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# NSPortCoder

A coder used to transmit object proxies (and sometimes objects themselves) between connections.

```
@interface NSPortCoder : NSCoder
```

## Overview

[`NSPortCoder`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder) is a concrete subclass of [`NSCoder`](/documentation/Foundation/NSCoder) used in the distributed objects system to transmit object proxies (and sometimes objects themselves) between [`NSConnection`](/documentation/Foundation/NSConnection) objects. An [`NSPortCoder`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder) instance is always created and used by an [`NSConnection`](/documentation/Foundation/NSConnection) object; you should never need to explicitly create or use one directly yourself.

## Topics

### Creating an NSPortCoder Object

[`portCoderWithReceivePort:sendPort:components:`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/portCoderWithReceivePort:sendPort:components:)

Creates and returns a new `NSPortCoder` object.

[`initWithReceivePort:sendPort:components:`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/initWithReceivePort:sendPort:components:)

Initializes and returns an `NSPortCoder` object.

### Getting the Connection

[`connection`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/connection)

Returns the `NSConnection` object that uses the receiver.

### Encoding NSPort Objects

[`encodePortObject:`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/encodePortObject:)

Encodes a given port so it can be properly reconstituted in the receiving process or thread.

[`decodePortObject`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/decodePortObject)

Decodes and returns an `NSPort` object that was previously encoded with any of the general `encode...Object:` messages.

### Checking for Encoding

[`isBycopy`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/isBycopy)

Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the receiver is encoding an object by copying it.

[`isByref`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/isByref)

Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the receiver is encoding an object by reference.

### Dispatching

[`dispatch`](/documentation/Foundation/NSPortCoder/dispatch)

Processes and acts upon the distributed object message with which the receiver was initialized.


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