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+/****************************************************************************
+**
+** Copyright (C) 2010 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies).
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+** Contact: Nokia Corporation (qt-info@nokia.com)
+**
+** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit.
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+****************************************************************************/
+
+/*!
+ \page object.html
+ \title Qt Object Model
+ \brief A description of the powerful features made possible by Qt's dynamic object model.
+
+ \ingroup frameworks-technologies
+
+ The standard C++ object model provides very efficient runtime
+ support for the object paradigm. But its static nature is
+ inflexibile in certain problem domains. Graphical user interface
+ programming is a domain that requires both runtime efficiency and
+ a high level of flexibility. Qt provides this, by combining the
+ speed of C++ with the flexibility of the Qt Object Model.
+
+ Qt adds these features to C++:
+
+ \list
+ \o a very powerful mechanism for seamless object
+ communication called \l{signals and slots}
+ \o queryable and designable \l{Qt's Property System}{object
+ properties}
+ \o powerful \l{events and event filters}
+ \o contextual \l{i18n}{string translation for internationalization}
+ \o sophisticated interval driven \l timers that make it possible
+ to elegantly integrate many tasks in an event-driven GUI
+ \o hierarchical and queryable \l{Object Trees and Object Ownership}{object
+ trees} that organize object ownership in a natural way
+ \o guarded pointers (QPointer) that are automatically
+ set to 0 when the referenced object is destroyed, unlike normal C++
+ pointers which become dangling pointers when their objects are destroyed
+ \o a \l{metaobjects.html#qobjectcast}{dynamic cast} that works across
+ library boundaries.
+ \endlist
+
+ Many of these Qt features are implemented with standard C++
+ techniques, based on inheritance from QObject. Others, like the
+ object communication mechanism and the dynamic property system,
+ require the \l{Meta-Object System} provided
+ by Qt's own \l{moc}{Meta-Object Compiler (moc)}.
+
+ The meta-object system is a C++ extension that makes the language
+ better suited to true component GUI programming. Although
+ templates can be used to extend C++, the meta-object system
+ provides benefits using standard C++ that cannot be achieved with
+ templates; see \l{Why Doesn't Qt Use Templates for Signals and
+ Slots?}
+
+ \section1 Important Classes
+
+ These classes form the basis of the Qt Object Model.
+
+ \annotatedlist objectmodel
+
+ \target Identity vs Value
+ \section1 Qt Objects: Identity vs Value
+
+ Some of the added features listed above for the Qt Object Model,
+ require that we think of Qt Objects as identities, not values.
+ Values are copied or assigned; identities are cloned. Cloning
+ means to create a new identity, not an exact copy of the old
+ one. For example, twins have different identities. They may look
+ identical, but they have different names, different locations, and
+ may have completely different social networks.
+
+ Then cloning an identity is a more complex operation than copying
+ or assigning a value. We can see what this means in the Qt Object
+ Model.
+
+ \bold{A Qt Object...}
+
+ \list
+
+ \o might have a unique \l{QObject::objectName()}. If we copy a Qt
+ Object, what name should we give the copy?
+
+ \o has a location in an \l{Object Trees and Object Ownership}
+ {object hierarchy}. If we copy a Qt Object, where should the copy
+ be located?
+
+ \o can be connected to other Qt Objects to emit signals to them or
+ to receive signals emitted by them. If we copy a Qt Object, how
+ should we transfer these connections to the copy?
+
+ \o can have \l{Qt's Property System} {new properties} added to it
+ at runtime that are not declared in the C++ class. If we copy a Qt
+ Object, should the copy include the properties that were added to
+ the original?
+
+ \endlist
+
+ For these reasons, Qt Objects should be treated as identities, not
+ as values. Identities are cloned, not copied or assigned, and
+ cloning an identity is a more complex operation than copying or
+ assigning a value. Therefore, QObject and all subclasses of
+ QObject (direct or indirect) have their \l{No copy constructor}
+ {copy constructor and assignment operator} disabled.
+
+ */