/*=========================================================================
                                                                                
  Program:   bbtk
  Module:    $RCSfile: bbtkBlackBoxOutputDescriptor.h,v $
  Language:  C++
  Date:      $Date: 2008/01/22 15:02:00 $
  Version:   $Revision: 1.1.1.1 $
                                                                                
  Copyright (c) CREATIS (Centre de Recherche et d'Applications en Traitement de
  l'Image). All rights reserved. See Doc/License.txt or
  http://www.creatis.insa-lyon.fr/Public/bbtk/License.html for details.
                                                                                
     This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even
     the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
     PURPOSE.  See the above copyright notices for more information.
                                                                                
=========================================================================*/

/**
 *  \file 
 *  \brief Class bbtk::BlackBoxOutputDescriptor : abstract descriptor of an output of a black box (stores a name, a description and type)
 */
/**
 * \class bbtk::BlackBoxOutputDescriptor
 * \brief Abstract descriptor of an output of a black box (stores a name, a description and type)
 */

#ifndef __bbtkBlackBoxOutputDescriptor_h__
#define __bbtkBlackBoxOutputDescriptor_h__


#include "bbtkSystem.h"
#include "bbtkData.h"
#include "bbtkRTTI.h"

namespace bbtk
{
  
  
  class BBTK_EXPORT BlackBoxOutputDescriptor
  {
  public:
    /// Ctor with name and description
    BlackBoxOutputDescriptor( const std::string& name,
			      const std::string& description,
			      bool copy_construct = true)
      : mName(name), mDescription(description), 
	mCopyConstruct(copy_construct) 
    {}
    
    /// Returns the name of the output
    const std::string& GetName() const { return mName; }
    /// Returns the description of the output
    const std::string& GetDescription() const { return mDescription; }
    /// Returns the type of the output
    virtual TypeInfo GetTypeInfo() const = 0;
    /// Returns the name of the type of the output
    virtual std::string GetTypeName() const = 0;
    /// Returns the name of the type of the output
    virtual std::string GetHumanTypeName() const = 0;
     /// Returns true iff the type is a pointer to class 
    virtual bool IsPointerType() const = 0;
    /// Returns true iff the input must be copied 
    /// by the copy constructor of the box
    bool GetCopyConstruct() const { return mCopyConstruct; }
    
    
  private:
    /// Default ctor is private
    BlackBoxOutputDescriptor() : mName(""), mDescription("") {}
    /// The name of the output
    std::string mName;
    /// The description of the output
    std::string mDescription;
     /// Does the output has to be copied by copy constructor 
    /// default = true. Must be set to false if it is 
    /// initialized by the user in bbUserCopyConstructor 
    /// (typically if it is a pointer)
    bool mCopyConstruct;
 };
  
}
// namespace bbtk
#endif