4.2 Object base classes

There are three special base classes used in ns-3. Classes that inherit from these base classes can instantiate objects with special properties. These base classes are:

• class Object
• class ObjectBase
• class SimpleRefCount

It is not required that ns-3 objects inherit from these class, but those that do get special properties. Classes deriving from class Object get the following properties.

• the ns-3 type and attribute system (see Attributes)
• an object aggregation system
• a smart-pointer reference counting system (class Ptr)

Classes that derive from class ObjectBase get the first two properties above, but do not get smart pointers. Classes that derive from class SimpleRefCount get only the smart-pointer reference counting system.

In practice, class Object is the variant of the three above that the ns-3 developer will most commonly encounter.

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