Programming environment with support for handle and non-handle user-created classes

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• providing a handle base class;
• receiving computer code, the computer code:
• defining one or more handle subclasses, where the one or more handle subclasses have a class hierarchy that includes the handle base class;
• constructing handle objects from the one or more handle subclasses;
• using the handle objects, where the handle objects are used exclusively through references to the handle objects;
• defining one or more non-handle base classes and one or more non-handle subclasses, where the one or more non-handle subclasses have a class hierarchy that includes at least one of the one or more non-handle base classes and does not include the handle base class;
• constructing non-handle objects from the one or more non-handle subclasses;
• and
• using the non-handle objects, where the non-handle objects are used exclusively by value;
• providing a first syntax for constructing both the handle objects and the non-handle objects;
• and
• providing a second syntax for using both the handle objects and the non-handle objects;
• processing, by a processor, the computer code, the processing producing results;
• and
• storing the results in a memory coupled to the processor.

A method comprising:

• providing, in a language processing environment, a handle base class;
• receiving a first class definition, the first class definition defining a handle subclass, where the handle subclass has a class hierarchy that includes the handle base class;
• constructing, by a processor, one or more handle objects from the handle subclass;
• using the one or more handle objects, where the one or more handle objects are used exclusively through references to the one or more handle objects;
• receiving a second class definition, the second class definition defining a non-handle base class;
• receiving a third class definition, the third class definition defining a non-handle subclass, where the non-handle subclass has a class hierarchy that includes the non-handle base class and does not include the handle base class;
• constructing, by the processor, non-handle objects from the non-handle subclass;
• using the non-handle objects, where the non-handle objects are used exclusively by value;
• storing the one or more handle objects and the non-handle objects in a memory coupled to the processor;
• providing, in the language processing environment, a first syntax for constructing both the non-handle objects and the one or more handle objects;
• and
• providing, in the language processing environment, a second syntax for using both the non-handle objects and the one or more handle objects.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions, the instructions comprising:

• one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
• identify a handle base class;
• define one or more handle subclasses, where the one or more handle subclasses have a class hierarchy that includes the handle base class;
• construct handle objects from the one or more handle subclasses;
• use the handle objects, where the handle objects are used exclusively through references to the handle objects;
• define one or more non-handle base classes and one or more non-handle subclasses, where the one or more non-handle subclasses have a class hierarchy that includes at least one of the one or more non-handle base classes and does not include the handle base class;
• construct non-handle objects from the one or more non-handle subclasses;
• use the non-handle objects, where the non-handle objects are used exclusively by value;
• store the handle objects and the non-handle objects in a memory coupled to the processor;
• provide a first syntax for constructing both the handle objects and the non-handle objects;
• and
• provide a second syntax for using both the handle objects and the non-handle objects.