/**

  * Copyright (c) 2012, University of Konstanz, Distributed Systems Group

  * All rights reserved.

  * 

  * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without

  * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

  * * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright

  * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

  * * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright

  * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the

  * documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

  * * Neither the name of the University of Konstanz nor the

  * names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products

  * derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

  * 

  * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND

  * ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED

  * WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE

  * DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL <COPYRIGHT HOLDER> BE LIABLE FOR ANY

  * DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES

  * (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES;

  * LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND

  * ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT

  * (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS

  * SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

  */

 package org.perfidix.meter;

 /**

  * For benchmarking in a widen sense, several different meters should be

  * implemented. The first one is obviously the time. Nevertheless, besides the

  * time, other meters for special purposes can be implemented with this method.

  * 

  * @author Alexander Onea, neue Couch

  * @author Sebastian Graf, University of Konstanz

  */

 public abstract class AbstractMeter {

     /**

      * Getting the current value for this meter.

      * 

      * @return the current tick value.

      */

     public abstract double getValue();

     /**

      * Returns the unit in which this measure taker computes its results.

      * 

      * @return the unit of this meter

      */

     public abstract String getUnit();

     /**

      * The long description of the unit. can be empty but if available, it

      * should provide one or two words about the measure taker.

      * 

      * @return the long description of the unit in which measurement takes

      *         place.

      */

     public abstract String getUnitDescription();

     /**

      * A short name of the meter.

      * 

      * @return the name.

      */

     public abstract String getName();

     /**

      * The String representation of this meter with its current value.

      * 

      * @return a string representation of this meter.

      */

     @Override

     public final String toString() {

         final StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();

         builder.append(getName()).append("[").append(getUnit()).append("]");

         return builder.toString();

     }

     /**

      * {@inheritDoc}

      */

     @Override

     public abstract int hashCode();

     /**

      * {@inheritDoc}

      */

     @Override

     public abstract boolean equals(final Object obj);

 }