[SerializableAttribute]
public abstract class DOFType : DOFImmutable

The DOFType type exposes the following members.

	Name	Description
	DOFType(Int16)	Construct a base type object using the specified type identifier.
	DOFType(DOFPacket)	Construct a type from the data read from the wire.

	Name	Description
	asBoolean	Returns the result's value as a boolean.
	asByte	Returns the result's value as an unsigned byte.
	asBytes	Returns the result's value as a byte array.
	asDate	Returns the result's value as a Date.
	asDOFInterfaceID	Returns the result's value as a DOFInterfaceID.
	asDOFObjectID	Returns the result's value as a DOFObjectID.
	asDouble	Returns the result's value as a double.
	asFloat	Returns the result's value as a float.
	asInt	Returns the result's value as an int.
	asLong	Returns the result's value as a Long.
	asSByte	Returns the result's value as an sbyte.
	asShort	Returns the result's value as a short.
	asString	Returns the result's value as a String.
	asUInt	Returns the result's value as a uint.
	asULong	Returns the result's value as a ulong.
	asUShort	Returns the result's value as a ushort.
	dataAvailable	Return whether the type has more data available.
	Equals	Return whether two types are equal. (Overrides ObjectEquals(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.)
	getCharSet	Return a Java encoding string based on a MIB enum assignment.
	getEncoding	Get the string encoding for the type.
	GetHashCode	Return a hash code for the type. (Overrides ObjectGetHashCode.)
	getInstance	Create a DOFValue instance from a DOFPacket . When called the current buffer location will point at the first byte of data associated with the type. On completion, the buffer location must point at the first byte after the data, meaning the first unread byte.
	getMaxLength	Get the maximum length of the type.
	getMinLength	Get the minimum length of the type.
	getSubtypes	Return a list of subtypes associated with this type.
	GetType	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
	getTypeID	Get the type identifier of this type.
	isCompatibleWith	Check for compatibility between a type and a value, properly handling the case where the value is Copy null .
	isDefined	Return whether of not the type is fully defined.
	marshal(DOFTypeContext, DOFPacket)	Marshal, or output a binary representation of this type, into the specified packet.
	marshal(DOFType, DOFValue, DOFPacket)	Write a DOFValue to a buffer, handling the case where the value is null.
	MemberwiseClone	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
	startLength	Define the ending point of the data associated with a type.
	ToString	Returns a description of the type. (Overrides ObjectToString.)
	validateLength	Verify that the data length for a type matched the data read for the type.

	Name	Description
	ARRAY	The type identifier for an array.
	BLOB	The type identifier for a binary large object.
	BOOLEAN	The type identifier for a boolean.
	DATETIME	The type identifier for a coordinated universal time (UTC).
	FLOAT32	The type identifier for a single-precision float.
	FLOAT64	The type identifier for a double-precision float.
	GUID	The type identifier for a 16 byte globally unique identifier.
	INT16	The type identifier for a signed short.
	INT32	The type identifier for a signed integer.
	INT64	The type identifier for a signed 64-bit integer.
	INT8	The type identifier for a signed byte.
	INTERFACEID	The type identifier for a DOF Interface Identifier.
	NULLABLE	The type identifier for a nullable type.
	OBJECTID	The type identifier for a DOF Object Identifier.
	REFERENCE	The type identifier for a reference.
	STRING	The type identifier for a string.
	STRUCTURE	The type identifier for a structure.
	type	The type identifier.
	UINT16	The type identifier for a unsigned short.
	UINT32	The type identifier for a unsigned integer.
	UINT64	The type identifier for a unsigned 64-bit integer.
	UINT8	The type identifier for a unsigned byte.

Types in the OAL are immutable. This means that once completely defined they must not change. Note the wording of "once completely defined", and see the documentation for isDefined() and Typedef.defineAs(DOFType) .

Classes that extend DOFType do at least the following: 1) represent a given DOF type, as defined by the DOF Protocol Specification; and 2) represent a given implementation of values of that type, which they are linked to through the getInstance(DOFPacket) method.

The linkage between a DOFType implementation and a DOFValue implementation is always one-to-one. The getInstance(DOFPacket) method returns a DOFValue , and the DOFValue.getDOFType() method returns the original DOFType.

Classes that extend DOFType must be able to write and read their types to a DOFPacket . This requires that they follow the specification for their type.

This last requirement means that the easiest way to define a new type is by extending an existing type. In this case, only the getInstance(DOFPacket) call must be overridden (and it must be overridden to preserve the one-to-one association of type to value).

Reference