/*
 * Copyright (c) 2003, 2004 IBM Corporation and others.
 * All rights reserved.   This program and the accompanying materials
 * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
 * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
 * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
 *
 * Contributors:
 *   IBM - initial API and implementation
 *
 * $Id: Expression.java,v 1.8 2005/06/15 20:06:01 khussey Exp $
 */
package org.eclipse.uml2;

import org.eclipse.emf.common.util.EList;

import org.eclipse.emf.ecore.EClass;

/**
 * <!-- begin-user-doc -->
 * A representation of the model object '<em><b>Expression</b></em>'.
 * <!-- end-user-doc -->
 *
 * <!-- begin-model-doc -->
 * An expression represents a node in an expression tree, which may be non-terminal or terminal. It defines a symbol, and has a possibly empty sequence of operands which are value specifications. 
 * <!-- end-model-doc -->
 *
 * <p>
 * The following features are supported:
 * <ul>
 *   <li>{@link org.eclipse.uml2.Expression#getSymbol <em>Symbol</em>}</li>
 *   <li>{@link org.eclipse.uml2.Expression#getOperands <em>Operand</em>}</li>
 * </ul>
 * </p>
 *
 * @see org.eclipse.uml2.UML2Package#getExpression()
 * @model
 * @generated
 */
public interface Expression extends OpaqueExpression{
	/**
	 * <!-- begin-user-doc -->
	 * <!-- end-user-doc -->
	 * @generated
	 */
	String copyright = "Copyright (c) IBM Corporation and others."; //$NON-NLS-1$

	/**
	 * Returns the value of the '<em><b>Symbol</b></em>' attribute.
	 * The default value is <code>""</code>.
	 * <!-- begin-user-doc -->
	 * <p>
	 * If the meaning of the '<em>Symbol</em>' attribute isn't clear,
	 * there really should be more of a description here...
	 * </p>
	 * <!-- end-user-doc -->
	 * <!-- begin-model-doc -->
	 * The symbol associated with the node in the expression tree.
	 * <!-- end-model-doc -->
	 * @return the value of the '<em>Symbol</em>' attribute.
	 * @see #setSymbol(String)
	 * @see org.eclipse.uml2.UML2Package#getExpression_Symbol()
	 * @model default="" dataType="org.eclipse.uml2.String"
	 * @generated
	 */
	String getSymbol();

	/**
	 * Sets the value of the '{@link org.eclipse.uml2.Expression#getSymbol <em>Symbol</em>}' attribute.
	 * <!-- begin-user-doc -->
	 * <!-- end-user-doc -->
	 * @param value the new value of the '<em>Symbol</em>' attribute.
	 * @see #getSymbol()
	 * @generated
	 */
	void setSymbol(String value);


	/**
	 * Returns the value of the '<em><b>Operand</b></em>' containment reference list.
	 * The list contents are of type {@link org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification}.
	 * <!-- begin-user-doc -->
	 * <p>
	 * If the meaning of the '<em>Operand</em>' containment reference list isn't clear,
	 * there really should be more of a description here...
	 * </p>
	 * <!-- end-user-doc -->
	 * <!-- begin-model-doc -->
	 * Specifies a sequence of operands. Subsets Element::ownedElement.
	 * <!-- end-model-doc -->
	 * @return the value of the '<em>Operand</em>' containment reference list.
	 * @see org.eclipse.uml2.UML2Package#getExpression_Operand()
	 * @model type="org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification" containment="true"
	 * @generated
	 */
	EList getOperands();


	/**
	 * Retrieves the {@link org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification} with the specified '<em><b>Name</b></em>' from the '<em><b>Operand</b></em>' containment reference list.
	 * <!-- begin-user-doc -->
	 * <!-- end-user-doc -->
	 * @param name The '<em><b>Name</b></em>' of the {@link org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification} to retrieve.
	 * @return The {@link org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification} with the specified '<em><b>Name</b></em>', or <code>null</code>.
	 * @see #getOperands()
	 * @generated
	 */
    ValueSpecification getOperand(String name);

	/**
	 * Creates a {@link org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification} and appends it to the '<em><b>Operand</b></em>' containment reference list.
	 * <!-- begin-user-doc -->
	 * <!-- end-user-doc -->
	 * @param eClass The Ecore class of the {@link org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification} to create.
	 * @return The new {@link org.eclipse.uml2.ValueSpecification}.
	 * @see #getOperands()
	 * @generated
	 */
    ValueSpecification createOperand(EClass eClass);

} // Expression