// C++ informative line for the emacs editor: -*- C++ -*-
/* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
  * Copyright by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.         *
  * All rights reserved.                                                      *
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  * This file is part of HDF5.  The full HDF5 copyright notice, including     *
  * terms governing use, modification, and redistribution, is contained in    *
  * the files COPYING and Copyright.html.  COPYING can be found at the root   *
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  * root level of an installed copy of the electronic HDF5 document set and   *
  * is linked from the top-level documents page.  It can also be found at     *
  * http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HDF5/doc/Copyright.html.  If you do not have     *
  * access to either file, you may request a copy from hdfhelp@ncsa.uiuc.edu. *
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#ifndef _H5StrType_H
#define _H5StrType_H

#ifndef H5_NO_NAMESPACE
namespace H5 {
#endif

class H5_DLLCPP StrType : public AtomType {
   public:
	// default constructor 
	StrType();

	// Creates a string type using a predefined type
	StrType( const PredType& pred_type );

	// Creates a string type with specified length
	StrType( const PredType& pred_type, const size_t size );

	// Creates a string datatype using an existing id
	StrType( const hid_t existing_id );

	// Copy constructor - makes a copy of the original object
	StrType( const StrType& original );

        // Gets the string datatype of the specified dataset 
	StrType( const DataSet& dataset );

	// Retrieves the character set type of this string datatype. 
	H5T_cset_t getCset() const;

	// Sets character set to be used. 
	void setCset( H5T_cset_t cset ) const;

	// Retrieves the string padding method for this string datatype. 
	H5T_str_t getStrpad() const;

	// Defines the storage mechanism for character strings. 
	void setStrpad( H5T_str_t strpad ) const;

	virtual ~StrType();
};
#ifndef H5_NO_NAMESPACE
}
#endif
#endif
