content: /* ========================================================================
   * JCommon : a free general purpose class library for the Java(tm) platform
   * ========================================================================
   *
   * (C) Copyright 2000-2005, by Object Refinery Limited and Contributors.
   * 
   * Project Info:  http://www.jfree.org/jcommon/index.html
   *
   * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it 
   * under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by 
   * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License, or 
   * (at your option) any later version.
   *
   * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but 
   * WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY 
   * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public 
   * License for more details.
   *
   * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
   * License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
   * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, 
   * USA.  
   *
   * [Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. 
   * in the United States and other countries.]
   * 
   * -----------------
   * ClassFactory.java
   * -----------------
   * (C)opyright 2003, 2004, by Thomas Morgner and Contributors.
   *
   * Original Author:  Thomas Morgner;
   * Contributor(s):   David Gilbert (for Object Refinery Limited);
   *
   * $Id: ClassFactory.java,v 1.3 2005/11/14 10:59:58 mungady Exp $
   *
   * Changes (from 19-Feb-2003)
   * -------------------------
   * 19-Feb-2003 : Added standard header and Javadocs (DG);
   * 29-Apr-2003 : Distilled from the JFreeReport project and moved into JCommon
   *
   */
  
  package org.jfree.xml.factory.objects;
  
  import java.io.Serializable;
  import java.util.Iterator;
  
  import org.jfree.util.Configuration;
  
  /**
   * A class factory.
   *
   * @author Thomas Morgner
   */
  public interface ClassFactory extends Serializable {
  
      /**
       * Returns an object description for a class.
       *
       * @param c  the class.
       *
       * @return The object description.
       */
      public ObjectDescription getDescriptionForClass(Class c);
  
      /**
       * Returns an object description for the super class of a class.
       *
       * @param d  the class.
       * @param knownSuperClass the last known super class or null.
       *
       * @return The object description.
       */
      public ObjectDescription getSuperClassObjectDescription
          (Class d, ObjectDescription knownSuperClass);
  
      /**
       * Returns an iterator for the registered classes. This returns a list
       * of pre-registered classes known to this ClassFactory. A class may be able
       * to handle more than the registered classes.
       * <p>
       * This method exists to support query tools for UI design, do not rely on it
       * for day to day work.
       *
       * @return The iterator.
       */
      public Iterator getRegisteredClasses();
  
      /**
       * Configures this factory. The configuration contains several keys and
       * their defined values. The given reference to the configuration object
       * will remain valid until the report parsing or writing ends.
       * <p>
       * The configuration contents may change during the reporting.
       *
       * @param config the configuration, never null
       */
      public void configure(Configuration config);
  
  
      /**
       * Compares whether two object factories are equal. This method must be
       * implemented!
       *
       * @param o the other object.
       * @return true, if both object factories describe the same objects, false otherwise.
       */
      public boolean equals (Object o);
  
      /**
       * Computes the hashCode for this ClassFactory. As equals() must be implemented,
       * a corresponding hashCode() should be implemented as well.
       *
       * @return the hashcode.
       */
      public int hashCode();
  }
  
  