referencecounted.h

// Description: A base class for CountedPtr reference counted objects
// Documentation: countedptr.txt

#ifndef PASTELSYS_REFERENCECOUNTED_H
#define PASTELSYS_REFERENCECOUNTED_H

namespace Pastel
{

    //! A base class for CountedPtr reference counted objects.
    /*!
   Any class wishing to use CountedPtr for reference counting
   must derive from ReferenceCounted. This base class
   simply includes a counter that the CountedPtr implementation
   increases and decreases.
   */
    class ReferenceCounted
    {
    private:
        template <typename> friend class CountedPtr;
        template <typename> friend class WeakPtr;

    public:
        ReferenceCounted();
        virtual ~ReferenceCounted();

        // Note that a reference counter counts
        // the references to the _memory address_.
        // Thus assignment, copy construction and
        // swap must not influence the reference count.
        // In a way we should then prohibit them,
        // but in this special case it is easier
        // to define these functions but not
        // copy the reference counts. This
        // way the derived classes can use default
        // compiler implementations of copy constructors etc.

        // "Prohibited"
        ReferenceCounted(const ReferenceCounted&);
        // "Prohibited"
        ReferenceCounted& operator=(const ReferenceCounted&);

    private:
        mutable integer count_;
    };

}

#include "pastel/sys/pointer/countedptr/referencecounted.hpp"

#endif