public class

ElementDescriptor

extends NodeDescriptor
java.lang.Object
   ↳ org.apache.commons.betwixt.Descriptor
     ↳ org.apache.commons.betwixt.NodeDescriptor
       ↳ org.apache.commons.betwixt.ElementDescriptor

Class Overview

ElementDescriptor describes the XML elements to be created for a bean instance.

It contains AttributeDescriptor's for all it's attributes and ElementDescriptor's for it's child elements.

Summary

Public Constructors
ElementDescriptor()
Constructs an ElementDescriptor that refers to a primitive type.
ElementDescriptor(boolean primitiveType)
This constructor is deprecated. 0.6 PrimitiveType property has been removed
ElementDescriptor(String localName)
Creates a ElementDescriptor with no namespace URI or prefix.
ElementDescriptor(String localName, String qualifiedName, String uri)
Creates a ElementDescriptor with namespace URI and qualified name
Public Methods
void addAttributeDescriptor(AttributeDescriptor descriptor)
Adds an attribute to the element this ElementDescriptor describes
void addContentDescriptor(Descriptor descriptor)
Adds a descriptor for child content.
void addElementDescriptor(ElementDescriptor descriptor)
Adds a descriptor for a child element.
ElementDescriptor findParent(ElementDescriptor elementDescriptor)
Finds the parent of the given descriptor.
AttributeDescriptor getAttributeDescriptor(String name)
Returns an attribute descriptor with a given name or null.
AttributeDescriptor[] getAttributeDescriptors()
Returns the attribute descriptors for this element
Descriptor[] getContentDescriptors()
Returns descriptors for the child content of the element this describes.
Expression getContextExpression()
Returns the expression used to evaluate the new context of this element.
ElementDescriptor getElementDescriptor(String name)
Gets a child ElementDescriptor matching the given name if one exists.
ElementDescriptor[] getElementDescriptors()
Returns descriptors for the child elements of the element this describes.
Class getImplementationClass()
Gets the class which should be used for instantiation.
TextDescriptor getPrimaryBodyTextDescriptor()

Gets the primary descriptor for body text of this element.

boolean hasAttributes()
Returns true if this element has AttributeDescriptors
boolean hasChildren()
Returns true if this element has child ElementDescriptors
boolean hasContent()
Returns true if this element has child content.
boolean isCollective()
Does this describe a collective?
boolean isHollow()

Is this decriptor hollow?

A hollow descriptor is one which gives only the class that the subgraph is mapped to rather than describing the entire subgraph.

boolean isPolymorphic()

Is this a polymorphic element?

A polymorphic element's name is not fixed at introspection time and it's resolution is postponed to bind time.

boolean isPrimitiveType()
This method is deprecated. 0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection
boolean isSimple()

Is this a simple element?

A simple element is one without child elements or attributes.

boolean isUseBindTimeTypeForMapping()

Is the bind time type to be used to determine the mapping?

The mapping for an object property value can either be the introspection time type (based on the logical type of the property) or the bind time type (based on the type of the actual instance).

boolean isWrapCollectionsInElement()
This method is deprecated. 0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection
void removeAttributeDescriptor(AttributeDescriptor descriptor)
Removes an attribute descriptor from this element descriptor.
void removeElementDescriptor(ElementDescriptor descriptor)
Removes an element descriptor from this element descriptor.
void setAttributeDescriptors(AttributeDescriptor[] attributeDescriptors)
Sets the AttributesDescriptors for this element.
void setCollective(boolean isCollectiveType)
Sets whether the element described is a collective.
void setContentDescriptors(Descriptor[] contentDescriptors)
Sets the descriptors for the child content of the element this describes.
void setContextExpression(Expression contextExpression)
Sets the expression used to evaluate the new context of this element
void setElementDescriptors(ElementDescriptor[] elementDescriptors)
Sets the descriptors for the child element of the element this describes.
void setHollow(boolean isHollow)
Sets whether this descriptor is hollow.
void setImplementationClass(Class implementationClass)
Sets the class which should be used for instantiation.
void setPrimitiveType(boolean primitiveType)
This method is deprecated. 0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection
void setUseBindTimeTypeForMapping(boolean useBindTimeTypeForMapping)

Sets whether the bind time type to be used to determine the mapping.

void setWrapCollectionsInElement(boolean wrapCollectionsInElement)
This method is deprecated. 0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection
String toString()
Returns something useful for logging.
Protected Methods
List getAttributeList()
Lazily creates the mutable List.
List getContentList()
Lazily creates the mutable List of child content descriptors.
List getElementList()
Lazily creates the mutable List of child elements.
[Expand]
Inherited Methods
From class org.apache.commons.betwixt.NodeDescriptor
From class org.apache.commons.betwixt.Descriptor
From class java.lang.Object

Public Constructors

public ElementDescriptor ()

Constructs an ElementDescriptor that refers to a primitive type.

public ElementDescriptor (boolean primitiveType)

This constructor is deprecated.
0.6 PrimitiveType property has been removed

Base constructor.

Parameters
primitiveType if true, this element refers to a primitive type

public ElementDescriptor (String localName)

Creates a ElementDescriptor with no namespace URI or prefix.

Parameters
localName the (xml) local name of this node. This will be used to set both qualified and local name for this name.

public ElementDescriptor (String localName, String qualifiedName, String uri)

Creates a ElementDescriptor with namespace URI and qualified name

Parameters
localName the (xml) local name of this node
qualifiedName the (xml) qualified name of this node
uri the (xml) namespace prefix of this node

Public Methods

public void addAttributeDescriptor (AttributeDescriptor descriptor)

Adds an attribute to the element this ElementDescriptor describes

Parameters
descriptor the AttributeDescriptor that will be added to the attributes associated with element this ElementDescriptor describes

public void addContentDescriptor (Descriptor descriptor)

Adds a descriptor for child content.

Parameters
descriptor the Descriptor describing the child content to add

public void addElementDescriptor (ElementDescriptor descriptor)

Adds a descriptor for a child element.

Parameters
descriptor the ElementDescriptor describing the child element to add

public ElementDescriptor findParent (ElementDescriptor elementDescriptor)

Finds the parent of the given descriptor.

Parameters
elementDescriptor ElementDescriptor
Returns
  • ElementDescriptor, not null

public AttributeDescriptor getAttributeDescriptor (String name)

Returns an attribute descriptor with a given name or null.

Parameters
name to search for; will be checked against the attributes' qualified name.
Returns
  • AttributeDescriptor with the given name, or null if no descriptor has that name

public AttributeDescriptor[] getAttributeDescriptors ()

Returns the attribute descriptors for this element

Returns
  • descriptors for the attributes of the element that this ElementDescriptor describes

public Descriptor[] getContentDescriptors ()

Returns descriptors for the child content of the element this describes.

Returns
  • the Descriptor describing the child elements of the element that this ElementDescriptor describes

public Expression getContextExpression ()

Returns the expression used to evaluate the new context of this element.

Returns
  • the expression used to evaluate the new context of this element

public ElementDescriptor getElementDescriptor (String name)

Gets a child ElementDescriptor matching the given name if one exists. Note that (so long as there are no better matches), a null name acts as a wildcard. In other words, an ElementDescriptor the first descriptor with a null name will match any name passed in, unless some other matches the name exactly.

Parameters
name the localname to be matched, not null
Returns
  • the child ElementDescriptor with the given name if one exists, otherwise null

public ElementDescriptor[] getElementDescriptors ()

Returns descriptors for the child elements of the element this describes.

Returns
  • the ElementDescriptor describing the child elements of the element that this ElementDescriptor describes

public Class getImplementationClass ()

Gets the class which should be used for instantiation.

Returns
  • the class which should be used for instantiation of beans mapped from this element, null if the standard class should be used

public TextDescriptor getPrimaryBodyTextDescriptor ()

Gets the primary descriptor for body text of this element. Betwixt collects all body text for any element together. This makes it rounds tripping difficult for beans that write more than one mixed content property.

The algorithm used in the default implementation is that the first TextDescriptor found amongst the descriptors is returned.

Returns
  • the primary descriptor or null if this element has no mixed body content

public boolean hasAttributes ()

Returns true if this element has AttributeDescriptors

Returns
  • true if this element has attributes
See Also

public boolean hasChildren ()

Returns true if this element has child ElementDescriptors

Returns
  • true if this element has child elements
See Also

public boolean hasContent ()

Returns true if this element has child content.

Returns
  • true if this element has either child mixed content or child elements
See Also

public boolean isCollective ()

Does this describe a collective?

public boolean isHollow ()

Is this decriptor hollow?

A hollow descriptor is one which gives only the class that the subgraph is mapped to rather than describing the entire subgraph. A new XMLBeanInfo should be introspected and that used to describe the subgraph. A hollow descriptor should not have any child descriptors. TODO: consider whether a subclass would be better

Returns
  • true if this is hollow

public boolean isPolymorphic ()

Is this a polymorphic element?

A polymorphic element's name is not fixed at introspection time and it's resolution is postponed to bind time.

Returns

public boolean isPrimitiveType ()

This method is deprecated.
0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection

Returns true if this element refers to a primitive type property

Returns
  • whether this element refers to a primitive type (or property of a parent object)

public boolean isSimple ()

Is this a simple element?

A simple element is one without child elements or attributes. This corresponds to the simple type concept used in XML Schema. TODO: need to consider whether it's sufficient to calculate which are simple types (and so don't get IDs assigned etc).

Returns
  • true if it is a SimpleType element

public boolean isUseBindTimeTypeForMapping ()

Is the bind time type to be used to determine the mapping?

The mapping for an object property value can either be the introspection time type (based on the logical type of the property) or the bind time type (based on the type of the actual instance).

Returns
  • true if the bind time type is to be used to determine the mapping, false if the introspection time type is to be used

public boolean isWrapCollectionsInElement ()

This method is deprecated.
0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection

Returns true if collective bean properties should wrap the items in a parent element. In other words, should the mapping for bean properties which are Collections enclosed the item elements within a parent element. Normally only used when this describes a collection bean property.

Returns
  • true if the elements for the items in the collection should be contained in a parent element

public void removeAttributeDescriptor (AttributeDescriptor descriptor)

Removes an attribute descriptor from this element descriptor.

Parameters
descriptor the AttributeDescriptor to be removed, not null

public void removeElementDescriptor (ElementDescriptor descriptor)

Removes an element descriptor from this element descriptor.

Parameters
descriptor the ElementDescriptor that will be removed.

public void setAttributeDescriptors (AttributeDescriptor[] attributeDescriptors)

Sets the AttributesDescriptors for this element. This sets descriptors for the attributes of the element describe by the ElementDescriptor.

Parameters
attributeDescriptors the AttributeDescriptor describe the attributes of the element described by this ElementDescriptor

public void setCollective (boolean isCollectiveType)

Sets whether the element described is a collective.

public void setContentDescriptors (Descriptor[] contentDescriptors)

Sets the descriptors for the child content of the element this describes.

Parameters
contentDescriptors the Descriptors of the element that this describes

public void setContextExpression (Expression contextExpression)

Sets the expression used to evaluate the new context of this element

Parameters
contextExpression the expression used to evaluate the new context of this element

public void setElementDescriptors (ElementDescriptor[] elementDescriptors)

Sets the descriptors for the child element of the element this describes. Also sets the child content descriptors for this element

Parameters
elementDescriptors the ElementDescriptors of the element that this describes

public void setHollow (boolean isHollow)

Sets whether this descriptor is hollow. A hollow descriptor is one which gives only the class that the subgraph is mapped to rather than describing the entire subgraph. A new XMLBeanInfo should be introspected and that used to describe the subgraph. A hollow descriptor should not have any child descriptors. TODO: consider whether a subclass would be better

Parameters
isHollow true if this is hollow

public void setImplementationClass (Class implementationClass)

Sets the class which should be used for instantiation.

Parameters
implementationClass the class which should be used for instantiation or null to use the mapped type

public void setPrimitiveType (boolean primitiveType)

This method is deprecated.
0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection

Sets whether this element refers to a primitive type (or property of a parent object)

Parameters
primitiveType true if this element refers to a primitive type

public void setUseBindTimeTypeForMapping (boolean useBindTimeTypeForMapping)

Sets whether the bind time type to be used to determine the mapping. The mapping for an object property value can either be the introspection time type (based on the logical type of the property) or the bind time type (based on the type of the actual instance).

Note: this property is write once, read many. So, the first time that this method is called the value will be set but subsequent calls will be ignored.

Parameters
useBindTimeTypeForMapping true if the bind time type is to be used to determine the mapping, false if the introspection time type is to be used

public void setWrapCollectionsInElement (boolean wrapCollectionsInElement)

This method is deprecated.
0.6 moved to a declarative style of descriptors where the alrogithmic should be done during introspection

Sets whether Collection bean properties should wrap items in a parent element. In other words, should the mapping for bean properties which are Collections enclosed the item elements within a parent element. Normally only used when this describes a collection bean property.

Parameters
wrapCollectionsInElement true if the elements for the items in the collection should be contained in a parent element

public String toString ()

Returns something useful for logging.

Returns
  • a string useful for logging

Protected Methods

protected List getAttributeList ()

Lazily creates the mutable List. This nullifies the attributeDescriptors array so that as items are added to the list the Array is ignored until it is explicitly asked for.

Returns
  • list of AttributeDescriptors's describing the attributes of the element that this ElementDescriptor describes

protected List getContentList ()

Lazily creates the mutable List of child content descriptors. This nullifies the contentDescriptors array so that as items are added to the list the Array is ignored until it is explicitly asked for.

Returns
  • list of Descriptor's describe the child content of the element that this Descriptor describes

protected List getElementList ()

Lazily creates the mutable List of child elements. This nullifies the elementDescriptors array so that as items are added to the list the Array is ignored until it is explicitly asked for.

Returns
  • list of ElementDescriptor's describe the child elements of the element that this ElementDescriptor describes