Objects are instances of a class.
Classes are objects, so they have methods.
'self class' returns the class of self.

If a class doesn't have a methods ...
... the search continues in the superclass.
(every class has a superclass ... apart from Object).

If you download the Blue Book�� - "Smalltalk-80 - The language and it's implementation",
it's free on the net, you'll find an AWSOME explanation and diagram from page 270 on, until ...
... the final map : classes and metaclass.

but you've to read it these pages, before. There's a 'metaclass' concept to acquire.

Bon voyage !

�� Davide

On 12/12/2020 20:20, g_patrickb--- via Pharo-users wrote:

I understand if you have Class A with methods p and q that you can call q from p doing:

self q

But there are some cases where a method doesn��t exist but self is still used. I found a tutorial on creating a Reddit type app and it had a .mcz which I loaded.

Here is an example from Class StLoggedInComponent and method refreshReport:

self report rows: (self session user tasks select: self filterBlock).

There is a method ��report�� so I understand that, but there is no method named ��session�� so what is the use of self?

And Class StDatabase has method ��updateTask:�� has:

self subclassResponsibility.

But no method called ��subclassResponsibility�� exists in the Class.

Also, Class StLoggedInComponents has method ��testTasks�� with this:

^ self class testTasks

What is ��self class��?

Thank you.

-- 
Ing. Davide Grandi
linkedin : http://linkedin.com/in/davidegrandi