nub Directory Reference

ref-counted base object class, plus an id<->object database More...

Files
file	handle.cc [code]
file	handle.h [code]
file	log.cc [code]
file	log.h [code]
file	objdb.cc [code]
file	objdb.h [code]
file	object.cc [code]
file	object.h [code]
file	objfactory.cc [code]
file	objfactory.h [code]
file	objmgr.cc [code]
file	objmgr.h [code]
file	README.dxy [code]
file	ref.cc [code]
file	ref.h [code]
file	refcounted.cc [code]
file	refcounted.h [code]
file	scheduler.cc [code]
file	scheduler.h [code]
file	signal.cc [code]
file	signal.h [code]
file	timer.cc [code]
file	timer.h [code]
file	types.h [code]
file	uid.h [code]
file	volatileobject.cc [code]
file	volatileobject.h [code]
file	weak_handle.cc [code]
file	weak_handle.h [code]

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Detailed Description

ref-counted base object class, plus an id<->object database

src/nub provides a base class, nub::object, with intrusive reference-counting. Objects deriving from nub::object can be stored in the nub::objectdb, which allows objects to be retrieved given their unique integer id (nub::uid). This, in turn, provides a basis for using these integer ids as object handles in a script-language wrapper of c++ classes and objects.

There are two basic smart pointer classes that can be used with nub::object; these are nub::ref and nub::soft_ref. The first, nub::ref, provides a strong guarantee that its pointee will never be null (this is verified upon construction of the nub::ref, after which the guarantee can never be lost). The second, nub::soft_ref, is more flexible in two ways: (1) it can have a null pointee, allowing for the representation of "no object here" (though it still verifies that its pointee is non-null upon dereferencing, and throws an exception if the pointee is null), and (2) it can act as a weak pointer, that is, one that doesn't prevent its pointee from being destroyed -- in this case if its pointee is destroyed, the the nub::soft_ref silently becomes null (but does not "dangle" like an ordinary pointer would).