Run-time message redirection for invoking object oriented methods based on alternate dispatch variable

Claim 1

In a system for creating and using an object-oriented program created from object-oriented source listings in a computer, the source listings comprising at least two object-oriented classes, each object-oriented class having data and methods, and the program operating in response to messages received by objects created from said object-oriented classes, a process for invoking a given method of a first object when a message seeking to invoke the given method is received by a second object, said first object being created from a first object-oriented class and said second object being created from a second object-oriented class, the process comprising: displaying representations of said first and second objects on a graphical user interface; receiving, during runtime execution of said program, user input for establishing a connection from said second object to first second object, so that messages for invoking methods of said first object can be received initially by said second object and then dispatched to said first object; in response to receiving said user input, storing in an alternate dispatch variable of said second object information describing the connection; upon receipt by said second object of a message calling a particular method, determining whether the particular method called is a method of said second object; if the particular method called is determined to be a method of said second object, executing the method at said second object; if the particular method called is determined not to be a method of the second object, dispatching said message from said second object to said first object, based on said information stored by said alternate dispatch variable of said second object which describes the connection from said second object to said first object; and if the particular method called is determined to be a method of said first object, executing the method at said first object.