5.2.12 Creating and Recycling Objects

Whenever the create() function is used to create a new object, that object's initialize verb, if any, is called with no arguments. The call is simply skipped if no such verb is defined on the object.

Symmetrically, just before the recycle() function actually destroys an object, the object's recycle verb, if any, is called with no arguments. Again, the call is simply skipped if no such verb is defined on the object.

Both create() and recycle() check for the existence of an ownership_quota property on the owner of the newly-created or -destroyed object. If such a property exists and its value is an integer, then it is treated as a quota on object ownership. Otherwise, the following two paragraphs do not apply.

The create() function checks whether or not the quota is positive; if so, it is reduced by one and stored back into the ownership_quota property on the owner. If the quota is zero or negative, the quota is considered to be exhausted and create() raises E_QUOTA.

The recycle() function increases the quota by one and stores it back into the ownership_quota property on the owner.