src/javax/persistence/criteria/Selection.java

/*******************************************************************************
 * 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.TupleElement;
import java.util.List;

/**
 * The <code>Selection</code> interface defines an item that is to be
 * returned in the query result.
 *
 * @param <X> the type of the selection item
 *
 * @since Java Persistence 2.0
 */
public interface Selection<X> extends TupleElement<X> {

    /**
     * Assigns an alias to the selection item.
     * Once assigned, an alias cannot be changed or reassigned.
     * Returns the same selection item.
     * @param name  alias
     * @return selection item 
     */
    Selection<X> alias(String name);

    /**
     * Whether the selection item is a compound selection.
     * @return boolean indicating whether the selection is a compound
     *         selection
     */
    boolean isCompoundSelection();

    /**
     * Return the selection items composing a compound selection.
     * Modifications to the list do not affect the query.
     * @return list of selection items
     * @throws IllegalStateException if selection is not a 
     *         compound selection
     */
    List<Selection<?>> getCompoundSelectionItems();
}