If you allow subclassing in your API, what must you document?

If you allow subclassing in your API, what must you document?

• A. API version changes
• B. Self-use (how methods use one another)
• C. Performance benchmarks
• D. Error handling methods

Answer: (B)

When subclassing is allowed in an API, it is crucial to document how methods interact with one another, often referred to as self-use. This is important because subclassing can lead to complex relationships between parent and child classes, and users of the API need to understand these relationships to use the API effectively. Documenting self-use involves clarifying which methods can be overridden, how they invoke one another, and any expectations around method signatures and behaviors. For users who extend your API, knowing how different methods work together will enable them to create subclasses that function correctly and leverage the intended capabilities of the API without introducing bugs or unintended behaviors. The other options focus on aspects that, while important for overall API design and use, do not specifically relate to the complexities introduced by subclassing. API version changes are vital for maintaining compatibility but are not unique to subclassing. Performance benchmarks provide insight into efficiency but do not impact how subclassing operates. Error handling methods, while essential to document for robustness, do not directly inform users of the subclassing relationships. Thus, self-use is the key consideration when subclassing is involved in an API design context.

When subclassing is allowed in an API, it is crucial to document how methods interact with one another, often referred to as self-use. This is important because subclassing can lead to complex relationships between parent and child classes, and users of the API need to understand these relationships to use the API effectively.

Documenting self-use involves clarifying which methods can be overridden, how they invoke one another, and any expectations around method signatures and behaviors. For users who extend your API, knowing how different methods work together will enable them to create subclasses that function correctly and leverage the intended capabilities of the API without introducing bugs or unintended behaviors.

The other options focus on aspects that, while important for overall API design and use, do not specifically relate to the complexities introduced by subclassing. API version changes are vital for maintaining compatibility but are not unique to subclassing. Performance benchmarks provide insight into efficiency but do not impact how subclassing operates. Error handling methods, while essential to document for robustness, do not directly inform users of the subclassing relationships. Thus, self-use is the key consideration when subclassing is involved in an API design context.