/*=========================================================================

  Program:   Insight Segmentation & Registration Toolkit
  Module:    $RCSfile: itkSegmentationRegion.h,v $
  Language:  C++
  Date:      $Date: 2006/02/06 22:01:58 $
  Version:   $Revision: 1.10 $

  Copyright (c) Insight Software Consortium. All rights reserved.
  See ITKCopyright.txt or http://www.itk.org/HTML/Copyright.htm for details.

     This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even
     the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
     PURPOSE.  See the above copyright notices for more information.

=========================================================================*/
#ifndef __itkSegmentationRegion_h
#define __itkSegmentationRegion_h

#include "itkObject.h"
#include "itkObjectFactory.h"

namespace itk
{

/** \class SegmentationRegion
 * \brief Base class for SegmentationRegion object
 *
 * itkSegmentationRegion is the base class for the SegmentationRegion
 * objects. It provides the basic function definitons that are inherent to a
 * SegmentationRegion objects.  A region object is defined by the label it
 * owns.  We use integer labels to represent a region.
 * This object stores the region label.  The user can get the
 * area and a label associated with the region
 * through access functions provided publicly.
 * This class provides an interface method called
 * ApplySegmentationRegion is defined as virtual to enable future extension
 * of the region object.
 * This object can be used where region in images needs to be defined.
 * Child classes can be derived from this class for tailoring them towards
 * specific algorithmic needs.
 *
 * \ingroup RegionGrowingSegmentation
 */
class ITKCommon_EXPORT SegmentationRegion : public Object
{
public:
  /** Standard class typedefs. */
  typedef SegmentationRegion       Self;
  typedef Object                   Superclass;
  typedef SmartPointer<Self>       Pointer;
  typedef SmartPointer<const Self> ConstPointer;

  /** Method for creation through the object factory. */
  itkNewMacro(Self);

  /** Run-time type information (and related methods). */
  itkTypeMacro(SegmentationRegion,Object);

  /** Type definition for a segmentation region label. */
  typedef unsigned int RegionLabelType;

  /** Define a virtual SegmentationRegion function that is meant to be
   * used in derived classes if some operation needs to be
   * performed on a region object. */
  virtual void ApplySegmentationRegion(){};

  /** Set/Get the region with parameter values
   * defining the region. */
  itkSetMacro(RegionLabel, RegionLabelType);
  itkGetConstReferenceMacro(RegionLabel, RegionLabelType);

  /** Set/Get the area of the region. */
  itkSetMacro(RegionArea, double);
  itkGetConstReferenceMacro(RegionArea, double);

protected:
  SegmentationRegion();
  ~SegmentationRegion();
  void PrintSelf(std::ostream& os, Indent indent) const;

private:
  SegmentationRegion(const Self&); //purposely not implemented
  void operator=(const Self&); //purposely not implemented

  RegionLabelType           m_RegionLabel;
  double                    m_RegionArea;

};


} // end namespace itk


#endif
