package dlib;
/*
$Id: BaseObject.java 1.3 1996/09/11 03:46:02 ddyer Exp $
$Log: BaseObject.java $
Revision 1.3  1996/09/11 03:46:02  ddyer
added preloader

Revision 1.2  1996/09/10 02:03:30  ddyer
added list

Revision 1.1  1996/09/07 13:06:00  ddyer
Initial revision

*/

/**
Provides a base object, just above "Object" which all the client's other
classes can be based on.  Why not just use "Object"?  You can't supercede
or augment type "Object" directly.
@author Dave Dyer <ddyer@netcom.com>
@version 1.0, August 1996
*/
public class BaseObject{
	
	/** implement the getName method for all objects based on BaseObject,
	so other methods can use getName without worrying if the target implements
	the method.  It's good to give objects real names, though.
	@see NamedObject
	*/
	public String getName () {
		return(null);
	}
	
	/** A dummy implementation of Copy_Slots as a base for our Coneable 
	*/
	public BaseObject Copy_Slots (BaseObject to) {
		return(to);
	}
	
	/** make all objects print with their classname, in a distinctive form,
	similar to #<typename @x> 
	*/
	public String toString () 
	{
		String myname = this.getName();
		return("#<" 
		+ super.toString()
		+ (myname!=null ? (" " + myname) : "" )
		+ ">");
	}
//	public static void main(String args[]) { System.out.println(new BaseObject()); }
}