net.sf.jguiraffe.gui.builder

Interface BuilderData

All Known Implementing Classes:

ApplicationBuilderData

public interface BuilderData

Definition of an interface that describes the parameters of a builder operation.

An implementation of this interface is used in calls of builder methods to pass all required parameters. There is a bunch of parameters supported by the builder, all of which must be defined so that the builder can work properly.

In addition to the input parameters required by the builder, the builder will also store its results in this object. During the builder operation a BeanStore is created and populated, which can be queried for obtaining objects created by the builder. Some constants define reserved keys for typical objects involved in a builder operation. More of these keys allowing access to typical builder results are defined by the ComponentBuilderData class.

There will be implementations of this interface that provide default values for many of the settings defined here. So an application won't have to bother with all. If not marked otherwise in the description of a getter method, the corresponding property is expected to be set by the application invoking the builder.

Version:

$Id: BuilderData.java 205 2012-01-29 18:29:57Z oheger $

Author:

Oliver Heger

Field Summary

Fields

Modifier and Type	Field and Description
static String	KEY_RESULT_WINDOW Constant for the key under which the result window is stored.

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
ActionStore	getActionStore() Returns a reference to the action store.
BeanBuilderResult	getBeanBuilderResult() Returns the result of the bean builder.
Collection<BeanCreationListener>	getBeanCreationListeners() Returns a collection with objects to be registered as BeanCreationListener at the BeanContext created during the builder operation.
BindingStrategy	getBindingStrategy() Returns the BindingStrategy to be used by the form.
Builder	getBuilder() Returns a reference to the Builder object that generated the builder results.
BeanContext	getBuilderContext() Returns the bean context that is used by the builder and the created components.
String	getBuilderName() Returns a name for the builder.
CommandQueue	getCommandQueue() Returns a reference to the global CommandQueue object.
Object	getDefaultResourceGroup() Returns the default resource group.
Object	getFormBean() Returns the form bean.
FormValidator	getFormValidator() Returns the FormValidator for validating the Form object.
InvocationHelper	getInvocationHelper() Returns the InvocationHelper object to be used during this builder operation.
MessageOutput	getMessageOutput() Returns a reference to the MessageOutput object to be used by the builder and dependent objects.
BeanContext	getParentContext() Returns a reference to the parent bean context.
Window	getParentWindow() Returns the parent window.
Map<String,Object>	getProperties() Returns a map with properties that should be available during the builder operation.
BeanStore	getRootStore() Returns the root store created during the builder operation.
TransformerContext	getTransformerContext() Returns the transformer context to be used by the builder.
boolean	isAutoRelease() Returns the auto release flag.
boolean	isMenuIcon() Returns the value of the menu icon flag.
boolean	isToolbarText() Returns the value of the toolbar text flag.
void	setBeanBuilderResult(BeanBuilderResult res) Sets the result of the bean builder.
void	setBuilder(Builder bldr) Sets a reference to the Builder that performs this builder operation.
void	setBuilderContext(BeanContext ctx) Sets the bean context used during the builder operation.

Field Detail

KEY_RESULT_WINDOW

static final String KEY_RESULT_WINDOW

Constant for the key under which the result window is stored.

See Also:

Constant Field Values

Method Detail

getDefaultResourceGroup

Object getDefaultResourceGroup()

Returns the default resource group. This property is used for i18n support. If builder scripts contain only resource IDs without a corresponding group definition, this default group will be used.

Returns:

the default resource group

getTransformerContext

TransformerContext getTransformerContext()

Returns the transformer context to be used by the builder. This context contains some important data required for resolving resources and for validators and transformers.

Returns:

the transformer context

getActionStore

ActionStore getActionStore()

Returns a reference to the action store. Actions defined during the builder process will be stored here.

Returns:

the action store

getMessageOutput

MessageOutput getMessageOutput()

Returns a reference to the MessageOutput object to be used by the builder and dependent objects. Components that need to output messages to the user can make use of this object.

Returns:

the MessageOutput object

getCommandQueue

CommandQueue getCommandQueue()

Returns a reference to the global CommandQueue object. This object can be used by the builder (or objects created by the builder) if commands have to be issued.

Returns:

the CommandQueue

getBuilderName

String getBuilderName()

Returns a name for the builder. The name returned by this method is evaluated by most of the tags defined by this library. It can be tested using the standard ifName and unlessName attributes. This is a very easy means for supporting conditional execution of builder scripts. Per default no builder name is set.

Returns:

a name for the builder

isMenuIcon

boolean isMenuIcon()

Returns the value of the menu icon flag. This is a hint for the builder that indicates whether menu items should have icons (if defined and supported by the platform).

Returns:

the menu icon flag

isToolbarText

boolean isToolbarText()

Returns the value of the toolbar text flag. This is a hint for the builder that indicates whether toolbar buttons should have texts.

Returns:

the toolbar text flag

getFormBean

Object getFormBean()

Returns the form bean. This is a data object that will be used to initialize the input components defined in the GUI and for later storing the current values.

Returns:

the form bean

getBindingStrategy

BindingStrategy getBindingStrategy()

Returns the BindingStrategy to be used by the form. The BindingStrategy must be compatible with the model object used as form bean, i.e. it determines the type of model objects that can be used.

Returns:

the BindingStrategy for the Form

See Also:

getFormBean()

getFormValidator

FormValidator getFormValidator()

Returns the FormValidator for validating the Form object. This property is optional. If a FormValidator is defined, input validation on the form-level is performed before the data is stored in the model object.

Returns:

the FormValidator

getParentWindow

Window getParentWindow()

Returns the parent window. This information is needed if a (child) window is to be created.

Returns:

the parent window

getParentContext

BeanContext getParentContext()

Returns a reference to the parent bean context. This object - and especially the default BeanStore set for the context - provides access to the global bean definitions. These can be accessed during the builder operation.

Returns:

the parent bean context

getBeanCreationListeners

Collection<BeanCreationListener> getBeanCreationListeners()

Returns a collection with objects to be registered as BeanCreationListener at the BeanContext created during the builder operation. The objects contained in this collection are added before the builder operation actually starts as listeners at the BeanContext that can be queried through the getBuilderContext() method. These listeners are triggered immediately for newly created beans, even if beans are created during the builder operation. This is an optional property; an implementation can return null if there are no listeners to register.

Returns:

a collection with the BeanCreationListener objects to be registered at the BeanContext created by the builder

getProperties

Map<String,Object> getProperties()

Returns a map with properties that should be available during the builder operation. An application can use this map to pass in data objects that should be accessible by tags in builder scripts. While executing a builder script access to all beans in the parent BeanStore is possible. However, sometimes additional objects need to be passed to the builder, for instance model objects for lists, tables, or tree views. These additional objects can be passed through the map returned by this method. This is more convenient than adding objects to the parent BeanStore only for this purpose. The Builder implementation evaluates this map and ensures that its content is made available during the execution of the builder script. An implementation is allowed to return null if there are no additional properties.

Returns:

a map with additional properties for the builder operation

getBuilderContext

BeanContext getBuilderContext()

Returns the bean context that is used by the builder and the created components. This property is initialized by the builder. From the context returned by this method access to all objects created during the builder operation is possible.

Returns:

the bean context of the current builder operation

setBuilderContext

void setBuilderContext(BeanContext ctx)

Sets the bean context used during the builder operation. This method is called by the builder.

Parameters:

ctx - the new bean context used during the builder operation

getBeanBuilderResult

BeanBuilderResult getBeanBuilderResult()

Returns the result of the bean builder. This object contains the BeanStore objects created during the build. From here access to the components created during the builder operation is possible. This property is initialized by the builder.

Returns:

the object with the results of the bean builder

setBeanBuilderResult

void setBeanBuilderResult(BeanBuilderResult res)

Sets the result of the bean builder. This method is called by the builder for passing this result object to the caller.

Parameters:

res - the result object of the bean builder

getRootStore

BeanStore getRootStore()

Returns the root store created during the builder operation. This is a convenience method for callers to directly access the populated bean store. (Access to this object is also possible through the BeanBuilderResult object.

Returns:

the root store of the builder operation

See Also:

getBeanBuilderResult()

getInvocationHelper

InvocationHelper getInvocationHelper()

Returns the InvocationHelper object to be used during this builder operation. This object is used for reflection operation and data type conversions. If no InvocationHelper is provided, a default one is used by the builder. In most cases the default invocation helper will be sufficient. It is initialized in a way that it can access converters defined for the parent bean stores. If there are specific requirements related to converters, a custom object can be returned here.

Returns:

the InvocationHelper to be used

isAutoRelease

boolean isAutoRelease()

Returns the auto release flag. If this flag is set to true, at the main window produced by the builder operation a specialized window listener will be registered. When the window is closed this listener ensures that the builder's Builder.release(BuilderData) method is invoked. This is a very convenient way to automatically free resources obtained during the builder operation and used by the UI. Note that this flag is only evaluated if a window is produced by the builder operation. If the flag is set to false or if no window is generated by the builder operation, the caller is responsible for releasing the results of the builder. This can be done by passing this object to the builder's release() method. (A reference to the builder is also stored in the builder property.)

Returns:

the auto release flag

getBuilder

Builder getBuilder()

Returns a reference to the Builder object that generated the builder results. This property is set by the builder.

Returns:

a reference to the the Builder used

setBuilder

void setBuilder(Builder bldr)

Sets a reference to the Builder that performs this builder operation. This method is called by the builder at the beginning of a builder operation. Having a reference to the Builder in the BuilderData object can be convenient, especially when the object is to be released.

Parameters:

bldr - the Builder performing the builder operation