/**
 * AmbientTalk/2 Project
 * NATByCopy.java created on 29-dec-2006 at 16:58:23
 * (c) Programming Technology Lab, 2006 - 2007
 * Authors: Tom Van Cutsem & Stijn Mostinckx
 * 
 * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
 * obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation
 * files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without
 * restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
 * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or
 * sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
 * Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following
 * conditions:
 *
 * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
 * included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
 *
 * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
 * EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES
 * OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
 * NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT
 * HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
 * WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
 * FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR
 * OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 */
package edu.vub.at.objects.natives;

import edu.vub.at.exceptions.InterpreterException;
import edu.vub.at.objects.ATObject;
import edu.vub.at.objects.coercion.NativeTypeTags;

/**
 * This class is the abstract superclass of all AT/2 object types which should
 * be passed by copy when passed as a parameter between actors.
 * 
 * All subclasses of this class should override {@link #meta_typeTags()} to
 * include the type {@link NativeTypeTags#_ISOLATE_} to mark that these objects
 * are passed by-copy.
 *
 * @author tvcutsem
 */
public abstract class NATByCopy extends NativeATObject {

    /**
     * When a by-copy object is asked which object to serialize in its stead,
     * the by-copy object returns itself, so that it itself will be serialized.
     */
    public ATObject meta_pass() throws InterpreterException {
    	return this;
    }
	
    /**
     * When a by-copy object is asked which object it represents when it
     * is deserialized, the object returns itself.
     */
    public ATObject meta_resolve() throws InterpreterException {
    	return this;
    }
	
}