/********************************************************************
**                Image Component Library (ICL)                    **
**                                                                 **
** Copyright (C) 2006-2010 CITEC, University of Bielefeld          **
**                         Neuroinformatics Group                  **
** Website: www.iclcv.org and                                      **
**          http://opensource.cit-ec.de/projects/icl               **
**                                                                 **
** File   : include/ICLIO/UnicapGrabEngine.h                       **
** Module : ICLIO                                                  **
** Authors: Christof Elbrechter                                    **
**                                                                 **
**                                                                 **
** Commercial License                                              **
** ICL can be used commercially, please refer to our website       **
** www.iclcv.org for more details.                                 **
**                                                                 **
** GNU General Public License Usage                                **
** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the     **
** GNU General Public License version 3.0 as published by the      **
** Free Software Foundation and appearing in the file LICENSE.GPL  **
** included in the packaging of this file.  Please review the      **
** following information to ensure the GNU General Public License  **
** version 3.0 requirements will be met:                           **
** http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html.                           **
**                                                                 **
** The development of this software was supported by the           **
** Excellence Cluster EXC 277 Cognitive Interaction Technology.    **
** The Excellence Cluster EXC 277 is a grant of the Deutsche       **
** Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in the context of the German       **
** Excellence Initiative.                                          **
**                                                                 **
*********************************************************************/

#ifndef ICL_Unicap_GRAB_ENGINE_H
#define ICL_Unicap_GRAB_ENGINE_H
#include <ICLCore/Types.h>
#include <string>
#include <unicap.h>
#include <ICLCore/ImgParams.h>

namespace icl{
  /// Interface class for UnicapGrabEngines \ingroup UNICAP_G
  /** Base implemetation is the UnicapDefaultGrabEngine */
  struct UnicapGrabEngine{
    virtual ~UnicapGrabEngine(){}
    // locks the grabbers image
    virtual void lockGrabber() = 0;

    // unlocks the grabber image
    virtual void unlockGrabber() =0;

    /// returns a converted frame
    virtual void getCurrentFrameConverted(const ImgParams &desiredParams, 
                                          depth desiredDepth,
                                          ImgBase **ppoDst) = 0;

    /// returns an unconverted frame
    virtual const icl8u *getCurrentFrameUnconverted() = 0;

    /// returns whether the grab engine is able to provide given image params
    virtual bool isAbleToProvideParams(const ImgParams &desiredParams, 
                                       depth desiredDepth) const = 0;
    
    /// retruns whether this engine is able to provide converted frames or not
    virtual bool needsConversion() const = 0;
  };
}

#endif