omg/DynamicAny/DynamicAny.idl

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 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
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 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
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 * accompanied this code).
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 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version
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 *
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// IDL
// File: DynamicAny.idl

#ifndef _DYNAMIC_ANY_IDL_
#define _DYNAMIC_ANY_IDL_

#pragma prefix "omg.org"
#include <orb.idl>

/**
* An any can be passed to a program that doesn't have any static information for the
type of the any (code generated for the type by an IDL compiler has not been
compiled with the object implementation). As a result, the object receiving the any
does not have a portable method of using it.
<P>DynAnys enable traversal of the data value associated with an any at
runtime and extraction of the primitive constituents of the data value. This is especially
helpful for writing powerful generic servers (bridges, event channels supporting
filtering).
<P>Similarly, this facility enables the construction of an any at runtime, without having
static knowledge of its type. This is especially helpful for writing generic clients
(bridges, browsers, debuggers, user interface tools).
*/
module DynamicAny {
    /**
    * Any values can be dynamically interpreted (traversed) and constructed through DynAny objects.
    * A DynAny object is associated with a data value which corresponds to a copy of the value
    * inserted into an any.
    * <P>A DynAny object may be viewed as an ordered collection of component DynAnys.
    * For DynAnys representing a basic type, such as long, or a type without components,
    * such as an empty exception, the ordered collection of components is empty.
    * Each DynAny object maintains the notion of a current position into its collection
    * of component DynAnys. The current position is identified by an index value that runs
    * from 0 to n-1, where n is the number of components.
    * The special index value -1 indicates a current position that points nowhere.
    * For values that cannot have a current position (such as an empty exception),
    * the index value is fixed at -1.
    * If a DynAny is initialized with a value that has components, the index is initialized to 0.
    * After creation of an uninitialized DynAny (that is, a DynAny that has no value but a TypeCode
    * that permits components), the current position depends on the type of value represented by
    * the DynAny. (The current position is set to 0 or -1, depending on whether the new DynAny
    * gets default values for its components.)
    * <P>The iteration operations rewind, seek, and next can be used to change the current position
    * and the current_component operation returns the component at the current position.
    * The component_count operation returns the number of components of a DynAny.
    * Collectively, these operations enable iteration over the components of a DynAny, for example,
    * to (recursively) examine its contents.
    * <P>A constructed DynAny object is a DynAny object associated with a constructed type.
    * There is a different interface, inheriting from the DynAny interface, associated with
    * each kind of constructed type in IDL (fixed, enum, struct, sequence, union, array,
    * exception, and value type).
    * <P>A constructed DynAny object exports operations that enable the creation of new DynAny objects,
    * each of them associated with a component of the constructed data value.
    * As an example, a DynStruct is associated with a struct value. This means that the DynStruct
    * may be seen as owning an ordered collection of components, one for each structure member.
    * The DynStruct object exports operations that enable the creation of new DynAny objects,
    * each of them associated with a member of the struct.
    * <P>If a DynAny object has been obtained from another (constructed) DynAny object,
    * such as a DynAny representing a structure member that was created from a DynStruct,
    * the member DynAny is logically contained in the DynStruct.
    * Calling an insert or get operation leaves the current position unchanged.
    * Destroying a top-level DynAny object (one that was not obtained as a component of another DynAny)
    * also destroys any component DynAny objects obtained from it.
    * Destroying a non-top level DynAny object does nothing.
    * Invoking operations on a destroyed top-level DynAny or any of its descendants raises OBJECT_NOT_EXIST.
    * If the programmer wants to destroy a DynAny object but still wants to manipulate some component
    * of the data value associated with it, then he or she should first create a DynAny for the component
    * and, after that, make a copy of the created DynAny object.
    * <P>The behavior of DynAny objects has been defined in order to enable efficient implementations
    * in terms of allocated memory space and speed of access. DynAny objects are intended to be used
    * for traversing values extracted from anys or constructing values of anys at runtime.
    * Their use for other purposes is not recommended.
    * <P>Insert and get operations are necessary to handle basic DynAny objects
    * but are also helpful to handle constructed DynAny objects.
    * Inserting a basic data type value into a constructed DynAny object
    * implies initializing the current component of the constructed data value
    * associated with the DynAny object. For example, invoking insert_boolean on a
    * DynStruct implies inserting a boolean data value at the current position
    * of the associated struct data value.
    * A type is consistent for inserting or extracting a value if its TypeCode is equivalent to
    * the TypeCode contained in the DynAny or, if the DynAny has components, is equivalent to the TypeCode
    * of the DynAny at the current position.
    * <P>DynAny and DynAnyFactory objects are intended to be local to the process in which they are
    * created and used. This means that references to DynAny and DynAnyFactory objects cannot be exported
    * to other processes, or externalized with ORB.object_to_string().
    * If any attempt is made to do so, the offending operation will raise a MARSHAL system exception.
    * Since their interfaces are specified in IDL, DynAny objects export operations defined in the standard
    * org.omg.CORBA.Object interface. However, any attempt to invoke operations exported through the Object
    * interface may raise the standard NO_IMPLEMENT exception.
    * An attempt to use a DynAny object with the DII may raise the NO_IMPLEMENT exception.
    */
    interface DynAny {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynAny ""
        exception InvalidValue {};
        exception TypeMismatch {};

        /**
        * Returns the TypeCode associated with this DynAny object.
        * A DynAny object is created with a TypeCode value assigned to it.
        * This TypeCode value determines the type of the value handled through the DynAny object.
        * Note that the TypeCode associated with a DynAny object is initialized at the time the
        * DynAny is created and cannot be changed during lifetime of the DynAny object.
        *
        * @return The TypeCode associated with this DynAny object
        */
        CORBA::TypeCode type();

        /**
        * Initializes the value associated with a DynAny object with the value
        * associated with another DynAny object.
        * The current position of the target DynAny is set to zero for values that have components
        * and to -1 for values that do not have components.
        *
        * @param dyn_any
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the type of the passed DynAny is not equivalent to the type of target DynAny
        */
        void assign(in DynAny dyn_any)
            raises(TypeMismatch);

        /**
        * Initializes the value associated with a DynAny object with the value contained in an any.
        * The current position of the target DynAny is set to zero for values that have components
        * and to -1 for values that do not have components.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the type of the passed Any is not equivalent to the type of target DynAny
        * @exception InvalidValue if the passed Any does not contain a legal value (such as a null string)
        */
        void from_any(in any value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Creates an any value from a DynAny object.
        * A copy of the TypeCode associated with the DynAny object is assigned to the resulting any.
        * The value associated with the DynAny object is copied into the any.
        *
        * @return a new Any object with the same value and TypeCode
        */
        any to_any();

        /**
        * Compares two DynAny values for equality.
        * Two DynAny values are equal if their TypeCodes are equivalent and, recursively, all component DynAnys
        * have equal values.
        * The current position of the two DynAnys being compared has no effect on the result of equal.
        *
        * @return true of the DynAnys are equal, false otherwise
        */
        boolean equal(in DynAny dyn_any);

        /**
        * Destroys a DynAny object.
        * This operation frees any resources used to represent the data value associated with a DynAny object.
        * It must be invoked on references obtained from one of the creation operations on the ORB interface
        * or on a reference returned by DynAny.copy() to avoid resource leaks.
        * Invoking destroy on component DynAny objects (for example, on objects returned by the
        * current_component operation) does nothing.
        * Destruction of a DynAny object implies destruction of all DynAny objects obtained from it.
        * That is, references to components of a destroyed DynAny become invalid.
        * Invocations on such references raise OBJECT_NOT_EXIST.
        * It is possible to manipulate a component of a DynAny beyond the life time of the DynAny
        * from which the component was obtained by making a copy of the component with the copy operation
        * before destroying the DynAny from which the component was obtained.
        */
        void destroy();

        /**
        * Creates a new DynAny object whose value is a deep copy of the DynAny on which it is invoked.
        * The operation is polymorphic, that is, invoking it on one of the types derived from DynAny,
        * such as DynStruct, creates the derived type but returns its reference as the DynAny base type.
        *
        * @return a deep copy of the DynAny object
        */
        DynAny copy();

        /**
        * Inserts a boolean value into the DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_boolean(in boolean value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a byte value into the DynAny. The IDL octet data type is mapped to the Java byte data type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_octet(in octet value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a char value into the DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_char(in char value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a short value into the DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_short(in short value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a short value into the DynAny. The IDL ushort data type is mapped to the Java short data type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_ushort(in unsigned short value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts an integer value into the DynAny. The IDL long data type is mapped to the Java int data type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_long(in long value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts an integer value into the DynAny. The IDL ulong data type is mapped to the Java int data type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_ulong(in unsigned long value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a float value into the DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_float(in float value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a double value into the DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_double(in double value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a string value into the DynAny.
        * Both bounded and unbounded strings are inserted using this method.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception InvalidValue if the string inserted is longer than the bound of a bounded string
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_string(in string value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a reference to a CORBA object into the DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_reference(in Object value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a TypeCode object into the DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_typecode(in CORBA::TypeCode value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a long value into the DynAny. The IDL long long data type is mapped to the Java long data type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_longlong(in long long value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a long value into the DynAny.
        * The IDL unsigned long long data type is mapped to the Java long data type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_ulonglong(in unsigned long long value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

//        void insert_longdouble(in long double value)
//            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a char value into the DynAny. The IDL wchar data type is mapped to the Java char data type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_wchar(in wchar value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a string value into the DynAny.
        * Both bounded and unbounded strings are inserted using this method.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception InvalidValue if the string inserted is longer than the bound of a bounded string
        */
        void insert_wstring(in wstring value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts an Any value into the Any represented by this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_any(in any value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts the Any value contained in the parameter DynAny into the Any represented by this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_dyn_any(in DynAny value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Inserts a reference to a Serializable object into this DynAny.
        * The IDL ValueBase type is mapped to the Java Serializable type.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        void insert_val(in ValueBase value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the boolean value from this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        boolean get_boolean()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the byte value from this DynAny. The IDL octet data type is mapped to the Java byte data type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        octet get_octet()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the char value from this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        char get_char()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the short value from this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        short get_short()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the short value from this DynAny. The IDL ushort data type is mapped to the Java short data type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        unsigned short get_ushort()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the integer value from this DynAny. The IDL long data type is mapped to the Java int data type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        long get_long()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the integer value from this DynAny. The IDL ulong data type is mapped to the Java int data type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        unsigned long get_ulong()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the float value from this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        float get_float()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the double value from this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        double get_double()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the string value from this DynAny.
        * Both bounded and unbounded strings are extracted using this method.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        string get_string()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the reference to a CORBA Object from this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        Object get_reference()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the TypeCode object from this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        CORBA::TypeCode get_typecode()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the long value from this DynAny. The IDL long long data type is mapped to the Java long data type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        long long get_longlong()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the long value from this DynAny.
        * The IDL unsigned long long data type is mapped to the Java long data type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        unsigned long long get_ulonglong()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);
//        long double get_longdouble()
//            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the long value from this DynAny. The IDL wchar data type is mapped to the Java char data type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        wchar get_wchar()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the string value from this DynAny.
        * Both bounded and unbounded strings are extracted using this method.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        */
        wstring get_wstring()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts an Any value contained in the Any represented by this DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        any get_any()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts the Any value contained in the Any represented by this DynAny and returns it wrapped
        * into a new DynAny.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        DynAny get_dyn_any()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Extracts a Serializable object from this DynAny.
        * The IDL ValueBase type is mapped to the Java Serializable type.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the accessed component in the DynAny is of a type
        * that is not equivalent to the requested type.
        * @exception TypeMismatch if called on a DynAny whose current component itself has components
        * @exception InvalidValue if this DynAny has components but has a current position of -1
        */
        ValueBase get_val()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Sets the current position to index. The current position is indexed 0 to n-1, that is,
        * index zero corresponds to the first component. The operation returns true if the resulting
        * current position indicates a component of the DynAny and false if index indicates
        * a position that does not correspond to a component.
        * Calling seek with a negative index is legal. It sets the current position to -1 to indicate
        * no component and returns false. Passing a non-negative index value for a DynAny that does not
        * have a component at the corresponding position sets the current position to -1 and returns false.
        */
        boolean seek(in long index);

        /**
        * Is equivalent to seek(0).
        */
        void rewind();

        /**
        * Advances the current position to the next component.
        * The operation returns true while the resulting current position indicates a component, false otherwise.
        * A false return value leaves the current position at -1.
        * Invoking next on a DynAny without components leaves the current position at -1 and returns false.
        */
        boolean next();

        /**
        * Returns the number of components of a DynAny.
        * For a DynAny without components, it returns zero.
        * The operation only counts the components at the top level.
        * For example, if component_count is invoked on a DynStruct with a single member,
        * the return value is 1, irrespective of the type of the member.
        * <UL>
        * <LI>For sequences, the operation returns the current number of elements.
        * <LI>For structures, exceptions, and value types, the operation returns the number of members.
        * <LI>For arrays, the operation returns the number of elements.
        * <LI>For unions, the operation returns 2 if the discriminator indicates that a named member is active,
        * otherwise, it returns 1.
        * <LI>For DynFixed and DynEnum, the operation returns zero.
        * </UL>
        */
        unsigned long component_count();

        /**
        * Returns the DynAny for the component at the current position.
        * It does not advance the current position, so repeated calls to current_component
        * without an intervening call to rewind, next, or seek return the same component.
        * The returned DynAny object reference can be used to get/set the value of the current component.
        * If the current component represents a complex type, the returned reference can be narrowed
        * based on the TypeCode to get the interface corresponding to the to the complex type.
        * Calling current_component on a DynAny that cannot have components,
        * such as a DynEnum or an empty exception, raises TypeMismatch.
        * Calling current_component on a DynAny whose current position is -1 returns a nil reference.
        * The iteration operations, together with current_component, can be used
        * to dynamically compose an any value. After creating a dynamic any, such as a DynStruct,
        * current_component and next can be used to initialize all the components of the value.
        * Once the dynamic value is completely initialized, to_any creates the corresponding any value.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch If called on a DynAny that cannot have components,
        * such as a DynEnum or an empty exception
        */
        DynAny current_component()
            raises(TypeMismatch);
    };

    /**
    * DynFixed objects support the manipulation of IDL fixed values.
    * Because IDL does not have a generic type that can represent fixed types with arbitrary
    * number of digits and arbitrary scale, the operations use the IDL string type.
    */
    interface DynFixed : DynAny {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynFixed ""

        /**
        * Returns the value of a DynFixed.
        */
        string get_value();

        /**
        * Sets the value of the DynFixed.
        * The val string must contain a fixed string constant in the same format as used for IDL fixed-point literals.
        * However, the trailing d or D is optional. The return value is true if val can be represented as the DynFixed
        * without loss of precision. If val has more fractional digits than can be represented in the DynFixed,
        * fractional digits are truncated and the return value is false.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch If val does not contain a valid fixed-point literal or contains extraneous
        *            characters other than leading or trailing white space
        * @exception InvalidValue If val contains a value whose scale exceeds that of the DynFixed
        *            or is not initialized
        */
        boolean set_value(in string val)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);
    };

    /**
    * DynEnum objects support the manipulation of IDL enumerated values.
    * The current position of a DynEnum is always -1.
    */
    interface DynEnum : DynAny {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynEnum ""

        /**
        * Returns the value of the DynEnum as an IDL identifier.
        */
        string get_as_string();

        /**
        * Sets the value of the DynEnum to the enumerated value whose IDL identifier is passed in the value parameter.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue If value contains a string that is not a valid IDL identifier
        *            for the corresponding enumerated type
        */
        void set_as_string(in string value)
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the value of the DynEnum as the enumerated value's ordinal value.
        * Enumerators have ordinal values 0 to n-1, as they appear from left to right
        * in the corresponding IDL definition.
        */
        unsigned long get_as_ulong();

        /**
        * Sets the value of the DynEnum as the enumerated value's ordinal value.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue If value contains a value that is outside the range of ordinal values
        *            for the corresponding enumerated type
        */
        void set_as_ulong(in unsigned long value)
            raises(InvalidValue);
    };

    typedef string FieldName;

    /**
    * NameValuePairs associate a name with an Any object.
    */
    struct NameValuePair {
        /**
        * The name associated with the Any.
        */
        FieldName id;
        /**
        * The Any value associated with the name.
        */
        any value;
    };
    typedef sequence<NameValuePair> NameValuePairSeq;

    /**
    * NameDynAnyPairs associate a name with an DynAny object.
    */
    struct NameDynAnyPair {
        /**
        * The name associated with the DynAny.
        */
        FieldName id;
        /**
        * The DynAny value associated with the name.
        */
        DynAny value;
    };
    typedef sequence<NameDynAnyPair> NameDynAnyPairSeq;

    /**
    * DynStruct objects support the manipulation of IDL struct and exception values.
    * Members of the exceptions are handled in the same way as members of a struct.
    */
    interface DynStruct : DynAny {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynStruct ""

        /**
        * Returns the name of the member at the current position.
        * This operation may return an empty string since the TypeCode of the value being
        * manipulated may not contain the names of members.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the DynStruct represents an empty exception.
        * @exception InvalidValue if the current position does not indicate a member
        */
        FieldName current_member_name()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the TCKind associated with the member at the current position.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the DynStruct represents an empty exception.
        * @exception InvalidValue if the current position does not indicate a member
        */
        CORBA::TCKind current_member_kind()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns a sequence of NameValuePairs describing the name and the value of each member
        * in the struct associated with a DynStruct object.
        * The sequence contains members in the same order as the declaration order of members
        * as indicated by the DynStruct's TypeCode. The current position is not affected.
        * The member names in the returned sequence will be empty strings if the DynStruct's TypeCode
        * does not contain member names.
        */
        NameValuePairSeq get_members();

        /**
        * Initializes the struct data value associated with a DynStruct object from a sequence of NameValuePairs.
        * The operation sets the current position to zero if the passed sequences has non-zero length. Otherwise,
        * if an empty sequence is passed, the current position is set to -1.
        * <P>Members must appear in the NameValuePairs in the order in which they appear in the IDL specification
        * of the struct as indicated by the DynStruct's TypeCode or they must be empty strings.
        * The operation makes no attempt to assign member values based on member names.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the member names supplied in the passed sequence do not match the
        *            corresponding member name in the DynStruct's TypeCode and they are not empty strings
        * @exception InvalidValue if the passed sequence has a number of elements that disagrees
        *            with the number of members as indicated by the DynStruct's TypeCode
        */
        void set_members(in NameValuePairSeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns a sequence of NameDynAnyPairs describing the name and the value of each member
        * in the struct associated with a DynStruct object.
        * The sequence contains members in the same order as the declaration order of members
        * as indicated by the DynStruct's TypeCode. The current position is not affected.
        * The member names in the returned sequence will be empty strings if the DynStruct's TypeCode
        * does not contain member names.
        */
        NameDynAnyPairSeq get_members_as_dyn_any();

        /**
        * Initializes the struct data value associated with a DynStruct object from a sequence of NameDynAnyPairs.
        * The operation sets the current position to zero if the passed sequences has non-zero length. Otherwise,
        * if an empty sequence is passed, the current position is set to -1.
        * <P>Members must appear in the NameDynAnyPairs in the order in which they appear in the IDL specification
        * of the struct as indicated by the DynStruct's TypeCode or they must be empty strings.
        * The operation makes no attempt to assign member values based on member names.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the member names supplied in the passed sequence do not match the
        *            corresponding member name in the DynStruct's TypeCode and they are not empty strings
        * @exception InvalidValue if the passed sequence has a number of elements that disagrees
        *            with the number of members as indicated by the DynStruct's TypeCode
        */
        void set_members_as_dyn_any(in NameDynAnyPairSeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);
    };

    /**
    * DynUnion objects support the manipulation of IDL unions.
    * A union can have only two valid current positions:
    * <UL>
    * <LI>zero, which denotes the discriminator
    * <LI>one, which denotes the active member
    * </UL>
    * The component_count value for a union depends on the current discriminator:
    * it is 2 for a union whose discriminator indicates a named member, and 1 otherwise.
    */
    interface DynUnion : DynAny {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynUnion ""

        /**
        * Returns the current discriminator value.
        */
        DynAny get_discriminator();

        /**
        * Sets the discriminator of the DynUnion to the specified value.
        * Setting the discriminator to a value that is consistent with the currently active union member
        * does not affect the currently active member. Setting the discriminator to a value that is inconsistent
        * with the currently active member deactivates the member and activates the member that is consistent
        * with the new discriminator value (if there is a member for that value) by initializing the member
        * to its default value.
        * Setting the discriminator of a union sets the current position to 0 if the discriminator value
        * indicates a non-existent union member (has_no_active_member returns true in this case).
        * Otherwise, if the discriminator value indicates a named union member, the current position is set to 1
        * (has_no_active_member returns false and component_count returns 2 in this case).
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the TypeCode of the parameter is not equivalent to the TypeCode
        *            of the union's discriminator
        */
        void set_discriminator(in DynAny d)
            raises(TypeMismatch);

        /**
        * Sets the discriminator to a value that is consistent with the value of the default case of a union.
        * It sets the current position to zero and causes component_count to return 2.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the union does not have an explicit default case
        */
        void set_to_default_member()
            raises(TypeMismatch);

        /**
        * Sets the discriminator to a value that does not correspond to any of the unions case labels.
        * It sets the current position to zero and causes component_count to return 1.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the union has an explicit default case or if it uses the entire range
        *            of discriminator values for explicit case labels
        */
        void set_to_no_active_member()
            raises(TypeMismatch);

        /**
        * Returns true if the union has no active member, that is, the unions value consists solely
        * of its discriminator because the discriminator has a value that is not listed as an explicit case label.
        * Calling this operation on a union that has a default case returns false.
        * Calling this operation on a union that uses the entire range of discriminator values
        * for explicit case labels returns false.
        */
        boolean has_no_active_member();

        /**
        * Returns the TCKind value of the discriminators TypeCode.
        */
        CORBA::TCKind discriminator_kind();

        /**
        * Returns the TCKind value of the currently active members TypeCode.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if the union does not have a currently active member
        */
        CORBA::TCKind member_kind()
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the currently active member. Note that the returned reference remains valid only
        * for as long as the currently active member does not change. Using the returned reference
        * beyond the life time of the currently active member raises OBJECT_NOT_EXIST.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if the union has no active member
        */
        DynAny member()
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the name of the currently active member. If the unions TypeCode does not contain
        * a member name for the currently active member, the operation returns an empty string.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if the union has no active member
        */
        FieldName member_name()
            raises(InvalidValue);
    };

    typedef sequence<any> AnySeq;
    typedef sequence<DynAny> DynAnySeq;

    /**
    * DynSequence objects support the manipulation of IDL sequences.
    */
    interface DynSequence : DynAny {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynSequence ""

        /**
        * Returns the current length of the sequence.
        */
        unsigned long get_length();

        /**
        * Sets the length of the sequence.
        * Increasing the length of a sequence adds new elements at the tail without affecting the values
        * of already existing elements. Newly added elements are default-initialized.
        * Increasing the length of a sequence sets the current position to the first newly-added element
        * if the previous current position was -1. Otherwise, if the previous current position was not -1,
        * the current position is not affected.
        * Decreasing the length of a sequence removes elements from the tail without affecting the value
        * of those elements that remain. The new current position after decreasing the length of a sequence
        * is determined as follows:
        * <UL>
        * <LI>If the length of the sequence is set to zero, the current position is set to -1.
        * <LI>If the current position is -1 before decreasing the length, it remains at -1.
        * <LI>If the current position indicates a valid element and that element is not removed when the length
        *     is decreased, the current position remains unaffected.
        * <LI>If the current position indicates a valid element and that element is removed,
        *     the current position is set to -1.
        * </UL>
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this is a bounded sequence and len is larger than the bound
        */
        void set_length(in unsigned long len)
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the elements of the sequence.
        */
        AnySeq get_elements();

        /**
        * Sets the elements of a sequence.
        * The length of the DynSequence is set to the length of value. The current position is set to zero
        * if value has non-zero length and to -1 if value is a zero-length sequence.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if value contains one or more elements whose TypeCode is not equivalent
        *            to the element TypeCode of the DynSequence
        * @exception InvalidValue if the length of value exceeds the bound of a bounded sequence
        */
        void set_elements(in AnySeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the DynAnys representing the elements of the sequence.
        */
        DynAnySeq get_elements_as_dyn_any();

        /**
        * Sets the elements of a sequence using DynAnys.
        * The length of the DynSequence is set to the length of value. The current position is set to zero
        * if value has non-zero length and to -1 if value is a zero-length sequence.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if value contains one or more elements whose TypeCode is not equivalent
        *            to the element TypeCode of the DynSequence
        * @exception InvalidValue if the length of value exceeds the bound of a bounded sequence
        */
        void set_elements_as_dyn_any(in DynAnySeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);
    };

    /**
    * DynArray objects support the manipulation of IDL arrays.
    * Note that the dimension of the array is contained in the TypeCode which is accessible
    * through the type attribute. It can also be obtained by calling the component_count operation.
    */
    interface DynArray : DynAny {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynArray ""

        /**
        * Returns the elements of the DynArray.
        */
        AnySeq get_elements();

        /**
        * Sets the DynArray to contain the passed elements.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if one or more elements have a type that is inconsistent with the DynArrays TypeCode
        * @exception InvalidValue if the sequence does not contain the same number of elements as the array dimension
        */
        void set_elements(in AnySeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the elements of the DynArray as DynAnys.
        */
        DynAnySeq get_elements_as_dyn_any();

        /**
        * Sets the DynArray to contain the passed elements.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if one or more elements have a type that is inconsistent with the DynArrays TypeCode
        * @exception InvalidValue if the sequence does not contain the same number of elements as the array dimension
        */
        void set_elements_as_dyn_any(in DynAnySeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);
    };

    /**
    * DynValueCommon provides operations supported by both the DynValue and DynValueBox interfaces.
    */
    interface DynValueCommon : DynAny {
        /**
        * Returns true if the DynValueCommon represents a null value type.
        */
        boolean is_null();

        /**
        * Changes the representation of a DynValueCommon to a null value type.
        */
        void set_to_null();

        /**
        * Replaces a null value type with a newly constructed value. Its components are initialized
        * to default values as in DynAnyFactory.create_dyn_any_from_type_code.
        * If the DynValueCommon represents a non-null value type, then this operation has no effect.
        */
        void set_to_value();
    };

    /**
    * DynValue objects support the manipulation of IDL non-boxed value types.
    * The DynValue interface can represent both null and non-null value types.
    * For a DynValue representing a non-null value type, the DynValue's components comprise
    * the public and private members of the value type, including those inherited from concrete base value types,
    * in the order of definition. A DynValue representing a null value type has no components
    * and a current position of -1.
    * <P>Warning: Indiscriminantly changing the contents of private value type members can cause the value type
    * implementation to break by violating internal constraints. Access to private members is provided to support
    * such activities as ORB bridging and debugging and should not be used to arbitrarily violate
    * the encapsulation of the value type.
    */
    interface DynValue : DynValueCommon {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynValue ""

        /**
        * Returns the name of the member at the current position.
        * This operation may return an empty string since the TypeCode of the value being
        * manipulated may not contain the names of members.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the DynValue represents a null value type.
        * @exception InvalidValue if the current position does not indicate a member
        */
        FieldName current_member_name()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns the TCKind associated with the member at the current position.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the DynValue represents a null value type.
        * @exception InvalidValue if the current position does not indicate a member
        */
        CORBA::TCKind current_member_kind()
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns a sequence of NameValuePairs describing the name and the value of each member
        * in the value type.
        * The sequence contains members in the same order as the declaration order of members
        * as indicated by the DynValue's TypeCode. The current position is not affected.
        * The member names in the returned sequence will be empty strings if the DynValue's TypeCode
        * does not contain member names.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this object represents a null value type
        */
        NameValuePairSeq get_members()
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Initializes the value type's members from a sequence of NameValuePairs.
        * The operation sets the current position to zero if the passed sequences has non-zero length. Otherwise,
        * if an empty sequence is passed, the current position is set to -1.
        * A null value type can be initialized to a non-null value type using this method.
        * <P>Members must appear in the NameValuePairs in the order in which they appear in the IDL specification
        * of the value type as indicated by the DynValue's TypeCode or they must be empty strings.
        * The operation makes no attempt to assign member values based on member names.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the member names supplied in the passed sequence do not match the
        *            corresponding member name in the DynValue's TypeCode and they are not empty strings
        * @exception InvalidValue if the passed sequence has a number of elements that disagrees
        *            with the number of members as indicated by the DynValue's TypeCode
        */
        void set_members(in NameValuePairSeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Returns a sequence of NameDynAnyPairs describing the name and the value of each member
        * in the value type.
        * The sequence contains members in the same order as the declaration order of members
        * as indicated by the DynValue's TypeCode. The current position is not affected.
        * The member names in the returned sequence will be empty strings if the DynValue's TypeCode
        * does not contain member names.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this object represents a null value type
        */
        NameDynAnyPairSeq get_members_as_dyn_any()
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Initializes the value type's members from a sequence of NameDynAnyPairs.
        * The operation sets the current position to zero if the passed sequences has non-zero length. Otherwise,
        * if an empty sequence is passed, the current position is set to -1.
        * A null value type can be initialized to a non-null value type using this method.
        * <P>Members must appear in the NameDynAnyPairs in the order in which they appear in the IDL specification
        * of the value type as indicated by the DynValue's TypeCode or they must be empty strings.
        * The operation makes no attempt to assign member values based on member names.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if the member names supplied in the passed sequence do not match the
        *            corresponding member name in the DynValue's TypeCode and they are not empty strings
        * @exception InvalidValue if the passed sequence has a number of elements that disagrees
        *            with the number of members as indicated by the DynValue's TypeCode
        */
        void set_members_as_dyn_any(in NameDynAnyPairSeq value)
            raises(TypeMismatch, InvalidValue);
    };

    /**
    * DynValueBox objects support the manipulation of IDL boxed value types.
    * The DynValueBox interface can represent both null and non-null value types.
    * For a DynValueBox representing a non-null value type, the DynValueBox has a single component
    * of the boxed type. A DynValueBox representing a null value type has no components
    * and a current position of -1.
    */
    interface DynValueBox : DynValueCommon {

        /**
        * Returns the boxed value as an Any.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this object represents a null value box type
        */
        any get_boxed_value()
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Replaces the boxed value with the specified value.
        * If the DynBoxedValue represents a null valuetype, it is converted to a non-null value.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if this object represents a non-null value box type and the type
        *            of the parameter is not matching the current boxed value type.
        */
        void set_boxed_value(in any boxed)
            raises(TypeMismatch);

        /**
        * Returns the boxed value as a DynAny.
        *
        * @exception InvalidValue if this object represents a null value box type
        */
        DynAny get_boxed_value_as_dyn_any()
            raises(InvalidValue);

        /**
        * Replaces the boxed value with the value contained in the parameter.
        * If the DynBoxedValue represents a null valuetype, it is converted to a non-null value.
        *
        * @exception TypeMismatch if this object represents a non-null value box type and the type
        *            of the parameter is not matching the current boxed value type.
        */
        void set_boxed_value_as_dyn_any(in DynAny boxed)
            raises(TypeMismatch);
    };

    /**
    * DynAny objects can be created by invoking operations on the DynAnyFactory object.
    * Generally there are only two ways to create a DynAny object:
    * <UL>
    * <LI>invoking an operation on an existing DynAny object
    * <LI>invoking an operation on a DynAnyFactory object
    * </UL>
    * A constructed DynAny object supports operations that enable the creation of new DynAny
    * objects encapsulating access to the value of some constituent.
    * DynAny objects also support the copy operation for creating new DynAny objects.
    * A reference to the DynAnyFactory object is obtained by calling ORB.resolve_initial_references()
    * with the identifier parameter set to the string constant "DynAnyFactory".
    * <P>Dynamic interpretation of an any usually involves creating a DynAny object using create_dyn_any()
    * as the first step. Depending on the type of the any, the resulting DynAny object reference can be narrowed
    * to a DynFixed, DynStruct, DynSequence, DynArray, DynUnion, DynEnum, or DynValue object reference.
    * <P>Dynamic creation of an any involves creating a DynAny object using create_dyn_any_from_type_code(),
    * passing the TypeCode associated with the value to be created. The returned reference is narrowed to one of
    * the complex types, such as DynStruct, if appropriate. Then, the value can be initialized by means of
    * invoking operations on the resulting object. Finally, the to_any operation can be invoked
    * to create an any value from the constructed DynAny.
    */
    interface DynAnyFactory {
	#pragma sun_localservant DynAnyFactory ""
        exception InconsistentTypeCode {};

        /**
        * Creates a new DynAny object from an any value.
        * A copy of the TypeCode associated with the any value is assigned to the resulting DynAny object.
        * The value associated with the DynAny object is a copy of the value in the original any.
        * The current position of the created DynAny is set to zero if the passed value has components,
        * to -1 otherwise
        *
        * @exception InconsistentTypeCode if value has a TypeCode with a TCKind of tk_Principal,
        * tk_native, or tk_abstract_interface
        */
        DynAny create_dyn_any(in any value)
            raises(InconsistentTypeCode);

        /**
        * Creates a DynAny from a TypeCode. Depending on the TypeCode, the created object may be of type DynAny,
        * or one of its derived types, such as DynStruct. The returned reference can be narrowed to the derived type.
        * In all cases, a DynAny constructed from a TypeCode has an initial default value.
        * The default values of basic types are:
        * <UL>
        * <LI>false for boolean
        * <LI>zero for numeric types
        * <LI>zero for types octet, char, and wchar
        * <LI>the empty string for string and wstring
        * <LI>null for object references
        * <LI>a type code with a TCKind value of tk_null for type codes
        * <LI>for any values, an any containing a type code with a TCKind value of tk_null type and no value
        * </UL>
        * For complex types, creation of the corresponding DynAny assigns a default value as follows:
        * <UL>
        * <LI>For DynSequence it sets the current position to -1 and creates an empty sequence.
        * <LI>For DynEnum it sets the current position to -1 and sets the value of the enumerator
        *     to the first enumerator value indicated by the TypeCode.
        * <LI>For DynFixed it sets the current position to -1 and sets the value zero.
        * <LI>For DynStruct it sets the current position to -1 for empty exceptions
        *     and to zero for all other TypeCodes. The members (if any) are (recursively) initialized
        *     to their default values.
        * <LI>For DynArray sets the current position to zero and (recursively) initializes elements
        *     to their default value.
        * <LI>For DynUnion sets the current position to zero. The discriminator value is set
        *     to a value consistent with the first named member of the union. That member is activated and (recursively)
        *     initialized to its default value.
        * <LI>For DynValue and DynValueBox it initializes to a null value.
        * </UL>
        */
        DynAny create_dyn_any_from_type_code(in CORBA::TypeCode type)
            raises(InconsistentTypeCode);
    };
}; // module DynamicAny

#endif // _DYNAMIC_ANY_IDL_