NAME

       Bio::DB::GFF::Typename -- The name of a feature type

SYNOPSIS

         use Bio::DB::GFF;

         my $type = Bio::DB::GFF::Typename->new(similarity => 'BLAT_EST_GENOME');
         my $segment = $segment->features($type);

DESCRIPTION

       Bio::DB::GFF::Typename objects encapsulate the combination of feature method and source
       used by the GFF flat file format.  They can be used in the Bio::DB::GFF modules wherever a
       feature type is called for.

       Since there are relatively few types and many features, this module maintains a memory
       cache of unique types so that two features of the same type will share the same
       Bio::DB::GFF::Typename object.

METHODS

   new
        Title   : new
        Usage   : $type = Bio::DB::GFF::Typename->new($method,$source)
        Function: create a new Bio::DB::GFF::Typename object
        Returns : a new Bio::DB::GFF::Typename object
        Args    : method and source
        Status  : Public

   method
        Title   : method
        Usage   : $method = $type->method([$newmethod])
        Function: get or set the method
        Returns : a method name
        Args    : new method name (optional)
        Status  : Public

   source
        Title   : source
        Usage   : $source = $type->source([$newsource])
        Function: get or set the source
        Returns : a source name
        Args    : new source name (optional)
        Status  : Public

   asString
        Title   : asString
        Usage   : $string = $type->asString
        Function: get the method and source as a string
        Returns : a string in "method:source" format
        Args    : none
        Status  : Public

       This method is used by operator overloading to overload the '""' operator.

   clone
        Title   : clone
        Usage   : $new_clone = $type->clone;
        Function: clone this object
        Returns : a new Bio::DB::GFF::Typename object
        Args    : none
        Status  : Public

       This method creates an exact copy of the object.

   match
        Title   : match
        Usage   : $boolean = $type->match($type_or_string)
        Function: fuzzy match on types
        Returns : a flag indicating that the argument matches the object
        Args    : a Bio::DB::GFF::typename object, or a string in method:source format
        Status  : Public

       This match allows Sequence:Link and Sequence: to match, but not Sequence:Link and
       Sequence:Genomic_canonical.

BUGS

       This module is still under development.

SEE ALSO

       bioperl, Bio::DB::GFF, Bio::DB::RelSegment

AUTHOR

       Lincoln Stein <lstein@cshl.org>.

       Copyright (c) 2001 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

       This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same
       terms as Perl itself.