#ifndef __vars_h__
#define __vars_h__


#pragma interface


#include <map>
#include <string>


using std::string;
using std::map;

/*
struct hash_str
{
  inline size_t string_hf(const string& str)
  { return hash(str.c_str()); }
};

struct MyHASHER : public hash<const char*>{
 size_t operator(string a_string){
  return (*this)( a_string.c_str() );
 }
}


struct eqstr
{
  bool operator()(const char* s1, const char* s2) const
  {
    return strcmp(s1, s2) == 0;
  }
};

*/

class varstring : public string
{
public:
	varstring();
	varstring( const varstring &c );
	varstring( const string &c );
	varstring( const char* c, int len);
	varstring( const char *c );

	long Long() const;
	double Double();
	varstring& operator=( const char* c );
	void operator=( long l );
	void operator=( const string c );
	varstring& operator=( const varstring &c );
	operator long();	// type conversion
	operator const char*();	// type conversion

	bool valid() const;
	void set_valid( bool validated = true );

	bool db() const;
	void set_db( bool validated = true );

	bool binary() const;
	void set_binary( bool binary = true );

	friend class CVars;

private:
	bool validated;
	bool db_var;		// is this variable to be used in DB updates
	bool binary_var;
};

/*
class string_key : public string
{
public:
	string_key& operator=( const char* c );
	void operator=( long l );
	void operator=( const string c );

	string_key();
	string_key( const char *c );

	bool valid() const;
	void set_valid( bool validated = true );

private:
	bool validated;
};
*/


typedef
//	hash_map<const char*, char*, hash<const char*>, eqstr>
//	map< string_key, varstring >
	map< const string, varstring >
CVars1;



class CVars : public CVars1
{
public:
	CVars() : CVars1() {};

	CVars& operator<<( char const *name ); // schedule for db processing
	CVars& operator>>( char const *name ); // ignore db processing for this variable

	void	ClearDB();

	long serialize( unsigned char *&buf );	// this will serialize the data into buf and return the resulting size
														// it is the responsibility of the caller to free the buffer with free()
	int deserialize( unsigned char *buf, long buf_sz );	// this will initialize the current instance by de-serializing the data from buf
														// returns number of elements de-serialized

};






#endif