/**
 * \file	PoolEntryIF.h
 *
 * \brief	This file holds the class that defines the Interface for Pool Entry elements.
 *
 * \date	10/18/2012
 *
 * \author	Bastian Baetz
 */

#ifndef POOLENTRYIF_H_
#define POOLENTRYIF_H_

#include <framework/globalfunctions/Type.h>
#include <stdint.h>


/**
 * \brief	This interface defines the access possibilities to a single data pool entry.
 *
 * \details	The interface provides methods to determine the size and the validity information of a value.
 * 			It also defines a method to receive a pointer to the raw data content.
 * 			It is mainly used by DataPool itself, but also as a return pointer.
 *
 *	\ingroup data_pool
 *
 */
class PoolEntryIF {
public:
	/**
	 * \brief	This is an empty virtual destructor, as it is proposed for C++ interfaces.
	 */
	virtual ~PoolEntryIF() {
	}
	/**
	 * \brief	getSize returns the array size of the entry. A single variable parameter has size 1.
	 */
	virtual uint8_t getSize() = 0;
	/**
	 * \brief	This operation returns the size in bytes, which is calculated by
	 * 			sizeof(type) * array_size.
	 */
	virtual uint16_t getByteSize() = 0;
	/**
	 * \brief	This operation returns a the address pointer casted to void*.
	 */
	virtual void* getRawData() = 0;
	/**
	 * \brief	This method allows to set the valid information of the pool entry.
	 */
	virtual void setValid(uint8_t isValid) = 0;
	/**
	 * \brief	This method allows to set the valid information of the pool entry.
	 */
	virtual uint8_t getValid() = 0;
	/**
	 * \brief	This is a debug method that prints all values and the valid information to the screen.
	 * 			It prints all array entries in a row.
	 */
	virtual void print() = 0;
	/**
	 * Returns the type of the entry.
	 */
	virtual Type getType() = 0;
};

#endif /* POOLENTRYIF_H_ */