src/javax/persistence/PersistenceUtil.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;

/**
 * Utility interface between the application and the persistence
 * provider(s). 
 * 
 * <p> The <code>PersistenceUtil</code> interface instance obtained from the 
 * {@link Persistence} class is used to determine the load state of an 
 * entity or entity attribute regardless of which persistence 
 * provider in the environment created the entity.
 *
 * @since Java Persistence 2.0
 */
public interface PersistenceUtil {

    /**
     * Determine the load state of a given persistent attribute.
     * @param entity  entity containing the attribute
     * @param attributeName name of attribute whose load state is
     *        to be determined
     * @return false if entity's state has not been loaded or
     *  if the attribute state has not been loaded, else true.
     */
    public boolean isLoaded(Object entity, String attributeName);

    /**
     * Determine the load state of an entity.
     * This method can be used to determine the load state 
     * of an entity passed as a reference.  An entity is
     * considered loaded if all attributes for which 
     * <code>FetchType.EAGER</code> has been specified have been loaded.
     * The <code>isLoaded(Object, String)</code> method should be used to 
     * determine the load state of an attribute.
     * Not doing so might lead to unintended loading of state.
     * @param entity whose load state is to be determined
     * @return false if the entity has not been loaded, else true.
     */
    public boolean isLoaded(Object entity);
}