# persistence/persistent_pointer.hpp

    #ifndef STLPLUS_PERSISTENT_POINTER
    #define STLPLUS_PERSISTENT_POINTER
    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    //   Author:    Andy Rushton
    //   Copyright: (c) Southampton University 1999-2004
    //              (c) Andy Rushton           2004 onwards
    //   License:   BSD License, see ../docs/license.html

    //   Persistence for pointers to persistent objects

    //   Warning! The pointer must be a dynamically-allocated type, since the
    //   implementation uses new/delete

    //   Multiple pointers to the same object *will* be restored as multiple pointers
    //   to the same object. The object is dumped only the first time it is
    //   encountered along with a "magic key". Subsequent pointers to the same object
    //   cause only the magic key to be dumped. On restore, the object is only
    //   restored once and the magic keys are matched up so that the other pointers
    //   now point to the restored object.

    //   Supports null pointers too! If the data field to restore is null and the
    //   file format non-null, allocates a new T(). If the data field is non-null and
    //   the file format is null, deletes it and sets it null

    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    #include "persistence_fixes.hpp"
    #include "persistent_contexts.hpp"

    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    namespace stlplus
    {

      // exceptions: persistent_dump_failed
      template<typename T, typename D>
      void dump_pointer(dump_context&, const T* const data, D dump_fn);

      // exceptions: persistent_restore_failed
      template<typename T, typename R>
      void restore_pointer(restore_context&, T*& data, R restore_fn);

    } // end namespace stlplus

      ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    #include "persistent_pointer.tpp"
    #endif