/*=========================================================================

  Program:   Visualization Toolkit
  Module:    vtkArrayIterator.h

  Copyright (c) Ken Martin, Will Schroeder, Bill Lorensen
  All rights reserved.
  See Copyright.txt or http://www.kitware.com/Copyright.htm for details.

     This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even
     the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
     PURPOSE.  See the above copyright notice for more information.

=========================================================================*/
// .NAME vtkArrayIterator - Abstract superclass to iterate over elements in 
// an vtkAbstractArray. 
// .SECTION Description
// vtkArrayIterator is used to iterate over elements in any vtkAbstractArray
// subclass.
// The vtkArrayIteratorTemplateMacro is used to centralize the set of types
// supported by Execute methods.  It also avoids duplication of long
// switch statement case lists.
// Note that in this macro VTK_TT is defined to be the type of the iterator
// for the given type of array. One must include the 
// vtkArrayIteratorIncludes.h header file to provide for extending of this macro
// by addition of new iterators.
//
// Example usage:
// \code
// vtkArrayIter* iter = array->NewIterator();
// switch(array->GetDataType())
//   {
//   vtkArrayIteratorTemplateMacro(myFunc(static_cast<VTK_TT*>(iter), arg2));
//   }
// iter->Delete();
// \endcode

#ifndef __vtkArrayIterator_h
#define __vtkArrayIterator_h

#include "vtkObject.h"
class vtkAbstractArray;
class VTK_COMMON_EXPORT vtkArrayIterator : public vtkObject
{
public:
  vtkTypeMacro(vtkArrayIterator, vtkObject);
  void PrintSelf(ostream& os, vtkIndent indent);

  // Description:
  // Set the array this iterator will iterate over.
  // After Initialize() has been called, the iterator is valid
  // so long as the Array has not been modified 
  // (except using the iterator itself).
  // If the array is modified, the iterator must be re-intialized.
  virtual void Initialize(vtkAbstractArray* array) = 0;

  // Description
  // Get the data type from the underlying array. Returns 0 if
  // no underlying array is present.
  virtual int GetDataType()=0;
protected:
  vtkArrayIterator();
  ~vtkArrayIterator();

private:
  vtkArrayIterator(const vtkArrayIterator&); // Not implemented.
  void operator=(const vtkArrayIterator&); // Not implemented.
};


#endif

