// StringToIntTable.h
//
// Written 19 Feb 1996 by Max Hailperin <max@gac.edu>.
//
// Defines interface for a class of string to integer location mappings.

#ifndef _STRING_TO_INT_TABLE_H
#define _STRING_TO_INT_TABLE_H

class StringToIntTableRep;

class StringToIntTable{
public:
  StringToIntTable(int initialValue = 0);
  ~StringToIntTable();
  /* notes on the [] (access) operator:
     1) a reference to an integer storage location associated with the string
        is always returned; if the string was previously not in the table, it
        is inserted with a new integer location associated with it that is
        initialized to the initialValue provided when the table was constructed
        and the reference returned is to that location, while if the string
        was already in the table a reference to the pre-existing location
        is returned; the location can of course be updated by assignment
     2) the table doesn't retain any pointer to the string, even in the
        case that the string is a new one and hence is inserted; instead
        the table makes its own copy so that the caller is free to change
        the contents of the string or reclaim its storage after the
        call to operator[] without harming the table */
  int& operator[](const char *string);
private:
  StringToIntTableRep *rep;
};
#endif