xref: /haiku/docs/user/support/Archivable.dox (revision c4b9309a9964a8bf18a834cf41aa97f1172bab0d)

/*
 * Copyright 2007 Haiku, Inc. All rights reserved.
 * Distributed under the terms of the MIT License.
 *
 * Authors:
 *		Niels Sascha Reedijk, niels.reedijk@gmail.com
 *		Alex Wilson, yourpalal2@gmail.com
 *		John Scipione, jscipione@gmail.com
 *
 * Proofreader:
 *		David Weizades, ddewbofh@hotmail.com
 *		Thom Holwerda, slakje@quicknet.nl
 *
 * Corresponds to:
 *		headers/os/support/Archivable.h rev 37751
 *		src/kits/support/Archivable.cpp rev 44303
 */


/*!
	\file Archivable.h
	\ingroup support
	\ingroup libbe
	\brief Provides the BArchivable interface and declares the BArchiver and
	       BUnarchiver classes.
*/


/*!
	\class BArchivable
	\ingroup support
	\ingroup libbe
	\brief Interface for objects that can be archived into a BMessage.

	BArchivable provides an interface for objects that can be put into message
	archives and extracted into objects in another location. Using this you are
	able to send objects between applications, or even between computers across
	networks.

	BArchivable differs from BFlattenable in that BFlattenable is designed to
	store objects into flat streams of data, the main objective being storage to
	disk. The objective of this interface, however, is to store objects that
	will later be restored as new (but identical) objects. To illustrate this
	point, BArchivable objects can be restored automatically to the correct
	class, whereas BFlattenable objects have a data type which you need to map
	to classes manually.

	Archiving is done with the Archive() method. If your class supports it, the
	caller can request it to store into a deep archive, meaning that all child
	objects in it will be stored. Extracting the archive works with the
	Instantiate() method, which is static. Since the interface is designed to
	extract objects without the caller knowing what kind of object it actually
	is, the global function #instantiate_object() instantiates a message without
	you manually having to determine the class the message is from. This adds
	considerable flexibility and allows BArchivable to be used in combination
	with other add-ons.

	To provide this interface in your classes you should publicly inherit this
	class. You should implement Archive() and Instantiate(), and provide one
	constructor that takes one BMessage argument.

	If your class holds references to other BArchivable objects that you wish
	to archive, then you should consider using the BArchiver and BUnarchiver
	classes in your Archive() method and archive constructor, respectively.
	You should also consider implementing the AllArchived() and AllUnarchived()
	methods, which were designed to ease archiving and unarchiving in such
	a situation.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn BArchivable::BArchivable(BMessage* from)
	\brief Constructor. Does important behind-the-scenes work in the
		   unarchiving process.

	If you inherit this interface you should provide at least one constructor
	that takes one BMessage argument. In that constructor, you should call
	your parent class' archive constructor (even if your parent class is
	BArchivable).

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn BArchivable::BArchivable()
	\brief Constructor. Does nothing.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn BArchivable::~BArchivable()
	\brief Destructor. Does nothing.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn virtual status_t BArchivable::Archive(BMessage* into, bool deep) const
	\brief Archive the object into a BMessage.

	You should call this method from your derived implementation as it adds the
	data needed to instantiate your object to the message.

	\param into The message you store your object in.
	\param deep If \c true, all children of this object should be archived as
	       well.

	\retval B_OK The archive operation was successful.
	\retval B_BAD_VALUE \c NULL \a archive message.
	\retval B_ERROR The archive operation failed.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn static BArchivable* BArchivable::Instantiate(BMessage* archive)
	\brief Static member to restore objects from messages.

	You should always check that the \a archive argument actually corresponds to
	your class. The automatic functions, such as #instantiate_object() and
	BUnarchiver::InstantiateObject() will not choose the wrong class but manual
	calls to this member might be faulty. You can verify that \c archive
	stores an object of your class with the validate_instantiation() function.

	\param archive The message with the data of the object to restore.

	\return A pointer to a BArchivable object.
	\retval You should return a pointer to the object you create with
	        \c archive, or \c NULL if the unarchival fails.

	\warning The default implementation will always return \c NULL. Even though
		it is possible to store plain BArchivable objects, it is impossible to
		restore them.

	\see instantiate_object(BMessage*)
	\see BUnarchiver::InstantiateObject()

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn virtual status_t BArchivable::Perform(perform_code d, void* arg)
	\brief Perform some action (Internal method defined for binary
		   compatibility purposes).

	\internal This method is defined for binary compatibility purposes, it is
	          used to ensure that the correct AllUnarchived() and AllArchived()
	          methods are called for objects, as those methods are new to
	          Haiku.

	\param d The perform code.
	\param arg A pointer to store some data.

	\returns A status code.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn virtual status_t BArchivable::AllUnarchived(const BMessage* archive)
	\brief Method relating to the use of \c BUnarchiver.

	This hook function is called triggered in the BUnarchiver::Finish() method.
	In this method, you can rebuild references to objects that may be direct
	children of your object, or may be children of other objects.
	Implementations of this method should call the implementation of
	their parent class, the same as for the Archive() method.

	\warning To guarantee that your AllUnarchived() method will be called
	         during unarchival, you must create a BUnarchiver object in your
	         archive constructor.

	\see BUnarchiver, BUnarchiver::Finish()

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*! \fn virtual status_t BArchivable::AllArchived(BMessage* into) const
	\brief Method relating to the use of \c BArchiver.

	This hook function is called once the first BArchiver that was created in
	an archiving session is either destroyed, or has its Finish() method
	called. Implementations of this method can be used, in conjunction with
	BArchiver::IsArchived(), to reference objects in your archive that you
	do not own, depending on whether or not those objects were archived by their
	owners. Implementations of this method should call the implementation of
	their parent class, the same as for the Archive() method.

	\warning To guarantee that your AllArchived() method will be called
		during archival, you must create a BArchiver object in your
		Archive() implementation.

	\warning You should archive any objects you own in your Archive()
		method implementation, and \b NOT your AllArchived() method.

	\see BArchiver BArchiver::Finish()

	\since Haiku R1
*/


///// BArchiver /////


/*!
	\class BArchiver
	\ingroup support
	\ingroup libbe
	\brief A class that simplifies the archiving of complicated BArchivable
	       hierarchies.

	The BArchiver class is a small class that is used for archiving of
	complicated BArchivable hierarchies. Such a hierarchy may include
	multiple BArchivable objects, each of which might be referenced by
	many BArchivable objects. With the BArchiver class, you can be certain
	that each BArchivable object is archived only once with very little work.
	When used in conjuction with the BArchivable::AllArchived() and
	BArchivable::AllUnarchived() methods, it is simple to rebuild your system of
	references upon unarchival so that they are equivalent to those that were
	present in your original hierarchy.

	The objects you archive can be retrieved using a BUnarchiver object.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn BArchiver::BArchiver(BMessage* archive)
	\brief Constructs a BArchiver object that manages \c archive.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn BArchiver::~BArchiver()
	\brief Destroys a BArchiver object. If the BArchiver object has not had its
	       Finish() method called, this will be done now.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t BArchiver::AddArchivable(const char* name,
			BArchivable* archivable, bool deep = true)
	\brief Adds a reference to \c archivable to the archive used to
	       construct this BArchiver. May call \c archivable's Archive() method.

	\param name Where this reference will be stored in the archive.
	\param archivable The BArchivable* object that to reference.
	\param deep Passed to \c archivable->Archive() if \c archivable must
	       be archived.

	Adds a reference to \c archivable to your archive. If \c archivable has
	not yet been archived, then its Archive() method is called. BArchiver
	can only track BArchivable objects that have been archived through this
	method or the GetTokenForArchivable() methods.

	\warning If you manually archive an object, and then pass it to
	         AddArchivable() or GetTokenForArchivable(), it will be archived
	         again, and when unarchived you will end up with two different
	         BArchivable objects.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t BArchiver::GetTokenForArchivable(BArchivable* archivable,
		bool deep, int32& _token);
	\brief Get a token representing a BArchivable object for this archiving
	       session.

	\param archivable The BArchivable object for which you wish to get a
	       token.
	\param deep Controls how \c archivable will be archived, if it has not yet
	       been archived in this session.
	\param[out] _token The token representing \c archivable is stored here.

	Retrieves or creates a token to represent \c archivable in this archiving
	session. If \c archivable has not yet been archived, it will be now. If
	\c archivable gets archived, the \c deep parameter will be passed to its
	Archive() method.

	\warning If you manually archive an object, and then pass it to
	         GetTokenForArchivable(), it will be archived again, and when
	         unarchived you will end up with two different BArchivable objects.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t BArchiver::GetTokenForArchivable(BArchivable* archivable,
		int32 &_token)
	\brief Equivalent to calling the expanded GetTokenForArchivable(
	       BArchivable*, bool, int32&), with the deep parameter equal to
	       \c true.

	\see GetTokenForArchivable(BArchivable*, bool, int32&)

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn bool BArchiver::IsArchived(BArchivable* archivable);
	\brief Returns whether \c archivable has already been archived in this
	       session.

	\return Whether or not the object has already been archived.
	\retval true \c archivable has been archived in this archiving session.
	\retval false \c archivable has not been archived in this archiving session.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t BArchiver::Finish(status_t err = B_OK);
	\brief Report any archiving errors and possibly complete the archiving
	       session.

	This method may finish an archiving session (triggering the call of all
	archived objects' AllArchived() methods) if the following conditions
	are true:
	- No errors have been reported to this or any other BArchiver object
	  within this session.
	- This is the last remaining BArchiver that has not had its Finish()
	  method invoked.

	If you call this method with an error code not equal to B_OK, then this
	archiving session has failed, archived objects will not have their
	AllArchived() methods called, and any subsequent calls to this method
	on any BArchiver objects in this session will return your error code.

	\return The first error reported in this archiving session, or \c B_OK.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn const BMessage*	BArchiver::ArchiveMessage() const
	\brief Returns the BMessage* used to construct this BArchiver. This is
	       the archive that AddArchivable() modifies.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


///// BUnarchiver /////


/*!
	\class BUnarchiver
	\ingroup support
	\ingroup libbe
	\brief A class that simplifies the unarchiving of complicated BArchivable
	       hierarchies.

	The BUnarchiver class is a small class used to recover BArchivable objects
	that have been archived with the BArchiver class. It also provides ownership
	semantics, so that memory leaks can be avoided during the unarchival
	process. When retrieving an object (either via GetObject() or FindObject()),
	you can specify a BUnarchiver::ownership_policy. If you specify
	BUnarchiver::B_ASSUME_OWNERSHIP, you will become responsible for deleting
	the retrieved item. If you specify BUnarchiver::B_DONT_ASSUME_OWNERSHIP,
	you will not become responsible. You cannot take ownership of the same
	object twice. After the unarchival process finishes, any unclaimed objects,
	excluding the root object (the object being instantiated via
	instantiate_object() or BUnarchiver::InstantiateObject()), will be deleted.

	If you are updating a class that previously did not use the BArchiver and
	BUnarchiver helper classes, and want to maintain backwards compatibility
	with old archive, this can be done using the IsArchiveManaged() method.

	\warning Calling methods on your BUnarchiver with a legacy archive (one
	         that was not managed by a BArchiver during archival) will result
	         in a call to debugger().

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn BUnarchiver::BUnarchiver(const BMessage* archive)
	\brief Constructs a BUnarchiver object to manage \c archive.

	\note To guarantee that your AllUnarchived() method will be called during
	      archival, you must create a BUnarchiver object in your archive
	      constructor. It is necessary to do this even if you won't use the
	      BUnarchiver object in your archive constructor.

	\warning Do not construct a BUnarchiver object without first calling
	         BUnarchiver::PrepareArchive() on \c archive. It is only safe to
	         build a BUnarchiver without this call in your AllUnarchived()
	         implementation.

	\see BUnarchiver::PrepareArchive()

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn BUnarchiver::~BUnarchiver()
	\brief Destroys a BUnarchiver object.

	Calls this objects Finish() method, if it has not yet been called.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t BUnarchiver::EnsureUnarchived(int32 token)
	\brief Ensure the object represented by \a token is unarchived and
	       instantiated.

	\param token the object \a token

	\returns A status code.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t BUnarchiver::EnsureUnarchived(const char* name,
		int32 index = 0)
	\brief Ensure the object archived under \a name at \a index is unarchived
	       and instantiated.

	\param name The archive \a name.
	\param index The archive \a index.

	\returns A status code.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn bool BUnarchiver::IsInstantiated(int32 token)
	\brief Checks whether the object represented by \c token has been
	       instantiated in this session.

	\param token The object \a token.

	\returns \c true if instantiated, \c false otherwise

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn bool BUnarchiver::IsInstantiated(const char* name, int32 index = 0)
	\brief Checks whether the object archived under \a name at \a index has been
	       instantiated in this session.

	\param name The archive \a name.
	\param index The arcive \a token.

	\returns \c true if instantiated, \c false otherwise.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn template<class T> status_t BUnarchiver::GetObject(int32 token,
		ownership_policy owning, T*& object)
	\brief Recover an object by token that was archived by a BArchiver object.
	If the object has not yet been instantiated, and this request is not coming
	from an AllUnarchived() implementation, the object will be instantiated now.

	If the retrieved object is not of the type T, then this method will fail.
	If this method fails, you will not receive ownership of the object, no
	matter what you specified in \c owning.

	\tparam T The type of \a object you wish to find.

	\param token The \a token you got for this object from
	       BArchiver::GetTokenForArchivable() during archival.
	\param owning Whether or not you wish to take ownership of the
	       retrieved object.
	\param object Return parameter for the retrieved object of type T.

	\returns A status code.
	\retval B_OK The object retrieved was of type T.
	\retval B_BAD_TYPE The object retrieved was not of type T.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn template<class T> status_t BUnarchiver::GetObject(int32 token,
		T*& object)
	\brief Recover and take ownership of an object represented by \a token.

	Equivalent to calling GetObject(token, \c B_ASSUME_OWNERSHIP, object)

	\tparam T The type of \a object you wish to find.

	\param token The \a token you got for this object from
	       BArchiver::GetTokenForArchivable() during archival.
	\param object The return parameter for the retrieved object of type T.

	\returns A status code.
	\retval B_OK The object retrieved was of type T.
	\retval B_BAD_TYPE The object retrieved was not of type T.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn template<class T> status_t BUnarchiver::FindObject(const char* name,
		int32 index, ownership_policy owning, T*& object)
	\brief Recover an object that had previously been archived using
	       the BArchiver::AddArchivable() method.

	If the object has not yet been instantiated, and this request is not
	coming from an AllUnarchived() implementation, the object will be
	instantiated now.

	If the retrieved object is not of the type T, then this method will fail.
	If this method fails, you will not receive ownership of the object, no
	matter what you specified in \c owning.

	\tparam T The type of object you wish to find.

	\param name The name that was passed to BArchiver::AddArchivable() when
	       adding this object.
	\param index The index of the object you wish to recover (\c 0-based,
	       like BMessage::FindData().
	\param owning Dictates whether or not you wish to take ownership of the
	       retrieved object.
	\param object Return parameter for the retrieved object of type T.

	\returns A status code.
	\retval B_OK The object retrieved was of type T.
	\retval B_BAD_TYPE The object retrieved was not of type T.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn template<class T> status_t BUnarchiver::FindObject(const char* name,
		int32 index, T*& object)
	\brief Recover and take ownership of an object that had previously been
	       archived using the BArchiver::AddArchivable() method.

	\tparam T The type of object you wish to find.

	\param name The name that was passed to BArchiver::AddArchivable() when
	       adding this object.
	\param index The index of the object you wish to recover (\c 0-based,
	       like #BMessage::FindData().
	\param object Return parameter for the retrieved object of type T.

	\returns A status code.
	\retval B_OK The object retrieved was of type T.
	\retval B_BAD_TYPE The object retrieved was not of type T.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn template<class T> status_t BUnarchiver::FindObject(const char* name,
		ownership_policy owning, T*& object)
	\brief Recover an object at index \c 0 that had previously been
	       archived using the BArchiver::AddArchivable() method.

	Equivalent to calling FindObject(name, \c 0, owning, object).

	\tparam T The type of \a object you wish to find.

	\param name The name that was passed to BArchiver::AddArchivable() when
	       adding this object.
	\param owning Dictates whether or not you wish to take ownership of the
	       retrieved object.
	\param object Return parameter for the retrieved object of type T.

	\returns A status code.
	\retval B_OK The object retrieved was of type T.
	\retval B_BAD_TYPE The object retrieved was not of type T.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn template<class T> status_t BUnarchiver::FindObject(const char* name,
		T*& object)
	\brief Recover and take ownership of an object at index \c 0 that had
		previously been archived using the BArchiver::AddArchivable() method.

	Equivalent to calling FindObject(name, \c 0,
	BUnarchiver::B_ASSUME_OWNERSHIP, object).

	\tparam T The type of \a object you wish to find.

	\param name The name that was passed to BArchiver::AddArchivable() when
	       adding this object.
	\param object Return parameter for the retrieved \a object of type T.

	\returns A status code.
	\retval B_OK The \a object retrieved was of type T.
	\retval B_BAD_TYPE The \a object retrieved was not of type T.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t BUnarchiver::Finish(status_t err = B_OK);
	\brief Report any unarchiving errors and possibly complete the archiving
	       session.

	This method may finish an unarchiving session (triggering the call of all
	instantiated objects' AllUnarchived() methods) if the following conditions
	are true:

	- No errors have been reported to this or any other BUnarchiver
	  object within this session.
	- This is the last remaining BUnarchiver that has not had its
	  Finish() method invoked.

	If you call this method with an error code not equal to B_OK, then this
	unarchiving session has failed, instantiated objects will not have their
	AllUnarchived() methods called, and any subsequent calls to this method
	on any BUnarchiver objects in this session will return your error code.
	Furthermore, any objects that have been instantiated, but have not had
	their ownership assumed by another object will now be deleted (excluding
	the root object).

	\return The first error reported in this unarchiving session, or \c B_OK.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn const BMessage* BUnarchiver::ArchiveMessage() const
	\brief Returns the BMessage* used to construct this BUnarchiver.

	This is the archive that FindObject() uses.
*/


/*!
	\fn static bool BUnarchiver::IsArchiveManaged(const BMessage* archive)
	\brief Checks whether \a archive was managed by a BArchiver object.

	This method can be used to maintain archive backwards-compatibility for a
	class that has been updated to use the BArchiver class. If there is a
	possibility that you are may dealing with a legacy archive, you can use
	this method to find out before calling any methods on your BUnarchiver
	object.

	Here is an example of how you might use this method. Note that you
	must still call PrepareArchive(archive) either way.

\code
MyArchivableClas::MyArchivableClass(BMessage* archive)
    :
    BArchivable(BUnarchiver::PrepareArchive(archive))
{
    BUnarchiver unarchiver(archive);

    if (BUnarchiver::IsArchiveManaged(archive)) {
        // ... calls to FindObject() or GetObject() here ...
    } else {
        // ... calls to BMessage::FindMessage() here ...
    }
}
\endcode

	\returns Whether \a archive was managed by a BArchiver object.
	\retval true if \a archive was managed by a BArchiver object.
	\retval false otherwise.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn static BMessage* BUnarchiver::PrepareArchive(BMessage* &archive)
	\brief Prepares \c archive for use by a BUnarchiver.

	This method must be called if you plan to use a BUnarchiver on an archive.
	It must be called once for each class an object inherits from that
	will use a BUnarchiver.

	\warning This method \b must be called \b before a call to the
		archive constructor of your parent class.

	Notice the use of this method in the example provided below.
\code
MyArchivableClas::MyArchivableClas(BMessage* archive)
    :
    BArchivable(BUnarchiver::PrepareArchive(archive))
{
    // ...
}
\endcode

	\param archive The archive you wish to have prepared.

	\return The same #BMessage as is passed in.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn void BUnarchiver::AssumeOwnership(BArchivable* archivable)
	\brief Become the owner of \a archivable.

	After calling this method you are responsible for deleting the
	\a archivable.

	\param archivable The \a archivable object.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn void BUnarchiver::RelinquishOwnership(BArchivable* archivable)
	\brief Relinquish ownership of \a archivable. If \a archivable remains
	       unclaimed at the end of the unarchiving session, it will be deleted
	       (unless it is the root object).

	\param archivable The \a archivable object.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn template<class T> status_t BUnarchiver::InstantiateObject(
		BMessage* from, T*& object)
	\brief Attempt to instantiate an object of type T from BMessage*
	       \a from.

	If the instantiated object is not of type T, then it will be deleted,
	and this method will return \c B_BAD_TYPE. This method is similar to
	the instantiate_object() function, but provides error reporting and
	protection from memory leaks.

	\param from The #BMessage to instantiate from.
	\param object Return parameter for the retrieved object of type T.

	\returns A status code.
	\retval B_OK The object retrieved was of type T.
	\retval B_BAD_TYPE The object retrieved was not of type T.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


///// Global methods /////


/*!
	\addtogroup support_globals
*/


//! @{


/*!
	\typedef typedef BArchivable* (*instantiation_func)(BMessage*)
	\brief Internal definition of a function that can instantiate objects that
	       have been created with the BArchivable API.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn BArchivable* instantiate_object(BMessage *from, image_id *id)
	\brief Instantiate an archived object with the object being defined in a
	       different application or library.

	This function is similar to instantiate_object(BMessage *from), except that
	it takes the \a id argument referring to an image where the object might be
	stored.

	\note Images are names for executable files. Image id's refer to these
	      executable files that have been loaded by your application. Have a
	      look at the kernel API for further information.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn BArchivable* instantiate_object(BMessage *from)
	\brief Instantiate an archived object.

	This global function will determine the base class, based on the \a from
	argument, and it will call the Instantiate() function of that object to
	restore it.

	\param from The archived object.

	\return The object returns a pointer to the instantiated object, or \c NULL
	        if the instantiation failed. The global \c errno variable will
	        contain the reason why it failed.

	\see instantiate_object(BMessage *from, image_id *id)

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn bool validate_instantiation(BMessage* from, const char* className)
	\brief Internal function that checks if the \a className is the same as the
	       one stored in the \a from message.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn instantiation_func find_instantiation_func(const char* className,
		const char* signature)
	\brief Internal function that searches for the instantiation func with a
	       specific signature. Use instantiate_object() instead.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn instantiation_func find_instantiation_func(const char* className)
	\brief Internal function that searches for the instantiation func of a
	       specific class. Use instantiate_object() instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn instantiation_func find_instantiation_func(BMessage* archive)
	\brief Internal function that searches for the instantiation func that
	       works on the specified \a archive. Use instantiate_object() instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


//! @}