/*******************************************************************************
 * Copyright (c) 2008, 2009 Sun Microsystems. All rights reserved. 
 * 
 * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the 
 * terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0 and Eclipse Distribution License v. 1.0 
 * which accompanies this distribution. 
 * The Eclipse Public License is available at http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
 * and the Eclipse Distribution License is available at 
 * http://www.eclipse.org/org/documents/edl-v10.php.
 * 
 * Contributors:
 *     Linda DeMichiel -Java Persistence 2.0 - Proposed Final Draft, Version 2.0 (August 31, 2009)
 *     Specification available from http://jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=317
 *
 * Java(TM) Persistence API, Version 2.0 - EARLY ACCESS
 * This is an implementation of an early-draft specification developed under the 
 * Java Community Process (JCP).  The code is untested and presumed not to be a  
 * compatible implementation of JSR 317: Java(TM) Persistence API, Version 2.0.   
 * We encourage you to migrate to an implementation of the Java(TM) Persistence 
 * API, Version 2.0 Specification that has been tested and verified to be compatible 
 * as soon as such an implementation is available, and we encourage you to retain 
 * this notice in any implementation of Java(TM) Persistence API, Version 2.0 
 * Specification that you distribute.
 ******************************************************************************/
package javax.persistence.criteria;

import javax.persistence.metamodel.Attribute;

/**
 * Represents a join-fetched association or attribute.
 *
 * @param <Z>  the source type of the fetch
 * @param <X>  the target type of the fetch
 *
 * @since Java Persistence 2.0
 */
public interface Fetch<Z, X> extends FetchParent<Z, X> {

    /**
     * Return the metamodel attribute corresponding to the 
     * fetch join.
     * @return metamodel attribute for the join
     */
    Attribute<? super Z, ?> getAttribute();

    /**
     * Return the parent of the fetched item.
     * @return fetch parent
     */
    FetchParent<?, Z> getParent();

    /**
     * Return the join type used in the fetch join.
     * @return join type
     */
    JoinType getJoinType();
}