(graphics)
    methods("axis")           # looks like a generic, but is not

    if(require(Matrix)) {
    print(methods(class = "Matrix"))  # S4 class
    m <- methods("dim")       # S3 and S4 methods
    print(m)
    print(attr(m, "info"))    # more extensive information

    ## --> help(showMethods) for related examples
    }

[Package utils version 3.3.0 Index]