org.eclipse.emf.validation.service
Interface IConstraintDescriptor

All Known Subinterfaces:

IParameterizedConstraintDescriptor, IXmlConstraintDescriptor

All Known Implementing Classes:

AbstractConstraintDescriptor, AbstractXmlConstraintDescriptor

public interface IConstraintDescriptor

A constraint descriptor provides information about a constraint's role and status in the system. This includes such information as what categories the constraint is a member of and whether it is enabled, disabled, or even broken because of a run-time fault, in addition to a variety of meta-data declared about severity, evaluation mode, and triggers.

This interface is intended to be implemented by clients that have constraintProviders that are contributing IModelConstraint that are not described in standard XML. Note that the specialization IParameterizedConstraintDescriptor may be of particular value in describing constraints that are configurable and indicate their language.

Method Summary

void	addCategory(Category category) Adds a category to me.
String	getBody() If I represent an in-line constraint (whose algorithm is implemented in an XML file, script, or some other source than Java), then this method obtains its body.
Set<Category>	getCategories() Queries the categories that I am a member of.
String	getDescription() Obtains a description of my purpose, if any.
EvaluationMode<?>	getEvaluationMode() Queries the mode (or modes) in which I can be evaluated.
Throwable	getException() If I am an error constraint, obtains the exception that caused me not to be initialized.
String	getId() Gets my ID.
String	getMessagePattern() Obtains the localized message pattern configured in the XML for my constraint.
String	getName() Gets my name.
String	getPluginId() Queries the ID of the plugin which defines me.
ConstraintSeverity	getSeverity() Queries the severity, as enumerated by the ConstraintSeverity class, of the problem indicated by a violation of my constraint.
int	getStatusCode() Obtains a status code (unique integer within the scope of the pluginwhich defines me, useful for logging.
boolean	isBatch() Queries whether I may be applied in "batch" mode, i.e., outside of any particular editing action context.
boolean	isEnabled() Queries whether the constraint is enabled.
boolean	isError() Queries whether the constraint is errored, i.e., not executable because of some error in initializing it.
boolean	isLive() Queries whether I may be applied in "live" mode, i.e., within some particular editing action context.
void	removeCategory(Category category) Removes a category from me.
void	setEnabled(boolean enabled) Sets whether the constraint is enabled.
void	setError(Throwable exception) Sets my error status.
boolean	targetsEvent(Notification notification) Queries whether I apply to the specified EMF notification.
boolean	targetsTypeOf(EObject eObject) Queries whether I target the type (or any supertype) of the specified eObject.

Method Detail

getName

String getName()

Gets my name. This needs not be unique in any sense, and should be localized.

Returns:

my name

getId

String getId()

Gets my ID. This must be unique. It is recommended that the ID be prefixed by the contributing plugin ID, as is usual for IDs in Eclipse.

Returns:

my unique identifier

getPluginId

String getPluginId()

Queries the ID of the plugin which defines me.

Returns:

my plugin's ID

getDescription

String getDescription()

Obtains a description of my purpose, if any.

Returns:

my description, or null if I have none

getSeverity

ConstraintSeverity getSeverity()

Queries the severity, as enumerated by the ConstraintSeverity class, of the problem indicated by a violation of my constraint.

Returns:

my severity code

getStatusCode

int getStatusCode()

Obtains a status code (unique integer within the scope of the pluginwhich defines me, useful for logging.

Returns:

a status code which is unique amongst all constraints contributed by the plug-in that defines me

See Also:

getPluginId()

getEvaluationMode

EvaluationMode<?> getEvaluationMode()

Queries the mode (or modes) in which I can be evaluated. If I have the EvaluationMode.NULLmode, then I am never evaluated at all.

Returns:

my evaluation mode

targetsTypeOf

boolean targetsTypeOf(EObject eObject)

Queries whether I target the type (or any supertype) of the specified eObject.

Parameters:

eObject - an EMF object which is to be validated

Returns:

true if I can be applied to the specified eObject;false, otherwise

targetsEvent

boolean targetsEvent(Notification notification)

Queries whether I apply to the specified EMF notification. Note that it is OK if I indiscriminately return true; this method merely enables an optimization that skips constraints that are known not to apply to the notification in question.

This method is only invoked on live constraints, because batchconstraints are not invoked in a live context.

Parameters:

notification - a notification of some change in an EMF model object

Returns:

false if I need not be executed on this notification; true, otherwise

isBatch

boolean isBatch()

Queries whether I may be applied in "batch" mode, i.e., outside of any particular editing action context.

Returns:

true if I support "batch" (contextless) invocation; false, otherwise

See Also:

getEvaluationMode()

isLive

boolean isLive()

Queries whether I may be applied in "live" mode, i.e., within some particular editing action context.

Returns:

true if I support "live" (contextful) invocation; false, otherwise

See Also:

getEvaluationMode()

isError

boolean isError()

Queries whether the constraint is errored, i.e., not executable because of some error in initializing it.

Returns:

whether I represent an errored constraint

getException

Throwable getException()

If I am an error constraint, obtains the exception that caused me not to be initialized.

Returns:

my exception

isEnabled

boolean isEnabled()

Queries whether the constraint is enabled. Errored constraints are never enabled; other constraints may be disabled by the user.

Returns:

whether the constraint that I represent is enabled

setEnabled

void setEnabled(boolean enabled)

Sets whether the constraint is enabled. Note that this only has any effect on constraints that are not errored and are not in a mandatory category.

Parameters:

enabled - whether the constraint that I represent is enabled

See Also:

isEnabled()

setError

void setError(Throwable exception)

Sets my error status.

This method should not be called outside of the validation framework.

Parameters:

exception - the exception that causes me to be an error constraint

getCategories

Set<Category> getCategories()

Queries the categories that I am a member of.

Returns:

an unmodifiable set of Categorys

addCategory

void addCategory(Category category)

Adds a category to me. If, previously, I was in the default category, then I will no longer be in the default category when this method returns.

Parameters:

category - my category

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if category is the default category, as this is not allowed to be set explicitly

removeCategory

void removeCategory(Category category)

Removes a category from me.

Parameters:

category - a category

getMessagePattern

String getMessagePattern()

Obtains the localized message pattern configured in the XML for my constraint. It must conform to the conventions of the NLS class.

Returns:

my message pattern

See Also:

NLS

getBody

String getBody()

If I represent an in-line constraint (whose algorithm is implemented in an XML file, script, or some other source than Java), then this method obtains its body.

Returns:

the constraint body, if appropriate to the language