    001    /* ========================================================================
    002     * JCommon : a free general purpose class library for the Java(tm) platform
    003     * ========================================================================
    004     *
    005     * (C) Copyright 2000-2005, by Object Refinery Limited and Contributors.
    006     *
    007     * Project Info:  http://www.jfree.org/jcommon/index.html
    008     *
    009     * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
    010     * under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
    011     * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License, or
    012     * (at your option) any later version.
    013     *
    014     * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
    015     * WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
    016     * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public
    017     * License for more details.
    018     *
    019     * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
    020     * License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
    021     * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301,
    022     * USA.
    023     *
    024     * [Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    025     * in the United States and other countries.]
    026     *
    027     * -----------------
    028     * ClassFactory.java
    029     * -----------------
    030     * (C)opyright 2003, 2004, by Thomas Morgner and Contributors.
    031     *
    032     * Original Author:  Thomas Morgner;
    033     * Contributor(s):   David Gilbert (for Object Refinery Limited);
    034     *
    035     * $Id: ClassFactory.java,v 1.3 2005/11/14 10:59:58 mungady Exp $
    036     *
    037     * Changes (from 19-Feb-2003)
    038     * -------------------------
    039     * 19-Feb-2003 : Added standard header and Javadocs (DG);
    040     * 29-Apr-2003 : Distilled from the JFreeReport project and moved into JCommon
    041     *
    042     */
    043
    044    package org.jfree.xml.factory.objects;
    045
    046    import java.io.Serializable;
    047    import java.util.Iterator;
    048
    049    import org.jfree.util.Configuration;
    050
    051    /**
    052     * A class factory.
    053     *
    054     * @author Thomas Morgner
    055     */
    056    public interface ClassFactory extends Serializable {
    057
    058        /**
    059         * Returns an object description for a class.
    060         *
    061         * @param c  the class.
    062         *
    063         * @return The object description.
    064         */
    065        public ObjectDescription getDescriptionForClass(Class c);
    066
    067        /**
    068         * Returns an object description for the super class of a class.
    069         *
    070         * @param d  the class.
    071         * @param knownSuperClass the last known super class or null.
    072         *
    073         * @return The object description.
    074         */
    075        public ObjectDescription getSuperClassObjectDescription
    076            (Class d, ObjectDescription knownSuperClass);
    077
    078        /**
    079         * Returns an iterator for the registered classes. This returns a list
    080         * of pre-registered classes known to this ClassFactory. A class may be able
    081         * to handle more than the registered classes.
    082         * <p>
    083         * This method exists to support query tools for UI design, do not rely on it
    084         * for day to day work.
    085         *
    086         * @return The iterator.
    087         */
    088        public Iterator getRegisteredClasses();
    089
    090        /**
    091         * Configures this factory. The configuration contains several keys and
    092         * their defined values. The given reference to the configuration object
    093         * will remain valid until the report parsing or writing ends.
    094         * <p>
    095         * The configuration contents may change during the reporting.
    096         *
    097         * @param config the configuration, never null
    098         */
    099        public void configure(Configuration config);
    100
    101
    102        /**
    103         * Compares whether two object factories are equal. This method must be
    104         * implemented!
    105         *
    106         * @param o the other object.
    107         * @return true, if both object factories describe the same objects, false otherwise.
    108         */
    109        public boolean equals (Object o);
    110
    111        /**
    112         * Computes the hashCode for this ClassFactory. As equals() must be implemented,
    113         * a corresponding hashCode() should be implemented as well.
    114         *
    115         * @return the hashcode.
    116         */
    117        public int hashCode();
    118    }
    119