src/javax/persistence/metamodel/Bindable.java

/*******************************************************************************
 * Copyright (c) 1998, 2009 Oracle. 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:
 *     dclarke - Java Persistence 2.0 - Proposed Final Draft (March 13, 2009)
 *               Specification available from http://jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=317
*     gyorke  - Post PFD updates
 *
 * 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.metamodel;

/**
 * Instances of the type Bindable represent object or attribute types 
 * that can be bound into a Path.
 *
 * @param <T>  The type of the represented object or attribute
 */
public interface Bindable<T> {
	
    public static enum BindableType { 
        SINGULAR_ATTRIBUTE, PLURAL_ATTRIBUTE, ENTITY_TYPE
    }

    /**
     *  Return the bindable type of the represented object.
     *  @return bindable type
     */	
    BindableType getBindableType();
	
    /**
     * Return the Java type of the represented object.
     * If the bindable type of the object is PLURAL_ATTRIBUTE,
     * the Java element type is returned. If the bindable type is
     * SINGULAR_ATTRIBUTE or ENTITY_TYPE, the Java type of the
     * represented entity or attribute is returned.
     * @return Java type
     */
    Class<T> getBindableJavaType();
}