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
044package org.jfree.xml.factory.objects;
045
046import java.io.Serializable;
047import java.util.Iterator;
048
049import org.jfree.util.Configuration;
050
051/**
052 * A class factory.
053 *
054 * @author Thomas Morgner
055 */
056public 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