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4.2.3 Data Type Classes

The application introduced data types will have different sets of requirements with regard to the objects life cycle, reference management, etc.

The data type operation is prescribed by the application through the struct x1f4_datatype_type and struct x1f4_nodetype_type data type description records.

See struct x1f4_datatype_type.

See struct x1f4_nodetype_type.

The criteria that distinguish data type operation and complexity include:

• whether objects need to be constructed and destructed when they come in and respectively out of use
• whether objects allow multiple referencing and whether objects keep references to other objects

The data types of referable objects are the most demanding of the types an application may introduce. They are generally assumed in libaime to require object construction and destruction.

See Object Classes.

The referable objects data types are identified by non NULL reference operation methods, with lead and slip being the first tested.

Of the non referable objects data types, the ones requiring object construction and destruction will define methods such as copy and free, and likely push.

The data types not requiring object construction and destruction are still being operated via specific variable initialization and termination methods, but are generally assumed to be mere pointer value types that allow data to be copied around without any management.