com.tensegrity.graph.model
Interface GraphObject

All Superinterfaces:

Attributable, AttributableOnSet

All Known Subinterfaces:

Edge, Node, Subgraph

public interface GraphObject

extends AttributableOnSet

This interface represents the aspects common to all Graph elements, including a Node, Edge and Subgraph.

GraphObject instances are created using factory objects that return specialized, concrete GraphObject types.

GraphObjects have an identifiable nature. Every GraphObject has both an identifier unique to its context as well as a global identifier that is unique within a hierarchy of Graph objects.

Each GraphObject implementation is constructed with an initial identifier of -1. When a GraphObject is added to a GraphObjectContainer, the identifier is changed internally by the container to a value that becomes unique within that container context. The container may nest other containers recursively, which might have the same identifier assigned to one of their managed objects. Identifiers, therefore, are unique within the scope of a single GraphObjectContainer only.
When a GraphObject is removed from a GraphObjectContainer, the identifier is reset to -1.
Methods to access both of these identifiers are available.

• long getID()
• long getUniqueID()

It is possible to associate a name and a description with a GraphObject. These can be used for example to easily assign a type and a descriptive text to the GraphObject.

• String getLabel()
• void setLabel(String)
• String getDescription()
• void setDescription(String)

The standard attributes of a GraphObject may be extended with custom attributes.
The custom attributes added to the GraphObject are grouped into the category custom and returned by a call to AttributableOnSet.getAttributes().
The methods provided by a GraphObject to handle custom attributes are listed below:

• void addCustomAttribute(Attribute)
• void removeCustomAttribute(String)
• AttributeSet getCustomAttributes()
• void setCustomAttributes(AttributeSet)

GraphObject instances that are removed from their containers and dereferenced will be garbage collected.

GraphObject extends the AttributableOnSet interface, which allows clients to associate attributes with them.

Version:

$Id: GraphObject.java,v 1.51 2005/08/17 09:35:38 MichaelKegel Exp $

Author:

Stepan Rutz

See Also:

Edge, Node, Subgraph, GraphObjectContainer, Graph

Field Summary

Fields inherited from interface com.tensegrity.generic.attribute.AttributableOnSet

TREE_SUBSET_POSTFIX

Method Summary

void	addCustomAttribute(Attribute attribute) Adds the Attribute given by attribute to the custom attributes of the GraphObject.
boolean	assertCustomAttribute(Attribute attribute) Sets a custom attribute and adds it, if it doesn't exist yet.
boolean	assertCustomAttribute(java.lang.String path, java.lang.Object value) Sets the value of a custom attributes and creates it first, if it doesn't exist.
void	fillInDump(java.util.List list, int level) Fills in a dump into the given list.
AttributeSet	getCustomAttributes() Returns an AttributeSet that contains all custom attributes currently assigned to the GraphObject or null if no custom attribute is assigned to the GraphObject.
java.lang.String	getDescription() Returns the description string of this GraphObject
long	getID() Returns the local identifier (unique within a single GraphObjectContainer.
java.lang.String	getLabel() Returns the label associated with this object.
GraphObjectContainer	getParentContainer() This method returns the GraphObjectContainer this GraphObject instance currently resides in.
long	getUniqueID() Returns the global identifier (unique within the complete GraphObjectContainer hierarchy)
void	registerEventMediator(GraphEventMediator mediator) Registers the GraphEventMediator object given by mediator to the GraphObject.
void	registerEventMediatorInternal(GraphEventMediator mediatorInternal) Registers the GraphEventMediator object given by mediator to the GraphObject.
void	registerVetoableEventMediator(VetoableGraphEventMediator vmediator) Registers the VetoableGraphEventMediator object given by vmediator to the GraphObject.
void	removeCustomAttribute(java.lang.String attributename) Removes the custom Attribute with the name given by attributename from the GraphObjects custom attributes.
void	setCustomAttributes(AttributeSet customAttributes) Sets the Attributes within the AttributeSet given by customAttributes to the custom attributes currently added to the GraphObject.
void	setDescription(java.lang.String description) Sets the description of this GraphObject to the given string
void	setLabel(java.lang.String label) Sets the label to be associated with this object.

Methods inherited from interface com.tensegrity.generic.attribute.AttributableOnSet

addAttributableOnSetListener, areAttributableEventsEnabled, disableAttributableEvents, enableAttributableEvents, getAttributes, getAttributesTree, removeAttributableOnSetListener, setAttributes, setAttributesTree

Methods inherited from interface com.tensegrity.generic.attribute.Attributable

getAttribute, getAttributeType, getAttributeValue, setAttribute, setAttributeValue

Method Detail

getID

public long getID()

Returns the local identifier (unique within a single GraphObjectContainer.

Returns:

the local ID.

Find more information in the class documentation

getUniqueID

public long getUniqueID()

Returns the global identifier (unique within the complete GraphObjectContainer hierarchy)

Returns:

long the identifier

Find more information in the class documentation

getLabel

public java.lang.String getLabel()

Returns the label associated with this object.

Returns:

the label associated with this object.

Find more information in the class documentation

setLabel

public void setLabel(java.lang.String label)

Sets the label to be associated with this object.

Parameters:

label - the label

Find more information in the class documentation

getDescription

public java.lang.String getDescription()

Returns the description string of this GraphObject

Returns:

the description string of this GraphObject

Find more information in the class documentation

setDescription

public void setDescription(java.lang.String description)

Sets the description of this GraphObject to the given string

Parameters:

description - The description to set

Find more information in the class documentation

addCustomAttribute

public void addCustomAttribute(Attribute attribute)

Adds the Attribute given by attribute to the custom attributes of the GraphObject.
If a custom attribute with the same key as the attribute that is given was already added to this GraphObject then the adding of the new custom attribute fails and the instance remains unchanged.

Parameters:

attribute - the custom Attribute to add

Find more information in the class documentation

removeCustomAttribute

public void removeCustomAttribute(java.lang.String attributename)

Removes the custom Attribute with the name given by attributename from the GraphObjects custom attributes.

Parameters:

attributename - the name of the custom Attribute to remove

Find more information in the class documentation

getCustomAttributes

public AttributeSet getCustomAttributes()

Returns an AttributeSet that contains all custom attributes currently assigned to the GraphObject or null if no custom attribute is assigned to the GraphObject.

Notice: The Attributes within the returned AttributeSet are copies of the custom attributes currently added to the GraphObject and no references. So that if you want to change them you have to call setCustomAttributes(com.tensegrity.generic.attribute.AttributeSet) afterwards.

Returns:

AttributeSet a set with the custom attributes currently added to the GraphObject

Find more information in the class documentation

setCustomAttributes

public void setCustomAttributes(AttributeSet customAttributes)

Sets the Attributes within the AttributeSet given by customAttributes to the custom attributes currently added to the GraphObject. This is done by a merge of the given Attributes and the custom attributes currently added. The merge is done by the following rules:

• The values of Attributes that are part of the custom attributes currently added to the GraphObject and part of the given AttributeSet will be assigned to the custom attribute.
• Attributes within the given AttributeSet that are not part of the custom attributes currently added to the GraphObject will be added.
• Attributes that are part of the custom attributes currently added to the GraphObject but not part of the given AttributeSet will NOT be removed.

Parameters:

customAttributes - The AttributeSet with the Attributes to set

Find more information in the class documentation

assertCustomAttribute

public boolean assertCustomAttribute(java.lang.String path,
                                     java.lang.Object value)
                              throws IllegalValueException,
                                     ConstraintViolationException,
                                     IllegalNameException

Sets the value of a custom attributes and creates it first, if it doesn't exist.

Parameters:

path - The path of the custom attribute

value - The value of the custom attribute

Returns:

true, if the attribute has been created

Throws:

IllegalValueException - is thrown when the given value is illegal (for instance when it is null).

ConstraintViolationException - is thrown when the given value violates the constraint of the Attribute to set.

IllegalNameException - is thrown if the given name for the attribute is invalid.

assertCustomAttribute

public boolean assertCustomAttribute(Attribute attribute)
                              throws IllegalValueException,
                                     ConstraintViolationException,
                                     IllegalNameException

Sets a custom attribute and adds it, if it doesn't exist yet.

Parameters:

attribute - The custom attribute to set

Returns:

true, if the attribute has been added

Throws:

IllegalValueException - is thrown when the value of the given Attribute is illegal (for instance when it is null).

ConstraintViolationException - is thrown when the value of the given Attribute violates the constraint of the Attribute to set.

IllegalNameException - is thrown if the given attribute has an invalid name.

getParentContainer

public GraphObjectContainer getParentContainer()

This method returns the GraphObjectContainer this GraphObject instance currently resides in. In case this GraphObject instance is not added to a GraphObjectContainer this method returns null.

Returns:

GraphObjectContainer the parent container of this GraphObject instance or null.

Find more information in the class documentation

registerEventMediator

public void registerEventMediator(GraphEventMediator mediator)

Registers the GraphEventMediator object given by mediator to the GraphObject. Subsequently the mediator will be informed about all events that occurs at the GraphObject.

This method is a framework internal method. Invoking this method by clients of the API is prohibited.

Parameters:

mediator - the GraphEventMediator to register

registerEventMediatorInternal

public void registerEventMediatorInternal(GraphEventMediator mediatorInternal)

Registers the GraphEventMediator object given by mediator to the GraphObject. Subsequently the mediator will be informed about all events that occurs at the GraphObject.

This method is a framework internal method. Invoking this method by clients of the API is prohibited.

Parameters:

mediatorInternal - the GraphEventMediator to register.

registerVetoableEventMediator

public void registerVetoableEventMediator(VetoableGraphEventMediator vmediator)

Registers the VetoableGraphEventMediator object given by vmediator to the GraphObject. Subsequently the vmediator will be informed about all vetoable events that occurs at the GraphObject.
Notice that this method is an internal method used by the framework and forceful recommended not to work with!!

Parameters:

vmediator - the GraphEventMediator to register

fillInDump

public void fillInDump(java.util.List list,
                       int level)

Fills in a dump into the given list. Each entry in the list is interpreted as a single line of output.

Parameters:

list - the list to fill the dump into.

level - the current depth of the dump.