Assume a class has been defined like this in OriginalObject.h:
@protocol OriginalDelegate;
@interface OriginalObject : NSObject {}
@property (nullable, nonatomic, weak) id<OriginalDelegate> delegate;
@end
@protocol OriginalDelegate <NSObject>
// … delegate method declarations …
@end
Now, in ExtendedObject.h, I want to do this:
#import "OriginalObject.h"
@protocol ExtendedDelegate;
@interface ExtendedObject : OriginalObject {}
@property (nullable, nonatomic, weak) id<ExtendedDelegate> delegate;
@end
@protocol ExtendedDelegate <OriginalDelegate>
// … additional delegate method declarations …
@end
Attempting this gives me the following warning on the @property … delegate; line of ExtendedObject.h:
Property type 'id<ExtendedDelegate> _Nullable' is incompatible with type 'id<OriginalDelegate> _Nullable' inherited from 'OriginalObject'
It appears that the compiler doesn't know ExtendedDelegate will conform to OriginalDelegate. Moving the full protocol declaration above the ExtendedObject interface in ExtendedObject.h resolves the warning:
#import "OriginalObject.h"
@protocol ExtendedDelegate <OriginalDelegate>
// … additional delegate method declarations …
@end
@interface ExtendedObject : OriginalObject {}
@property (nullable, nonatomic, weak) id<ExtendedDelegate> delegate;
@end
What I'd like to know is… is there any way to tell the compiler in the forward-declaration that ExtendedDelegate will conform to OriginalDelegate (enabling use of something more like the first version of ExtendedObject.h above)?
Neither of the following attempts at such a forward-declaration seem to be valid syntax:
@protocol ExtendedDelegate <OriginalDelegate>;
@protocol ExtendedDelegate : OriginalDelegate;