com.softwareag.mdm.schema
Class Step

java.lang.Object
  com.softwareag.mdm.schema.Step

public abstract class Step

extends Object

A path is a sequence of steps.

A step instance is immutable.

See Also:

Path

Method Summary

abstract String	format() Returns the string representation of this step.
abstract int	getIndex() Returns Step index.
abstract boolean	isIndexed() Returns true if this Step identifies a node child by its position.
boolean	isRelative() Returns true if this instance is either self or parent step (.
boolean	isRelativeParent() Returns true if this instance is the parent step (..
boolean	isRelativeSelf() Returns true if this instance is the self step (.
static Step	parse(String aString) Returns the step corresponding to the String specified.
Path	toAbsolutePath() Returns the absolute path whose unique step is this instance.
Path	toParentPath() Returns the relative path whose first step is 'self' and the second step is this instance.
Path	toSelfPath() Returns the relative path whose first step is 'self' and the second step is this instance.
Step	toStepWithoutIndex()

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

equals, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Method Detail

parse

public static Step parse(String aString)
                  throws IllegalArgumentException

Returns the step corresponding to the String specified.

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - If step syntax is not correct.

See Also:

format()

format

public abstract String format()

Returns the string representation of this step.

See Also:

Path.format()

isIndexed

public abstract boolean isIndexed()

Returns true if this Step identifies a node child by its position. First position is 0 (in XPath, first position is 1). For example, in the path para/item[0]/label, item[0] is an indexed step identifying position 0.

Regarding to JavaBeans, an instance of this class corresponds to an indexed property.

See Also:

getIndex()

getIndex

public abstract int getIndex()

Returns Step index.

Index starts at 0.

Throws:

IllegalStateException - If Step is not indexed.

See Also:

toStepWithoutIndex(), isIndexed()

toStepWithoutIndex

public Step toStepWithoutIndex()

Throws:

IllegalStateException - If Step is not indexed.

See Also:

isIndexed()

toAbsolutePath

public Path toAbsolutePath()

Returns the absolute path whose unique step is this instance.

toSelfPath

public Path toSelfPath()

Returns the relative path whose first step is 'self' and the second step is this instance.

toParentPath

public Path toParentPath()

Returns the relative path whose first step is 'self' and the second step is this instance.

isRelative

public final boolean isRelative()

Returns true if this instance is either self or parent step (. or ..).

isRelativeSelf

public final boolean isRelativeSelf()

Returns true if this instance is the self step (.).

See Also:

Path.SELF

isRelativeParent

public final boolean isRelativeParent()

Returns true if this instance is the parent step (..).

See Also:

Path.PARENT