/* Interface for actors to allow for different firing modes.

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 All rights reserved.
 Permission is hereby granted, without written agreement and without
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 */
package ptolemy.domains.sdf.optimize;

import ptolemy.kernel.util.IllegalActionException;

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
////BufferingProfile

/**
<h1>Class comments</h1>
BufferingProfile is an interface which when implemented by SDF actors
Lets the OptimizingSDFDirector choose from different firings with different properties
For now there are two firing modes define, one where the actor may assume it has
exclusive access to the information encapsulated by the input tokens. In particular,
this is used for models where tokens communicate references to shared data structures
such as video frames in image processing.
In the alternative firing mode, the actor may not assume exclusive access and hence is
not allowed to modify the frame.It may have to copy the frame first instead.

FIXME: we may want to generalize the notion of a profile to make it more generic and allow
more than two modes of firing.

<p>
See {@link ptolemy.domains.sdf.optimize.OptimizingSDFDirector} for more information.
</p>
@see ptolemy.domains.sdf.optimize.OptimizingSDFScheduler

@author Marc Geilen
@version $Id: BufferingProfile.java 70398 2014-10-22 23:44:32Z cxh $
@since Ptolemy II 10.0
@Pt.ProposedRating Red (mgeilen)
@Pt.AcceptedRating Red ()
 */
public interface BufferingProfile {
    /****
     * returns the number of buffers required upon calling shared fire in excess of
     * the input and output buffer.
     * @return the number of buffers required for a shared buffer firing
     */
    int sharedBuffers();

    /****
     * returns the number of buffers required upon calling exclusive fire in excess of
     * the input and output buffer.
     * @return the number of buffers required for an exclusive buffer firing
     */
    int exclusiveBuffers();

    /****
     * returns (an estimate of) the execution time of a shared buffer firing of the actor.
     * @return execution time of a shared buffer firing
     */
    int sharedExecutionTime();

    /****
     * returns (an estimate of) the execution time of an exclusive buffer firing of the actor.
     * @return execution time of an exclusive buffer firing
     */
    int exclusiveExecutionTime();

    /**
     * Invoke a specified number of iterations of the actor in either shared or
     * exclusive mode as indicated by the fireExclusive argument.
     *
     * @param iterationCount The number of iterations to perform.
     * @param fireExclusive whether to fire exclusive or not.
     * @return NOT_READY, STOP_ITERATING, or COMPLETED.
     * @exception IllegalActionException If iterating is not
     *  permitted, or if prefire(), fire(), or postfire() throw it.
     **/
    int iterate(int iterationCount, boolean fireExclusive)
            throws IllegalActionException;

}