#ifndef ATTRIBUTE_LIST_H

#define ATTRIBUTE_LIST_H

#include <string>

#include <vector>

#include "attribute.h"

#include "type-id.h"

namespace ns3 {

/**

 * \brief a container of attributes to be used during object's construction

 *        and in ns3::Object::Set.

 *

 */

class AttributeList

{

public:

  AttributeList ();

  AttributeList (const AttributeList &o);

  AttributeList &operator = (const AttributeList &o);

  ~AttributeList ();

  /**

   * \param name the full name of the attribute to set

   * \param value the value to set

   *

   * This method checks that a attribute with the requested

   * name exists and that the value specified is an acceptable

   * value of that attribute. If any of these checks fails,

   * the program terminates with a message.

   */

  void Set (std::string name, Attribute value);

  /**

   * \param name the full name of the attribute to set

   * \param value the value to set

   * \returns true if the requested attribute exists and could be

   *          stored, false otherwise.

   */

  bool SetFailSafe (std::string name, Attribute value);

  /**

   * \param tid the TypeId associated to this attribute

   * \param name the name (not full!) of the attribute

   * \param value the value to set

   *

   * This method checks that a attribute with the requested

   * name exists and that the value specified is an acceptable

   * value of that attribute. If any of these checks fails,

   * the program terminates with a message.

   */

  void SetWithTid (TypeId tid, std::string name, Attribute value);

  /**

   * Clear the content of this instance.

   */

  void Reset (void);

  /**

   * \returns the global attribute container

   *

   * The global attribute container can be used to specify

   * a set of attribute values without having to re-specify

   * them for each object when it is created. This container

   * is checked only during object construction and 

   * it is always checked last, after any per-object

   * container is checked.

   */

  static AttributeList *GetGlobal (void);

  // XXX: untested.

  std::string SerializeToString (void) const;

  bool DeserializeFromString (std::string value);

private:

  struct Attr {

    Ptr<const AttributeChecker> checker;

    Attribute value;

  };

  typedef std::vector<struct Attr> Attrs;

  typedef Attrs::iterator Iterator;

  typedef Attrs::const_iterator CIterator;

  bool DoSet (struct TypeId::AttributeInfo *info, Attribute param);

  void DoSetOne (Ptr<const AttributeChecker> checker, Attribute param);

  std::string LookupAttributeFullNameByChecker (Ptr<const AttributeChecker> checker) const;

  Attrs m_attributes;

};

} // namespace ns3

#endif /* ATTRIBUTE_LIST_H */