/*
 * SearchKey.java - an interface for Searching for objects
 *
 * Copyright (c) 1996 Chuck McManis, All Rights Reserved.
 *
 * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software
 * and its documentation for NON-COMMERCIAL purposes and without
 * fee is hereby granted provided that this copyright notice
 * appears in all copies.
 *
 * CHUCK MCMANIS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ABOUT THE
 * SUITABILITY OF THE SOFTWARE, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
 * BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. CHUCK MCMANIS
 * SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES SUFFERED BY LICENSEE AS A RESULT
 * OF USING, MODIFYING OR DISTRIBUTING THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS DERIVATIVES.
 */

/**
 * This interface defines the methods that a search key must implement.
 * It is very important that for a given object that implements this
 * interface its "value" not change once it is stored into a tree. Thus
 * the values that the methods operate on must be immutable.
 */
public interface SearchKey {
    /**
     * Return an integer value whose magnitude is relative to the
     * comparison of two objects.
     */
     public abstract int compareKey(SearchKey key);

     /**
      * Return true if these two search keys are equal.
      */
     public boolean equalKey(SearchKey key);

}