    indexing
    	description: "[
    		Special objects: homogeneous sequences of values,
    		used to represent arrays and strings
    	]"
    	legal: "See notice at end of class."
    	status: "See notice at end of class."
    	date: "$Date: 2006-01-22 18:25:44 -0800 (Sun, 22 Jan 2006) $"
    	revision: "$Revision: 56675 $"

    frozen class interface
    	SPECIAL [T]

    create
    	make (n: INTEGER_32)
    			-- Creates a special object for `n' entries.
    		require
    			non_negative_argument: n >= 0
    		ensure
    			area_allocated: count = n

    	make_from_native_array (an_array: like native_array)
    			-- Creates a special object from `an_array'.
    		require
    			is_dotnet: {PLATFORM}.is_dotnet
    			an_array_not_void: an_array /= Void

    feature -- Access

    	frozen base_address: POINTER
    			-- Address of element at position `0'.
    		require
    			not_dotnet: not {PLATFORM}.is_dotnet
    		ensure
    			base_address_not_null: Result /= default_pointer

    	generating_type: STRING_8
    			-- Name of current object's generating type
    			-- (type of which it is a direct instance)
    			-- (from ANY)

    	generator: STRING_8
    			-- Name of current object's generating class
    			-- (base class of the type of which it is a direct instance)
    			-- (from ANY)

    	frozen index_of (v: T; start_position: INTEGER_32): INTEGER_32
    			-- Index of first occurrence of item identical to `v'.
    			-- -1 if none.
    		require
    			valid_start_position: start_position >= 0
    		ensure
    			found_or_not_found: Result = -1 or else (Result >= 0 and then Result < count)

    	frozen item alias "[]" (i: INTEGER_32): T assign put
    			-- Item at `i'-th position
    			-- (indices begin at 0)
    			-- Was declared in SPECIAL as synonym of infix "@".
    		require
    			index_big_enough: i >= 0
    			index_small_enough: i < count

    	frozen item_address (i: INTEGER_32): POINTER
    			-- Address of element at position `i'.
    		require
    			not_dotnet: not {PLATFORM}.is_dotnet
    			index_big_enough: i >= 0
    			index_small_enough: i < count
    		ensure
    			element_address_not_null: Result /= default_pointer

    	frozen native_array: NATIVE_ARRAY [T]
    			-- Only for compatibility with .NET
    		require
    			is_dotnet: {PLATFORM}.is_dotnet

    	frozen infix "@" (i: INTEGER_32): T assign put
    			-- Item at `i'-th position
    			-- (indices begin at 0)
    			-- Was declared in SPECIAL as synonym of item.
    		require
    			index_big_enough: i >= 0
    			index_small_enough: i < count

    feature -- Measurement

    	frozen capacity: INTEGER_32
    			-- Count of the special area
    			-- Was declared in SPECIAL as synonym of count.

    	frozen count: INTEGER_32
    			-- Count of the special area
    			-- Was declared in SPECIAL as synonym of capacity.
    		ensure -- from ABSTRACT_SPECIAL
    			count_non_negative: Result >= 0

    	lower: INTEGER_32 is 0
    			-- Minimum index of Current

    	frozen upper: INTEGER_32
    			-- Maximum index of Current

    feature -- Comparison

    	frozen deep_equal (some: ANY; other: like arg #1): BOOLEAN
    			-- Are `some' and `other' either both void
    			-- or attached to isomorphic object structures?
    			-- (from ANY)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			shallow_implies_deep: standard_equal (some, other) implies Result
    			both_or_none_void: (some = Void) implies (Result = (other = Void))
    			same_type: (Result and (some /= Void)) implies some.same_type (other)
    			symmetric: Result implies deep_equal (other, some)

    	frozen equal (some: ANY; other: like arg #1): BOOLEAN
    			-- Are `some' and `other' either both void or attached
    			-- to objects considered equal?
    			-- (from ANY)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			definition: Result = (some = Void and other = Void) or else ((some /= Void and other /= Void) and then some.is_equal (other))

    	is_equal (other: like Current): BOOLEAN
    			-- Is `other' attached to an object considered
    			-- equal to current object?
    			-- (from ANY)
    		require -- from ANY
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			symmetric: Result implies other.is_equal (Current)
    			consistent: standard_is_equal (other) implies Result

    	frozen standard_equal (some: ANY; other: like arg #1): BOOLEAN
    			-- Are `some' and `other' either both void or attached to
    			-- field-by-field identical objects of the same type?
    			-- Always uses default object comparison criterion.
    			-- (from ANY)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			definition: Result = (some = Void and other = Void) or else ((some /= Void and other /= Void) and then some.standard_is_equal (other))

    	frozen standard_is_equal (other: like Current): BOOLEAN
    			-- Is `other' attached to an object of the same type
    			-- as current object, and field-by-field identical to it?
    			-- (from ANY)
    		require -- from ANY
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			same_type: Result implies same_type (other)
    			symmetric: Result implies other.standard_is_equal (Current)

    feature -- Status report

    	frozen all_default (upper_bound: INTEGER_32): BOOLEAN
    			-- Are all items between index `0' and `upper_bound'
    			-- set to default values?
    		require
    			min_upper_bound: upper_bound >= -1
    			max_upper_bound: upper_bound < count
    		ensure
    			valid_on_empty_area: upper_bound = -1 implies Result

    	conforms_to (other: ANY): BOOLEAN
    			-- Does type of current object conform to type
    			-- of `other' (as per Eiffel: The Language, chapter 13)?
    			-- (from ANY)
    		require -- from ANY
    			other_not_void: other /= Void

    	frozen same_items (other: like Current; upper_bound: INTEGER_32): BOOLEAN
    			-- Do all items between index `0' and `upper_bound' have
    			-- same value?
    		require
    			min_upper_bound: upper_bound >= -1
    			max_upper_bound: upper_bound < count
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    			other_has_enough_items: upper_bound < other.count
    		ensure
    			valid_on_empty_area: upper_bound = -1 implies Result

    	same_type (other: ANY): BOOLEAN
    			-- Is type of current object identical to type of `other'?
    			-- (from ANY)
    		require -- from ANY
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			definition: Result = (conforms_to (other) and other.conforms_to (Current))

    	frozen valid_index (i: INTEGER_32): BOOLEAN
    			-- Is `i' within the bounds of Current?

    feature -- Element change

    	frozen copy_data (other: like Current; source_index, destination_index, n: INTEGER_32)
    			-- Copy `n' elements of `other' from `source_index' position to Current at
    			-- `destination_index'. Other elements of Current remain unchanged.
    		require
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    			source_index_non_negative: source_index >= 0
    			destination_index_non_negative: destination_index >= 0
    			n_non_negative: n >= 0
    			n_is_small_enough_for_source: source_index + n <= other.count
    			n_is_small_enough_for_destination: destination_index + n <= count

    	frozen fill_with (v: T; start_index, end_index: INTEGER_32)
    			-- Set items between `start_index' and `end_index' with `v'.
    		require
    			start_index_non_negative: start_index >= 0
    			start_index_not_too_big: start_index <= end_index
    			end_index_valid: end_index < count

    	frozen move_data (source_index, destination_index, n: INTEGER_32)
    			-- Move `n' elements of Current from `source_start' position to `destination_index'.
    			-- Other elements remain unchanged.
    		require
    			source_index_non_negative: source_index >= 0
    			destination_index_non_negative: destination_index >= 0
    			n_non_negative: n >= 0
    			n_is_small_enough_for_source: source_index + n <= count
    			n_is_small_enough_for_destination: destination_index + n <= count

    	frozen non_overlapping_move (source_index, destination_index, n: INTEGER_32)
    			-- Move `n' elements of Current from `source_start' position to `destination_index'.
    			-- Other elements remain unchanged.
    		require
    			source_index_non_negative: source_index >= 0
    			destination_index_non_negative: destination_index >= 0
    			n_non_negative: n >= 0
    			different_source_and_target: source_index /= destination_index
    			non_overlapping: (source_index < destination_index implies source_index + n < destination_index) or (source_index > destination_index implies destination_index + n < source_index)
    			n_is_small_enough_for_source: source_index + n <= count
    			n_is_small_enough_for_destination: destination_index + n <= count

    	frozen overlapping_move (source_index, destination_index, n: INTEGER_32)
    			-- Move `n' elements of Current from `source_start' position to `destination_index'.
    			-- Other elements remain unchanged.
    		require
    			source_index_non_negative: source_index >= 0
    			destination_index_non_negative: destination_index >= 0
    			n_non_negative: n >= 0
    			different_source_and_target: source_index /= destination_index
    			n_is_small_enough_for_source: source_index + n <= count
    			n_is_small_enough_for_destination: destination_index + n <= count

    	frozen put (v: T; i: INTEGER_32)
    			-- Replace `i'-th item by `v'.
    			-- (Indices begin at 0.)
    		require
    			index_big_enough: i >= 0
    			index_small_enough: i < count

    feature -- Removal

    	frozen clear_all
    			-- Reset all items to default values.

    feature -- Resizing

    	frozen aliased_resized_area (n: INTEGER_32): like Current
    			-- Try to resize `Current' with a count of `n', if not
    			-- possible a new copy.
    		require
    			valid_new_count: n > count
    		ensure
    			result_not_void: Result /= Void
    			new_count: Result.count = n

    	frozen aliased_resized_area_and_keep (n, j, k: INTEGER_32): like Current
    			-- Try to resize `Current' with a count of `n' and keeping the old
    			-- content between indices `j', `k'. If not possible a new copy.
    		require
    			n_non_negative: n >= 0
    			j_non_negative: j >= 0
    			k_non_negative: k >= 0
    			k_valid: k <= count
    		ensure
    			result_not_void: Result /= Void
    			new_count: Result.count = n

    	frozen resized_area (n: INTEGER_32): like Current
    			-- Create a copy of Current with a count of `n'.
    		require
    			valid_new_count: n > count
    		ensure
    			result_not_void: Result /= Void
    			result_different_from_current: Result /= Current
    			new_count: Result.count = n

    feature -- Duplication

    	copy (other: like Current)
    			-- Update current object using fields of object attached
    			-- to `other', so as to yield equal objects.
    			-- (from ANY)
    		require -- from ANY
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    			type_identity: same_type (other)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			is_equal: is_equal (other)

    	frozen deep_copy (other: like Current)
    			-- Effect equivalent to that of:
    			--		copy (`other' . deep_twin)
    			-- (from ANY)
    		require -- from ANY
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			deep_equal: deep_equal (Current, other)

    	frozen deep_twin: like Current
    			-- New object structure recursively duplicated from Current.
    			-- (from ANY)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			deep_equal: deep_equal (Current, Result)

    	frozen standard_copy (other: like Current)
    			-- Copy every field of `other' onto corresponding field
    			-- of current object.
    			-- (from ANY)
    		require -- from ANY
    			other_not_void: other /= Void
    			type_identity: same_type (other)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			is_standard_equal: standard_is_equal (other)

    	frozen standard_twin: like Current
    			-- New object field-by-field identical to `other'.
    			-- Always uses default copying semantics.
    			-- (from ANY)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			standard_twin_not_void: Result /= Void
    			equal: standard_equal (Result, Current)

    	frozen twin: like Current
    			-- New object equal to `Current'
    			-- twin calls copy; to change copying/twining semantics, redefine copy.
    			-- (from ANY)
    		ensure -- from ANY
    			twin_not_void: Result /= Void
    			is_equal: Result.is_equal (Current)

    feature -- Basic operations

    	frozen default: like Current
    			-- Default value of object's type
    			-- (from ANY)

    	frozen default_pointer: POINTER
    			-- Default value of type `POINTER'
    			-- (Avoid the need to write `p'.default for
    			-- some `p' of type `POINTER'.)
    			-- (from ANY)

    	default_rescue
    			-- Process exception for routines with no Rescue clause.
    			-- (Default: do nothing.)
    			-- (from ANY)

    	frozen do_nothing
    			-- Execute a null action.
    			-- (from ANY)

    feature -- Output

    	io: STD_FILES
    			-- Handle to standard file setup
    			-- (from ANY)

    	out: STRING_8
    			-- New string containing terse printable representation
    			-- of current object
    			-- Was declared in ANY as synonym of tagged_out.
    			-- (from ANY)

    	print (some: ANY)
    			-- Write terse external representation of `some'
    			-- on standard output.
    			-- (from ANY)

    	frozen tagged_out: STRING_8
    			-- New string containing terse printable representation
    			-- of current object
    			-- Was declared in ANY as synonym of out.
    			-- (from ANY)

    feature -- Platform

    	operating_environment: OPERATING_ENVIRONMENT
    			-- Objects available from the operating system
    			-- (from ANY)

    invariant
    		-- from ANY
    	reflexive_equality: standard_is_equal (Current)
    	reflexive_conformance: conforms_to (Current)

    indexing
    	library: "EiffelBase: Library of reusable components for Eiffel."
    	copyright: "Copyright (c) 1984-2006, Eiffel Software and others"
    	license: "Eiffel Forum License v2 (see http://www.eiffel.com/licensing/forum.txt)"
    	source: "[
    		Eiffel Software
    		356 Storke Road, Goleta, CA 93117 USA
    		Telephone 805-685-1006, Fax 805-685-6869
    		Website http://www.eiffel.com
    		Customer support http://support.eiffel.com
    	]"

    end -- class SPECIAL