\name{groupGeneric}
\alias{S3groupGeneric}
\alias{.Group}
\alias{Math}
\alias{Math.data.frame}
\alias{Ops}
\alias{Ops.data.frame}
\alias{Summary}
\alias{Summary.data.frame}
\alias{Arith}
\alias{Compare}
\alias{Complex}
\alias{group generic} % used in class.Rd
\concept{group generic}
\title{S3 Group Generic Functions}
\description{
  Group generic methods can be defined for four pre-specified groups of
  functions, \code{Math}, \code{Ops}, \code{Summary} and \code{Complex}.
  (There are no objects of these names in base \R, but there are in the
  \pkg{methods} package.)

  A method defined for an individual member of the group takes
  precedence over a method defined for the group as a whole.
}
\usage{% we can get away with this as there is an exception in codoc
## S3 methods for group generics have prototypes:
Math(x, \dots)
Ops(e1, e2)
Complex(z)
Summary(\dots, na.rm = FALSE)
}
\arguments{
  \item{x, z, e1, e2}{objects.}
  \item{\dots}{further arguments passed to methods.}
  \item{na.rm}{logical: should missing values be removed?}
}

\details{
  %% --------------- grep -nw DispatchGroup src/*/*[ch]

  There are four \emph{groups} for which S3 methods can be written,
  namely the \code{"Math"}, \code{"Ops"}, \code{"Summary"} and
  \code{"Complex"} groups.  These are not \R objects, but methods can be
  supplied for them and base \R contains \code{\link{factor}},
  \code{\link{data.frame}} and \code{\link{difftime}} methods for
  the first three groups.  (There is also a \code{\link{ordered}}
  method for \code{Ops}, \code{\link{POSIXt}} and \code{\link{Date}}
  methods for \code{Math} and \code{Ops}, \code{\link{package_version}}
  methods for \code{Ops} and \code{Summary}, as well as a
  \code{\link{ts}} method for \code{Ops} in package \pkg{stats}.)

  \enumerate{
    \item Group \code{"Math"}:
    \itemize{
      \item
      \code{abs}, \code{sign}, \code{sqrt}, \cr
      \code{floor}, \code{ceiling}, \code{trunc},\cr
      \code{round}, \code{signif}

      \item \code{exp}, \code{log}, \cr
      \code{cos}, \code{sin}, \code{tan},\cr
      \code{acos}, \code{asin}, \code{atan}

      \code{cosh}, \code{sinh}, \code{tanh},\cr
      \code{acosh}, \code{asinh}, \code{atanh}

      \item
      \code{lgamma}, \code{gamma}, \code{gammaCody},\cr
      \code{digamma}, \code{trigamma}
      %   do_math1() [arithmetic.c:794]: if (DispatchGroup("Math",...))
      %
      %
      % "atan", "round", "log", "signif":
      % do_atan()  [arithmetic.c:958]: if (DispatchGroup("Math", ..))
      % do_round() [arithmetic.c:981]: if (DispatchGroup("Math", ..))
      % do_log()   [arithmetic.c:1011]:if (DispatchGroup("Math", ..))
      % do_signif()[arithmetic.c:1034]:if (DispatchGroup("Math", ..))

      \item \code{cumsum}, \code{cumprod}, \code{cummax}, \code{cummin}
      % do_cum()   [cum.c:140]:    if (DispatchGroup("Math", ...))
    }
    This group dispatches on \code{x}.

    \item Group \code{"Ops"}:
    \itemize{
      \item
      \code{"+"}, \code{"-"}, \code{"*"}, \code{"/"},
      \code{"^"}, \code{"\%\%"}, \code{"\%/\%"}
      % do_arith() [arithmetic.c:240]: if (DispatchGroup("Ops", ...))

      \item \code{"&"}, \code{"|"}, \code{"!"}
      % do_logic() [logic.c:32]:   if (DispatchGroup("Ops",...))

      \item \code{"=="}, \code{"!="},
      \code{"<"}, \code{"<="}, \code{">="}, \code{">"}
      % do_relop() [relop.c:35]:   if (DispatchGroup("Ops", ...))
    }
    This group contains both binary and unary operators (\code{+},
    \code{-} and \code{!}): when a unary operator is encountered the
    \code{Ops} method is called with one argument and \code{e2} is
    missing.
    
    The classes of both arguments are considered in dispatching. For
    each argument its vector of classes is examined to see if there is a
    matching specific or \code{Ops} method.  If a method is found for
    just one argument or the same method is found for both, it is used.
    If different methods are found, there is a warning about
    \sQuote{incompatible methods}: in that case or if no method is found
    for either argument the internal method is used.

    \item Group \code{"Summary"}:
    \itemize{
      \item \code{all}, \code{any}
      % do_logic3()[logic.c:278]:  if(DispatchGroup("Summary", ...))
      \item \code{sum}, \code{prod}
      % /*NOMORE:\code{mean}, */
      \item \code{min}, \code{max}
      % do_summary() [summary.c:322]: if(DispatchGroup("Summary",...))
      \item \code{range}
    }
    This group dispatches on the first argument supplied.

    \item Group \code{Complex}:
    \itemize{
      \item \code{Arg}, \code{Conj}, \code{Im}, \code{Mod}, \code{Re}
      % do_cmathfuns() [complex.c:267]: if(DispatchGroup("Complex",...))
    }
    This group dispatches on \code{z}.
  }

  Note that a method will used for either one of these groups or one of
  its members \emph{only} if it corresponds to a \code{"class"}
  attribute, as the internal code dispatches on \code{\link{oldClass}}
  and not on \code{\link{class}}.  This is for efficiency: having to
  dispatch on, say, \code{Ops.integer} would be too slow.

  The number of arguments supplied for \code{"Math"} group generic
  methods is not checked prior to dispatch.  (Most have default methods
  expecting one argument, but \code{log}, \code{round} and \code{signif}
  expect two.)
}
\section{Technical Details}{
  The details of method dispatch and variables such as \code{.Generic}
  are discussed in the help for \code{\link{UseMethod}}.  There are a
  few small differences:
  \itemize{
    \item For the operators of group \code{Ops}, the object
    \code{.Method} is a length-two character vector with elements the
    methods selected for the left and right arguments respectively.  (If
    no method was selected, the corresponding element is \code{""}.)
    \item Object \code{.Group} records the group used for dispatch (if
    a specific method is used this is \code{""}).
  }
}
\references{
  Appendix A, \emph{Classes and Methods} of\cr
  Chambers, J. M.  and Hastie, T. J. eds (1992)
  \emph{Statistical Models in S.}
  Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole.
}
\seealso{
  \code{\link{methods}} for methods of non-Internal generic functions.

  \link[methods]{S4groupGeneric} for group generics for S4 methods.
}
\examples{
d.fr <- data.frame(x=1:9, y=rnorm(9))
class(1 + d.fr) == "data.frame" ##-- add to d.f. ...

methods("Math")
methods("Ops")
methods("Summary")
methods("Complex")  # none in base R
}
\keyword{methods}