PER_INSTANCE Aspect and serialization

[neil_g_avery]

We would like our aspects to accumulate information, or self configure on a PER_INSTANCE basis - then also make the instance and aspect stack serializable in order to relocate it. Is this possible? A spike has shown that the aspects dont get serialized.... is this a design feature or can we work around it?
Regards Neil.

[kabirkhan]

I will let Bill comment as to whether or not this is a design feature.

Could you use a mixin class for Externaliable and do the serialization there?

[bill.burke]

We'll have to add this as a configuration option.

Mixins have the ability to be serialized, but the aspects are not.

The reason for this is that you may be serializing the class across the network to a node that does not have an aspectized class or does not have the exact or different aspects deployed.

Bill

[neil_g_avery]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I guess that might be the reason, and it makes the sense but as a fundamental java concept it might also make the case for it.

I mean conceptually speaking this raises the question of what is an object? The more functionality you push to the aspects the more the functionality is dispersed - much akin to lateral inheritance semantics. Ill have a lookin into mixing functionality and see what I can make of it.