DefinitionalObject Class

The base class for all definitional objects. A definitional object has a few characteristics:

It can be made read-only by calling the Freeze() method. Attempts to modify a frozen object will result in an ObjectFrozenException.
It can be copied to a user-controllable depth using the Clone(CopyContext) method.
It can be compared to another definitional object to determine if both are defined equivalently by calling the IsSameDefinition(Object) method. Definitional objects also have a hash code based on their definition that can be retrieved by calling GetDefinitionHashCode(). This hash code is guaranteed not to change during the lifetime of the object, even if properties of the object change. As a result, not all equivalent objects will have the same hash code, but objects that are created in the same way will have the same hash code. This is useful in many situations, and is better than the alternative of allowing an object to get lost in a dictionary when its hash code changes.
It can safely be used from multiple threads simultaneously as long as none of the threads are making modifications to the object.

Inheritance Hierarchy

System.Object
AGI.Foundation.Infrastructure.DefinitionalObject
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Namespace: AGI.Foundation.Infrastructure
Assembly: AGI.Foundation.Core (in AGI.Foundation.Core.dll) Version: 25.1.421.0 (25.1.421.0)

Syntax

C++

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public abstract class DefinitionalObject : ICloneWithContext, 
	IFreezable, IEquatableDefinition, IEnumerateDependencies

Public MustInherit Class DefinitionalObject
	Implements ICloneWithContext, IFreezable, IEquatableDefinition, IEnumerateDependencies

public ref class DefinitionalObject abstract : ICloneWithContext, 
	IFreezable, IEquatableDefinition, IEnumerateDependencies

[<AbstractClassAttribute>]
type DefinitionalObject =  
    class
        interface ICloneWithContext
        interface IFreezable
        interface IEquatableDefinition
        interface IEnumerateDependencies
    end

The DefinitionalObject type exposes the following members.

Constructors

	Name	Description
	DefinitionalObject()	Initializes a new instance.
	DefinitionalObject(DefinitionalObject, CopyContext)	Initializes a new instance as a copy of an existing instance.

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Properties

	Name	Description
	IsFrozen	Gets a value indicating whether this object is frozen. A frozen object cannot be modified and an ObjectFrozenException will be thrown if an attempt is made to do so.

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Methods

	Name	Description
	AreSameDefinition(Boolean, Boolean)	Determines if two booleans have the same definition. This overload simply checks equality and is provided for convenience.
	AreSameDefinition(Double, Double)	Determines if two doubles have the same definition. This overload simply checks equality and is provided for convenience.
	AreSameDefinition(IEquatableDefinition, Object)	Determines if two objects have the same definition or are both null.
	AreSameDefinition(Int32, Int32)	Determines if two integers have the same definition. This overload simply checks equality and is provided for convenience.
	AreSameDefinition(Object, Object)	Determines if two objects have the same definition or are both null.
	CheckForSameDefinition	Checks to determine if another instance has the same definition as this instance and returns true if it does. Derived classes MUST override this method and check all new fields introduced by the derived class for definitional equivalence. It is NOT necessary to check base class fields because the base class will already have done that. When overriding this method, you should NOT call the base implementation because it will return false for all derived-class instances. Derived classes should check the type of other to preserve the symmetric nature of IsSameDefinition(Object).
	Clone	Clones this object using the specified context.
	CollectionItemsAreSameDefinition<T>(T[],T[])	Determines if two collections contain items with the same definition and in the same order, or are both null.
	CollectionItemsAreSameDefinition<T>(IEnumerable<T>, IEnumerable<T>)	Determines if two collections contain items with the same definition and in the same order, or are both null.
	CollectionItemsAreSameDefinition<T>(TimeIntervalCollection<T>, TimeIntervalCollection<T>)	Determines if two interval collections contain items with the same definition and in the same order, or are both null.
	ComputeCurrentDefinitionHashCode	Computes a hash code based on the current properties of this object. Derived classes MUST override this method and compute a hash code that combines: a unique hash code seed, the base implementation result, and the hash codes of all new fields introduced by the derived class which are used in the CheckForSameDefinition(DefinitionalObject) method.
	DictionaryItemsAreSameDefinition<TKey, TValue>	Determines if two dictionaries contain items with the same definition, or are both null.
	EnumerateDependencies	Enumerates the dependencies of this object by calling Enumerate<T> (T) for each object that this object directly depends upon. Derived classes which contain additional dependencies MUST override this method, call the base implementation, and enumerate dependencies introduced by the derived class.
	Equals	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object.)
	Finalize	Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.)
	Freeze	Freezes this object. Further attempts to modify it will result in an ObjectFrozenException.
	FreezeAggregatedObjects	Called by Freeze() to also freeze any objects that are considered to be a part of this object. Derived classes which contain additional aggregated objects MUST override this method, call the base implementation, and freeze aggregated objects introduced by the derived class. The objects that need to be frozen in this method are frequently created in this object's constructor and are not settable via properties.
	GetCollectionHashCode(Double[])	Computes a hash code from the items in an array. The hash code computed is order dependent, that is, another array with the same items in a different order will have a different hash code.
	GetCollectionHashCode<T>(T[])	Computes a hash code from the items in an array. The hash code computed is order dependent, that is, another array with the same items in a different order will have a different hash code.
	GetCollectionHashCode<T>(IEnumerable<T>)	Computes a hash code from the items in an enumerable collection. The hash code computed is order dependent, that is, another collection with the same items in a different order will have a different hash code.
	GetDefinitionHashCode()	Gets a hash code representing the definition of this object.
	GetDefinitionHashCode(Boolean)	Gets a hash code safely. This overload simply calls GetHashCode() and is provided for convenience.
	GetDefinitionHashCode(Double)	Gets a hash code safely. This overload simply calls GetHashCode() and is provided for convenience.
	GetDefinitionHashCode(IEquatableDefinition)	Gets a hash code safely. If the specified object is null, a valid hash code is still returned.
	GetDefinitionHashCode(Int32)	Gets a hash code safely. This overload simply calls GetHashCode() and is provided for convenience.
	GetDefinitionHashCode<T>(T)	Gets a hash code safely. If the specified object is null, a valid hash code is still returned.
	GetDictionaryHashCode<TKey, TValue>	Computes a hash code from the items in a dictionary.
	GetHashCode	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object.)
	GetType	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
	IsSameDefinition	Determines if this object has the same definition as another object.
	MemberwiseClone	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
	ThrowIfFrozen	Throws ObjectFrozenException if this object IsFrozen. This method should be called from any method or property that modifies this object.
	ToString	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.)

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Reference

AGI.Foundation.Infrastructure Namespace

Inheritance Hierarchy