#ifndef OBJECT_FACTORY_H

#define OBJECT_FACTORY_H

#include "attribute.h"

#include "object.h"

namespace ns3 {

/**

 * \brief instantiate subclasses of ns3::Object.

 *

 * This class can also hold a set of attributes to set

 * automatically during the object construction.

 */

class ObjectFactory

{

public:

  ObjectFactory ();

  /**

   * \param tid the TypeId of the object to instantiate.

   */

  void SetTypeId (TypeId tid);

  /**

   * \param tid the TypeId of the object to instantiate.

   */  

  void SetTypeId (const char *tid);

  /**

   * \param tid the TypeId of the object to instantiate.

   */  

  void SetTypeId (std::string tid);

  /**

   * \param name the name of the attribute to set during object construction

   * \param value the value of the attribute to set during object construction

   */

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

  /**

   * \returns the currently-selected TypeId to use to create an object

   *          instance.

   */

  TypeId GetTypeId (void) const;

  /**

   * \returns a new object instance.

   */

  Ptr<Object> Create (void) const;

  /**

   * \returns a new object instance.

   *

   * This method performs an extra call to ns3::Object::GetObject before

   * returning a pointer of the requested type to the user. This method

   * is really syntactical sugar.

   */

  template <typename T>

  Ptr<T> Create (void) const;

  ATTRIBUTE_HELPER_HEADER_1 (ObjectFactory);

private:

  TypeId m_tid;

  AttributeList m_parameters;

};

std::ostream & operator << (std::ostream &os, const ObjectFactory &factory);

std::istream & operator >> (std::istream &is, ObjectFactory &factory);

ATTRIBUTE_HELPER_HEADER_2 (ObjectFactory);

} // namespace ns3

namespace ns3 {

template <typename T>

Ptr<T> 

ObjectFactory::Create (void) const

{

  Ptr<Object> object = Create ();

  return object->GetObject<T> ();

}

} // namespace ns3

#endif /* OBJECT_FACTORY_H */