/* -*- Mode: C++; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 4 -*- */
/* ***** BEGIN LICENSE BLOCK *****
 * Version: NPL 1.1/GPL 2.0/LGPL 2.1
 *
 * The contents of this file are subject to the Netscape Public License
 * Version 1.1 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in
 * compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
 * http://www.mozilla.org/NPL/
 *
 * Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" basis,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License
 * for the specific language governing rights and limitations under the
 * License.
 *
 * The Original Code is Mozilla FastLoad code.
 *
 * The Initial Developer of the Original Code is 
 * Netscape Communications Corporation.
 * Portions created by the Initial Developer are Copyright (C) 2001
 * the Initial Developer. All Rights Reserved.
 *
 * Contributor(s):
 *   Brendan Eich <brendan@mozilla.org> (original author)
 *
 * Alternatively, the contents of this file may be used under the terms of
 * either the GNU General Public License Version 2 or later (the "GPL"), or 
 * the GNU Lesser General Public License Version 2.1 or later (the "LGPL"),
 * in which case the provisions of the GPL or the LGPL are applicable instead
 * of those above. If you wish to allow use of your version of this file only
 * under the terms of either the GPL or the LGPL, and not to allow others to
 * use your version of this file under the terms of the NPL, indicate your
 * decision by deleting the provisions above and replace them with the notice
 * and other provisions required by the GPL or the LGPL. If you do not delete
 * the provisions above, a recipient may use your version of this file under
 * the terms of any one of the NPL, the GPL or the LGPL.
 *
 * ***** END LICENSE BLOCK ***** */

#include "nsISupports.idl"

interface nsIObjectInputStream;
interface nsIObjectOutputStream;

[scriptable, uuid(91cca981-c26d-44a8-bebe-d9ed4891503a)]
interface nsISerializable : nsISupports
{
    /**
     * Initialize the object implementing nsISerializable, which must have
     * been freshly constructed via CreateInstance.  All data members that
     * can't be set to default values must have been serialized by write,
     * and should be read from aInputStream in the same order by this method.
     */
    void read(in nsIObjectInputStream aInputStream);

    /**
     * Serialize the object implementing nsISerializable to aOutputStream, by
     * writing each data member that must be recovered later to reconstitute
     * a working replica of this object, in a canonical member and byte order,
     * to aOutputStream.
     *
     * NB: a class that implements nsISerializable *must* also implement
     * nsIClassInfo, in particular nsIClassInfo::GetClassID.
     */
    void write(in nsIObjectOutputStream aOutputStream);
};
