# This file is part of NIT ( http://www.nitlanguage.org ).
#
# This file is free software, which comes along with NIT.  This software is
# distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY;
# without  even  the implied warranty of  MERCHANTABILITY or  FITNESS FOR A
# PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  You can modify it is you want,  provided this header
# is kept unaltered, and a notification of the changes is added.
# You  are  allowed  to  redistribute it and sell it, alone or is a part of
# another product.

# Native structures for text and bytes
module native

import kernel

# Native strings are simple C char *
extern class NativeString `{ char* `}
	# Creates a new NativeString with a capacity of `length`
	new(length: Int) is intern

	# Returns a char* starting at `index`.
	#
	# WARNING: Unsafe for extern code, use only for temporary
	# pointer manipulation purposes (e.g. write to file or such)
	fun fast_cstring(index: Int): NativeString is intern

	# Get char at `index`.
	fun [](index: Int): Char is intern

	# Set char `item` at index.
	fun []=(index: Int, item: Char) is intern

	# Copy `self` to `dest`.
	fun copy_to(dest: NativeString, length: Int, from: Int, to: Int) is intern

	# Position of the first nul character.
	fun cstring_length: Int
	do
		var l = 0
		while self[l] != '\0' do l += 1
		return l
	end

	# Parse `self` as an Int.
	fun atoi: Int is intern

	# Parse `self` as a Float.
	fun atof: Float is extern "atof"
end