X-Git-Url: http://nitlanguage.org

diff --git a/lib/serialization.nit b/lib/serialization.nit
index cd80d3d..8a1d1ee 100644
--- a/lib/serialization.nit
+++ b/lib/serialization.nit
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 # Offers services to serialize a Nit objects to different persistent formats
-module serialization
+module serialization is
+	new_annotation auto_serializable
+end
 
 # Abstract serialization service to be sub-classed by specialized services.
 interface Serializer
@@ -28,13 +30,20 @@ interface Serializer
 	# Serialize an attribute, used by `Serializable::core_serialize_to`
 	fun serialize_attribute(name: String, value: nullable Object)
 	do
+		if not try_to_serialize(value) then
+			warn("argument {value.class_name}::{name} is not serializable.")
+		end
+	end
+
+	# Serialize `value` is possie, i.e. it is `Serializable` or `null`
+	fun try_to_serialize(value: nullable Object): Bool
+	do
 		if value isa Serializable then
 			value.serialize_to_or_delay(self)
 		else if value == null then
 			serialize value
-		else
-			warn("argument {value.class_name}::{name} is not serializable.")
-		end
+		else return false
+		return true
 	end
 
 	# Warn of problems and potential errors (such as if an attribute
@@ -42,6 +51,28 @@ interface Serializer
 	fun warn(msg: String) do print "Serialization warning: {msg}"
 end
 
+# Abstract deserialization service
+#
+# After initialization of one of its sub-classes, call `deserialize`
+interface Deserializer
+	# Main method of this class, returns a Nit object
+	fun deserialize: nullable Object is abstract
+
+	# Internal method to be implemented by sub-classes
+	fun deserialize_attribute(name: String): nullable Object is abstract
+
+	# Internal method called by objects in creation,
+	# to be implemented by sub-classes
+	fun notify_of_creation(new_object: Object) is abstract
+
+	# Mainly generated method to return the next instance of the givent
+	# class by name
+	fun deserialize_class(class_name: String): Object do
+		print "Error: doesn't know how to deserialize class \"{class_name}\""
+		abort
+	end
+end
+
 # Instances of this class can be passed to `Serializer::serialize`
 interface Serializable
 	# Full or true serialization
@@ -69,3 +100,4 @@ redef class Int super DirectSerializable end
 redef class Float super DirectSerializable end
 redef class NativeString super DirectSerializable end
 redef class String super DirectSerializable end
+redef class Array[E] super Serializable end