indexing
	description: "Data structures of the most general kind, used to hold zero or more items."
	names: access
	access: membership
	contents: generic

deferred class interface
	CONTAINER [G]

feature -- Access

	has (v: G): BOOLEAN
			-- Does structure include v?
			-- (Reference or object equality,
			-- based on object_comparison.)
		ensure
			not_found_in_empty: Result implies not empty
	
feature -- Status report

	changeable_comparison_criterion: BOOLEAN
			-- May object_comparison be changed?
			-- (Answer: yes by default.)

	empty: BOOLEAN
			-- Is there no element?

	object_comparison: BOOLEAN
			-- Must search operations use equal rather than =
			-- for comparing references? (Default: no, use =.)
	
feature -- Status setting

	compare_objects
			-- Ensure that future search operations will use equal
			-- rather than = for comparing references.
		require
			changeable_comparison_criterion
		ensure
			object_comparison

	compare_references
			-- Ensure that future search operations will use =
			-- rather than equal for comparing references.
		require
			changeable_comparison_criterion
		ensure
			reference_comparison: not object_comparison
	
feature -- Conversion

	linear_representation: LINEAR [G]
			-- Representation as a linear structure
	
invariant

		-- from GENERAL
	reflexive_equality: standard_is_equal (Current);
	reflexive_conformance: conforms_to (Current);

end -- class CONTAINER