/* -*- Mode: C++; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 4 -*- */
/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
 * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */

#include "nsISupports.idl"

interface nsIObjectInputStream;
interface nsIObjectOutputStream;

[scriptable, uuid(91cca981-c26d-44a8-bebe-d9ed4891503a)]
interface nsISerializable : nsISupports
{
    /**
     * Initialize the object implementing nsISerializable, which must have
     * been freshly constructed via CreateInstance.  All data members that
     * can't be set to default values must have been serialized by write,
     * and should be read from aInputStream in the same order by this method.
     */
    [must_use] void read(in nsIObjectInputStream aInputStream);

    /**
     * Serialize the object implementing nsISerializable to aOutputStream, by
     * writing each data member that must be recovered later to reconstitute
     * a working replica of this object, in a canonical member and byte order,
     * to aOutputStream.
     *
     * NB: a class that implements nsISerializable *must* also implement
     * nsIClassInfo, in particular nsIClassInfo::GetClassID.
     */
    void write(in nsIObjectOutputStream aOutputStream);
};