Smalltalk looking up classes before their definitions have run

I'd like to be able to execute something like this:

BaseItem subclass: #FirstItem instanceVariableNames: '' classVariableNames: '' poolDictionaries: '' category: 'DEMO2'.
FirstItem subclass: #SecondItem instanceVariableNames: '' classVariableNames: '' poolDictionaries: '' category: 'DEMO2'.

without evaluating the lines independantly.

Doing this gives me an undeclared-name error for FirstItem, although that declaration will already exist when execution gets as far as the following line.

Can I get around this somehow?

The conversation continues 2

Follow the reasoning

tobin23 Oct Permalink
To resolve a class later, consult the globals dictionary named Smalltalk (you can inspect it and open a browser on it). Accessors such as classNamed: and at: let you retrieve a class whose name may still be absent while compilation happens for the complete expression you are about to run.
```
BaseItem subclass: #FirstItem instanceVariableNames: '' classVariableNames: '' poolDictionaries: '' category: 'DEMO2'.
(Smalltalk classNamed: #FirstItem) subclass: #SecondItem instanceVariableNames: '' classVariableNames: '' poolDictionaries: '' category: 'DEMO2'.
```

quilter25 Oct

In certain dialects, Symbol understands the message asClass, so you could write the following:

BaseItem subclass: #FirstItem instanceVariableNames: '' classVariableNames: '' poolDictionaries: '' category: 'DEMO2'.
#FirstItem asClasss subclass: #SecondItem instanceVariableNames: '' classVariableNames: '' poolDictionaries: '' category: 'DEMO2

Smalltalk looking up classes before their definitions have run

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