com.im.df.api.ddl
Interface DFEntity

All Superinterfaces:

DFItem, PropertiesEditingConfigurable

public interface DFEntity
extends DFItem

The definition of an entity that contains fields. This can be thought of as the definition of data objects that can be used by Discovery Framework (DIF).

A DFEntity is an abstraction of a set of values organised in a row and column paradigm. A database table would be a typical example, but the abstraction allows a single entity to represent multiple tables such as a master table and a lookup table. Also, the source data can be transformed (e.g pivoted) to generate the row/column model. A DFEntity contains one or more DFFields, and can also define DFRelationships and indexes.

The DFEntity interface just defines the "structure" of the entity (e.g. think of it as the DDL aspects of SQL). To work with the values contained in the DFEntity you need to obtain a DFEntityDataProvider. Use DIFUtilities.findEntityDataProvider(com.im.df.api.ddl.DFEntity).

See Also:

DFSchema, DFField, DFEntityDataProvider, DFCapability

Nested Class Summary

Nested classes/interfaces inherited from interface com.im.df.api.ddl.DFItem

DFItem.Handle<T extends DFItem>

Nested classes/interfaces inherited from interface com.im.df.api.support.PropertiesEditingConfigurable

PropertiesEditingConfigurable.Extra

Field Summary

static String	PROP_FIELDS
static String	PROP_LISTS

Fields inherited from interface com.im.df.api.ddl.DFItem

PROP_CAPABILITIES, PROP_DESCRIPTION, PROP_ID, PROP_NAME, PROP_TYPE, PROP_VALID

Method Summary

DFContainer<DFField>	getFields() Get the fields container
DFItem.Handle<DFEntity>	getHandle() Returns a handle to the Item.
DFField	getIdField() Get the field that corresponds to the primary key for this entity.
DFContainer<DFList>	getLists()
DFSchema	getSchema() Get the parent schema.

Methods inherited from interface com.im.df.api.ddl.DFItem

addPropertyChangeListener, getCapabilities, getDescription, getId, getName, getType, isValid, removePropertyChangeListener, setDescription, setName

Methods inherited from interface com.im.df.api.support.PropertiesEditingConfigurable

isPropertyEditable

Field Detail

PROP_FIELDS

static final String PROP_FIELDS

See Also:

Constant Field Values

PROP_LISTS

static final String PROP_LISTS

See Also:

Constant Field Values

Method Detail

getSchema

DFSchema getSchema()

Get the parent schema. This method never returns null

getFields

DFContainer<DFField> getFields()

Get the fields container

getIdField

DFField getIdField()

Get the field that corresponds to the primary key for this entity.

Returns:

Value of property idField.

getLists

DFContainer<DFList> getLists()

getHandle

DFItem.Handle<DFEntity> getHandle()

Description copied from interface: DFItem

Returns a handle to the Item. The handle uniquely identifies the Item, even though the schema data may be copied or otherwise replicated. Use the Handle instead of DFItem.getId() when registering an Item in collections that extend beyond the DFItem's parent Schema.

Specified by:

getHandle in interface DFItem

Returns:

The handle to the DFItem.