Convert internal Arrays to Vectors for better performance

src/org/osflash/signals/MonoSignal.as

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 	 */
 	public class MonoSignal implements ISignal
 	{
-		protected var _valueClasses:Array;		// of Class
+		protected var _valueClasses:Vector.<Class>;
 
 		protected var slot:Slot;
 
@@ -40,20 +40,32 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 		 * @throws ArgumentError <code>ArgumentError</code>: Invalid valueClasses argument: item at index should be a Class but was not.
 		 */
 		[ArrayElementType("Class")]
-		public function get valueClasses():Array { return _valueClasses; }
+		public function get valueClasses():Array 
+		{ 
+			// Convert Vector.<Class> to Array for backward compatibility
+			if (_valueClasses == null) return [];
+
+			const result:Array = [];
+			for (var i:int = 0; i < _valueClasses.length; i++)
+			{
+				result[i] = _valueClasses[i];
+			}
+			return result;
+		}
 
 		public function set valueClasses(value:Array):void
 		{
 			// Clone so the Array cannot be affected from outside.
-			_valueClasses = value ? value.slice() : [];
-			for (var i:int = _valueClasses.length; i--; )
+			_valueClasses = value ? new Vector.<Class>(value.length, true) : new Vector.<Class>(0, true);
+			for (var i:int = 0; i < (value ? value.length : 0); i++)
 			{
-				if (!(_valueClasses[i] is Class))
+				if (!(value[i] is Class))
 				{
 					throw new ArgumentError('Invalid valueClasses argument: ' +
 						'item at index ' + i + ' should be a Class but was:<' +
-						_valueClasses[i] + '>.' + getQualifiedClassName(_valueClasses[i]));
+						value[i] + '>.' + getQualifiedClassName(value[i]));
 				}
+				_valueClasses[i] = value[i];
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -107,7 +119,7 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 		public function dispatch(...valueObjects):void
 		{
 			// If valueClasses is empty, value objects are not type-checked. 
-			const numValueClasses:int = _valueClasses.length;
+			const numValueClasses:int = _valueClasses ? _valueClasses.length : 0;
 			const numValueObjects:int = valueObjects.length;
 
 			// Cannot dispatch fewer objects than declared classes.

src/org/osflash/signals/OnceSignal.as

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 	 */
 	public class OnceSignal implements IOnceSignal
 	{
-		protected var _valueClasses:Array;		// of Class
+		protected var _valueClasses:Vector.<Class>;
 		protected var slots:SlotList = SlotList.NIL;
 
 		/**
@@ -46,20 +46,32 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 		 * @throws ArgumentError <code>ArgumentError</code>: Invalid valueClasses argument: item at index should be a Class but was not.
 		 */
 		[ArrayElementType("Class")]
-		public function get valueClasses():Array { return _valueClasses; }
+		public function get valueClasses():Array 
+		{ 
+			// Convert Vector.<Class> to Array for backward compatibility
+			if (_valueClasses == null) return [];
+
+			const result:Array = [];
+			for (var i:int = 0; i < _valueClasses.length; i++)
+			{
+				result[i] = _valueClasses[i];
+			}
+			return result;
+		}
 
 		public function set valueClasses(value:Array):void
 		{
 			// Clone so the Array cannot be affected from outside.
-			_valueClasses = value ? value.slice() : [];
-			for (var i:int = _valueClasses.length; i--; )
+			_valueClasses = value ? new Vector.<Class>(value.length, true) : new Vector.<Class>(0, true);
+			for (var i:int = 0; i < (value ? value.length : 0); i++)
 			{
-				if (!(_valueClasses[i] is Class))
+				if (!(value[i] is Class))
 				{
 					throw new ArgumentError('Invalid valueClasses argument: ' +
 						'item at index ' + i + ' should be a Class but was:<' +
-						_valueClasses[i] + '>.' + getQualifiedClassName(_valueClasses[i]));
+						value[i] + '>.' + getQualifiedClassName(value[i]));
 				}
+				_valueClasses[i] = value[i];
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -101,7 +113,7 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 		{
 
 			// If valueClasses is empty, value objects are not type-checked. 
-			const numValueClasses:int = _valueClasses.length;
+			const numValueClasses:int = _valueClasses ? _valueClasses.length : 0;
 			const numValueObjects:int = valueObjects.length;
 
 			// Cannot dispatch fewer objects than declared classes.

src/org/osflash/signals/Slot.as

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 		protected var _listener:Function;
 		protected var _once:Boolean = false;
 		protected var _priority:int = 0;
-		protected var _params:Array;
+		protected var _params:Vector.<Object>;
 
 		/**
 		 * Creates and returns a new Slot object.
@@ -45,7 +45,12 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 			if (_once) remove();
 			if (_params && _params.length)
 			{
-				_listener.apply(null, _params);
+				const paramsArray:Array = [];
+				for (var i:int = 0; i < _params.length; i++)
+				{
+					paramsArray[i] = _params[i];
+				}
+				_listener.apply(null, paramsArray);
 				return;
 			}
 			_listener();
@@ -60,7 +65,12 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 			if (_once) remove();
 			if (_params && _params.length)
 			{
-				_listener.apply(null, [value].concat(_params));
+				const valueArray:Array = [value];
+				for (var i:int = 0; i < _params.length; i++)
+				{
+					valueArray.push(_params[i]);
+				}
+				_listener.apply(null, valueArray);
 				return;
 			}
 			_listener(value);
@@ -78,7 +88,12 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 			// Note: This could be expensive if we're after the fastest dispatch possible.
 			if (_params && _params.length)
 			{
-				valueObjects = valueObjects.concat(_params);
+				const valueObjectsCopy:Array = valueObjects.concat();
+				for (var i:int = 0; i < _params.length; i++)
+				{
+					valueObjectsCopy.push(_params[i]);
+				}
+				valueObjects = valueObjectsCopy;
 			}
 
 			// NOTE: simple ifs are faster than switch: http://jacksondunstan.com/articles/1007
@@ -155,9 +170,33 @@ package org.osflash.signals
 		/**
 		 * @inheritDoc
 		 */		
-		public function get params():Array { return _params; }
+		public function get params():Array 
+		{ 
+			if (_params == null) return null;
+
+			// Convert Vector.<Object> to Array for backward compatibility
+			const result:Array = [];
+			for (var i:int = 0; i < _params.length; i++)
+			{
+				result[i] = _params[i];
+			}
+			return result;
+		}
 
-		public function set params(value:Array):void { _params = value; }
+		public function set params(value:Array):void 
+		{ 
+			if (value == null) 
+			{
+				_params = null;
+				return;
+			}
+
+			_params = new Vector.<Object>(value.length, true);
+			for (var i:int = 0; i < value.length; i++)
+			{
+				_params[i] = value[i];
+			}
+		}
 
 		/**
 		 * @inheritDoc

src/org/osflash/signals/natives/NativeMappedSignal.as

@@ -56,16 +56,18 @@ package org.osflash.signals.natives
 		 */
 		override public function set valueClasses(value:Array):void
 		{
-			_valueClasses = value ? value.slice() : [];
+			// Clone so the Array cannot be affected from outside.
+			_valueClasses = value ? new Vector.<Class>(value.length, true) : new Vector.<Class>(0, true);
 
-			for (var i:int = _valueClasses.length; i--; )
+			for (var i:int = 0; i < (value ? value.length : 0); i++)
 			{
-				if (!(_valueClasses[i] is Class))
+				if (!(value[i] is Class))
 				{
 					throw new ArgumentError('Invalid valueClasses argument: ' +
 						'item at index ' + i + ' should be a Class but was:<' +
-						_valueClasses[i] + '>.' + getQualifiedClassName(_valueClasses[i]));
+						value[i] + '>.' + getQualifiedClassName(value[i]));
 				}
+				_valueClasses[i] = value[i];
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -168,7 +170,7 @@ package org.osflash.signals.natives
 					return mappingFunction();
 				}
 			} 
-			else if (valueClasses.length == 0) 
+			else if (valueClasses == null || valueClasses.length == 0) 
 			{
 				return [];
 			}
@@ -222,7 +224,8 @@ package org.osflash.signals.natives
 
 			if (mappedData is Array)
 			{
-				if (valueClasses.length == 1 && valueClasses[0] == Array)//TODO invariant
+				const numValueClasses:int = valueClasses ? valueClasses.length : 0;
+				if (numValueClasses == 1 && valueClasses[0] == Array)//TODO invariant
 				{
 					while (slotsToProcess.nonEmpty)
 					{