// Copyright (C) 2006 Douglas Gregor <doug.gregor -at- gmail.com>



// Use, modification and distribution is subject to the Boost Software

// License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at

// http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)



//  Authors: Douglas Gregor

#ifndef BOOST_MPI_PYTHON_HPP

#define BOOST_MPI_PYTHON_HPP



#include <boost/python/object.hpp>



/** @file python.hpp

 *

 *  This header interacts with the Python bindings for Boost.MPI. The

 *  routines in this header can be used to register user-defined and

 *  library-defined data types with Boost.MPI for efficient

 *  (de-)serialization and separate transmission of skeletons and

 *  content.

 *

 */



namespace boost { namespace mpi { namespace python {



/**

 * @brief Register the type T for direct serialization within Boost.MPI

 *

 * The @c register_serialized function registers a C++ type for direct

 * serialization within Boost.MPI. Direct serialization elides the use

 * of the Python @c pickle package when serializing Python objects

 * that represent C++ values. Direct serialization can be beneficial

 * both to improve serialization performance (Python pickling can be

 * very inefficient) and to permit serialization for Python-wrapped

 * C++ objects that do not support pickling.

 *

 *  @param value A sample value of the type @c T. This may be used

 *  to compute the Python type associated with the C++ type @c T.

 *

 *  @param type The Python type associated with the C++ type @c

 *  T. If not provided, it will be computed from the same value @p

 *  value.

 */

template<typename T>

void

register_serialized(const T& value = T(), PyTypeObject* type = 0);



/**

 * @brief Registers a type for use with the skeleton/content mechanism

 * in Python.

 *

 * The skeleton/content mechanism can only be used from Python with

 * C++ types that have previously been registered via a call to this

 * function. Both the sender and the transmitter must register the

 * type. It is permitted to call this function multiple times for the

 * same type @c T, but only one call per process per type is

 * required. The type @c T must be Serializable.

 *

 *  @param value A sample object of type T that will be used to

 *  determine the Python type associated with T, if @p type is not

 *  specified.

 *

 *  @param type The Python type associated with the C++ type @c

 *  T. If not provided, it will be computed from the same value @p

 *  value.

 */

template<typename T>

void 

register_skeleton_and_content(const T& value = T(), PyTypeObject* type = 0);



} } } // end namespace boost::mpi::python



#ifndef BOOST_MPI_PYTHON_FORWARD_ONLY

#  include <boost/mpi/python/serialize.hpp>

#  include <boost/mpi/python/skeleton_and_content.hpp>

#else

#  undef BOOST_MPI_PYTHON_FORWARD_ONLY

#endif



#endif // BOOST_MPI_PYTHON_HPP

