DataBuffer - Summary

This section provides an overview of the DataBuffer class, which is responsible for serializing and deserializing objects in byte format. The DataBuffer class is crucial for managing the storage and retrieval of objects in a raw, byte-oriented format.

Purpose

The DataBuffer class allows for efficient storage and retrieval of objects in a byte format. It supports the serialization of objects to a byte buffer and deserialization from it, providing an easy-to-use interface via << and >> operators.

Key Features:

Polymorphic serialization: The class can serialize a wide range of objects, including basic types and custom classes, to a byte buffer.
Deserialization: The class also supports deserialization, reading objects from the byte buffer back into their original form.
Operator overloading: The << and >> operators are overloaded to handle both serialization and deserialization for various types.
Buffer management: The internal buffer is dynamically resized as needed to store serialized data.

Methods:

operator<< (const T&): Serializes an object of type T and appends it to the buffer.
operator>> (T&): Deserializes an object of type T from the buffer.
getData: Retrieves the raw byte data stored in the buffer.

Example Usage:

Serializing and Deserializing Basic Types

DataBuffer buffer;
int number = 42;

// Serialize an integer
buffer << number;

// Deserialize the integer
int deserializedNumber;
buffer >> deserializedNumber;
std::cout << "Deserialized number: " << deserializedNumber << std::endl;  // Output: 42

Serializing and Deserializing Custom Objects

class TestObject {
public:
    int x;
    std::string y;

    friend DataBuffer& operator<<(DataBuffer& p_buffer, const TestObject& p_object) {
        p_buffer << p_object.x << p_object.y;
        return p_buffer;
    }

    friend DataBuffer& operator>>(DataBuffer& p_buffer, TestObject& p_object) {
        p_buffer >> p_object.x >> p_object.y;
        return p_buffer;
    }
};

DataBuffer buffer;
TestObject obj1{42, "Hello"};

// Serialize a custom object
buffer << obj1;

// Deserialize the object
TestObject deserializedObj;
buffer >> deserializedObj;
std::cout << "Deserialized object: x = " << deserializedObj.x << ", y = " << deserializedObj.y << std::endl;