import { IDataOutput } from './IDataOutput';
import { IDataInput } from './IDataInput';

/**
 * The IExternalizable interface provides control over serialization of a class as it is encoded
 * into a data stream. The <codeph class="+ topic/ph pr-d/codeph ">writeExternal()</codeph> and
 * <codeph class="+ topic/ph pr-d/codeph ">readExternal()</codeph>
 * methods of the IExternalizable interface are implemented by a class to allow customization
 * of the contents and format of the data stream (but not the classname or type) for an object and its supertypes.
 * Each individual class must serialize and reconstruct the state of its instances.
 * These methods must be symmetrical with
 * the supertype to save its state.
 * These methods supercede the native Action Message Format (AMF) serialization behavior.
 * <p class="- topic/p ">If a class does not implement, nor inherits from a class which implements,
 * the IExternalizable interface, then an instance
 * of the class will be serialized using the default mechanism of public members only.
 * As a result, private, internal, and
 * protected members of a class will not be available.</p><p class="- topic/p ">
 * To serialize private members, a class must use the IExternalizable interface.
 */
export interface IExternalizable
{
	/**
	 * A class implements this method to decode itself from a data stream by calling the methods of the IDataInput
	 * interface. This method must read the values in the same sequence and with the same types as
	 * were written by the writeExternal() method.
	 * @param	input	The name of the class that implements the IDataInput interface.
	 */
	readExternal (input: IDataInput);

	/**
	 * A class implements this method to encode itself for a data stream by calling the methods of the IDataOutput
	 * interface.
	 * @param	output	The name of the class that implements the IDataOutput interface.
	 */
	writeExternal (output: IDataOutput);
}