Temp.cpp

Temp.cpp

class BaseClass
{
public:
  BaseClass();
  virtual ~BaseClass();
  
  virtual void whoAmI()
  {
    std::cout << "I'm BaseClass!" << std::endl;
  }
  
protected:
  int m_int;
};

class DerivedClassA : public BaseClass
{
public:
  DerivedClassA();
  ~DerivedClassA();
  
  void whoAmI()
  {
    std::cout << "I am DerivedClassA!" << std::endl;  
  }
  
private:
  char m_char;
}

BaseClass* b = new DerivedClassA();
b->whoAmI(); // "I am DerivedClassA!"

BaseClass* a = new BaseClass();
a->whoAmI(); // "I am BaseClass!"

/*
  So the challenge is: Create a serialization method (this needs to be virtual, which is fine). 
  It returns some kind of IOStream, similar to a bitbuffer. The challenge: Decode the bitbuffer 
  and instantiate (new) the proper instance/type of class.
  
  In the above, BaseClass would only use 4 bytes of memory (on a 32 bit system) for m_int. 
  DerivedClassA needs 5 bytes (on a 32 bit system) for m_int (4) + m_char ( 1).
  
  Additional bytes may be necessary for self-awareness, although they should be minimal.
*/