package jcgp.population;

public interface MutableElement {
	
	/**
	 * This method sets the indexed connection to the specified new connection.
	 * Implementing classes may choose to ignore the given index (such as in the
	 * case of outputs, which only have one connection).
	 * 
	 * @param index
	 * @param newConnection
	 */
	public void setConnection(int index, Connection newConnection);
	
	/**
	 * This method returns true if and only if:</br>
	 * 	- the elements being compared are not the same instance;</br>
	 *  - the connections of the compared elements are not the same instance;</br>
	 *  - the elements have the same function (in the case of Node);</br>
	 *  - the grid position of the elements themselves are the same;</br>
	 *  - the grid position of all equivalent connections are the same;</br></br>
	 * 
	 * The relationship computed by this method is:</br>
	 *  - symmetric: a.copyOf(b) == b.copyOf(a);</br>
	 *  - not reflexive: a.copyOf(a) returns false;</br>
	 *  - not transitive: if a.copyOf(b) is true and b.copyOf(c) is true, a.copyOf(c) is
	 *    not necessarily true since it is possible that a == c.</br>
	 * 
	 * @param m
	 * @return
	 */
	boolean copyOf(MutableElement m);
	
}