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package com.sun.xml.internal.bind.v2.model.core;

import java.util.Collection;

import java.util.Set;

import javax.xml.namespace.QName;

/**

 * {@link PropertyInfo} that holds references to other {@link Element}s.

 *

 * @author Kohsuke Kawaguchi

 */

public interface ReferencePropertyInfo<T,C> extends PropertyInfo<T,C> {

    /**

     * Returns the information about the possible elements in this property.

     *

     * <p>

     * As of 2004/08/17, the spec only allows you to use different element names

     * when a property is a collection, but I think there's really no reason

     * to limit it there --- if the user wants to use a different tag name

     * for different objects, I don't see why this can be limited to collections.

     *

     * <p>

     * So this is a generalization of the spec. We always allow a property to have

     * multiple types and use different tag names for it, depending on the actual type.

     *

     * <p>

     * In most of the cases, this collection only contains 1 item. So the runtime system

     * is encouraged to provide a faster code-path that is optimized toward such cases.

     *

     * @return

     *      Always non-null. Contains at least one entry.

     */

    Set<? extends Element<T,C>> getElements();

    /**

     * {@inheritDoc}.

     *

     * If this {@link ReferencePropertyInfo} has a wildcard in it,

     * then the returned list will contain {@link WildcardTypeInfo}.

     */

    Collection<? extends TypeInfo<T,C>> ref();

    /**

     * Gets the wrapper element name.

     *

     * @return

     *      must be null if not collection. If the property is a collection,

     *      this can be null (in which case there'll be no wrapper),

     *      or it can be non-null (in which case there'll be a wrapper)

     */

    QName getXmlName();

    /**

     * Returns true if this property is nillable

     * (meaning the absence of the value is treated as nil='true')

     *

     * <p>

     * This method is only used when this property is a collection.

     */

    boolean isCollectionNillable();

    /**

     * Checks if the wrapper element is required.

     *

     * @return

     *      Always false if {@link #getXmlName()}==null.

     */

    boolean isCollectionRequired();

    /**

     * Returns true if this property can hold {@link String}s to represent

     * mixed content model.

     */

    boolean isMixed();

    /**

     * If this property supports the wildcard, returns its mode.

     *

     * @return null

     *      if the wildcard is not allowed on this element.

     */

    WildcardMode getWildcard();

    /**

     * If this property supports the wildcard, returns its DOM handler.

     *

     * @return null

     *      if the wildcard is not allowed on this element.

     */

    C getDOMHandler();

    /**

     * Returns true if this element is mandatory.

     */

    boolean isRequired();

    Adapter<T,C> getAdapter();

}