public interface ITreeAlgAgent extends IAgent {

	/**
	 * gets the message to annotate the TreeConstraintState
	 * recieved by neighbors in TreeConstraintAgent algorithm
	 * @param vars logic state of this agent.
	 * @param arrLfState position of whole swarm
	 * (requires programmer discipline to only access current robot's
	 * position)
	 * @param nIdx index of current robot.
	 * @return something deriving form IMsg must be what this agent's
	 * getPrefComp is expecting.
	 */
	public IMsg getMsgAnnotation(ILogicVarBundle vars,
			double [] arrLfState, int nIdx);
	
	/**
	 * gets a comparator for sorting ITreeAlgAgent nodes by preference
	 * @return
	 */
	public java.util.Comparator<TreeConstraintState> 
		getPrefComp(TreeConstraintState agentSorting);
	
	/**
	 * Mike, add some comments here
	 * @return
	 */
	public java.lang.reflect.Type getAnnoteType();
	
	/**
     * in case the agent has some internal state, this 
     * allows synchronized wrapper calls to cache a snapshot of the
     * agent at some rational point in time.
     * If the agent has no internal state, this function can just return
     * "this".
     */
    public ITreeAlgAgent makeCopy();
}