/*=============================================================================#
# Copyright (c) 2009-2016 Stephan Wahlbrink (WalWare.de) and others.
# All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
# are made available under the terms of either (per the licensee's choosing)
# - the Eclipse Public License v1.0
# which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
# http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html, or
# - the GNU Lesser General Public License v2.1 or newer
# which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
# http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html
#
# Contributors:
# Stephan Wahlbrink - initial API and implementation
#=============================================================================*/
package de.walware.rj.data;
/**
* An R object is of the type {@link RObject#TYPE_VECTOR vector}, if it is an R
* data object of an "atomic" mode without a dimension attribute (<code>dim</code>).
* Such an R vector object is represented by an instance of this interface.
* <p>
* The real data is stored in a {@link RStore} accessible by {@link #getData()}.</p>
* <p>
* The type {@link RObject#TYPE_VECTOR vector} equates not the R command
* <code>is.vector(object)</code>, mainly because all attributes except the dimension
* are allowed (in the R function only the names attribute is allowed). Especially
* an R factor object is of the type {@link RObject#TYPE_VECTOR vector}, implements
* RVector and has a data store of the type {@link RStore#FACTOR}. Also another S3
* object based on a such a data object is of the type {@link RObject#TYPE_VECTOR vector}.
* Whereas a S4 object is never directly of this type even the object simulates such
* a data object in R. Such an object is of the type {@link RObject#TYPE_S4OBJECT S4 object},
* and implements {@link RS4Object} with an object of the type {@link RObject#TYPE_VECTOR vector}
* as data slot.</p>
* <p>
* The complementary type for objects with dimension attribute is the type
* {@link RObject#TYPE_ARRAY array} and the interface {@link RArray}.
* The data structure for multiple R objects is represented by the type
* {@link RObject#TYPE_LIST list} respectively the interface {@link RList}.</p>
*
* @param <TData> the type of the data store
*/
public interface RVector<TData extends RStore<?>> extends RObject {
/**
* Returns the length of the object. The length of an {@link RObject#TYPE_VECTOR vector}
* is the count of all data values.
*
* @return the length
*/
@Override
long getLength();
/**
* Returns the names for the indexes of the vector. This corresponds to the values of the
* R attribute (<code>names</code>) respectively the R function <code>names(object)</code>.
*
* The returned character data has the same length the vector. If the R element does not have
* names, the names are invalid, or names are disabled, the method returns <code>null</code>.
*
* @return a data store with the names of the indexes or <code>null</code>
*
* @since de.walware.rj.data 0.5
*/
RStore<?> getNames();
@Override
TData getData();
// void insert(int idx);
// void remove(int idx);
}