indexing
	description: "[
		References to objects containing reference to object
		meant to be exchanged with non-Eiffel software.
	]"
	status: "See notice at end of class"
	date: "$Date$"
	revision: "$Revision$"

class interface
	POINTER_REF

feature -- Access

	hash_code: INTEGER
			-- Hash code value
		ensure -- from HASHABLE
			good_hash_value: Result >= 0

	item: POINTER
			-- Pointer value

feature -- Status report

	is_hashable: BOOLEAN
			-- May current object be hashed?
			-- (True if it is not its type's default.)
		ensure -- from HASHABLE
			ok_if_not_default: Result implies (Current /= default)

feature -- Element change

	frozen set_item (p: POINTER)
			-- Make p the item value.

feature -- Allocation/free

	memory_alloc (a_size: INTEGER): POINTER
			-- Allocated size bytes using malloc.
		require
			valid_size: a_size >= 0

	memory_free
			-- Free allocated memory with malloc.

feature -- Memory copy

	memory_copy (a_source: POINTER; a_size: INTEGER)
			-- Copy a_size bytes from a_source to Current.
			-- a_source and Current should not overlap.
		require
			valid_size: a_size >= 0
			valid_source: a_source /= default_pointer

	memory_move (a_source: POINTER; a_size: INTEGER)
			-- Copy a_size bytes from a_source to Current.
			-- a_source and Current can overlap.
		require
			valid_size: a_size >= 0
			valid_source: a_source /= default_pointer

	memory_set (val, n: INTEGER)
			-- Fill first n bytes of the memory pointed by Current
			-- with constant val.
		require
			valid_val: val >= 0
			valid_n: n >= 0

feature -- Operations

	infix "+" (offset: INTEGER): like Current
			-- Pointer moved by an offset of offset bytes.

feature -- Output

	out: STRING
			-- Printable representation of pointer value

invariant

		-- from ANY
	reflexive_equality: standard_is_equal (Current)
	reflexive_conformance: conforms_to (Current)

indexing
	library: "[
			EiffelBase: Library of reusable components for Eiffel.
	]"
	status: "[
			Copyright 1986-2001 Interactive Software Engineering (ISE).
			For ISE customers the original versions are an ISE product
			covered by the ISE Eiffel license and support agreements.
	]"
	license: "[
			EiffelBase may now be used by anyone as FREE SOFTWARE to
			develop any product, public-domain or commercial, without
			payment to ISE, under the terms of the ISE Free Eiffel Library
			License (IFELL) at http://eiffel.com/products/base/license.html.
	]"
	source: "[
			Interactive Software Engineering Inc.
			ISE Building
			360 Storke Road, Goleta, CA 93117 USA
			Telephone 805-685-1006, Fax 805-685-6869
			Electronic mail <info@eiffel.com>
			Customer support http://support.eiffel.com
	]"
	info: "[
			For latest info see award-winning pages: http://eiffel.com
	]"

end -- class POINTER_REF