org.apache.commons.configuration.tree
Interface ConfigurationNodeVisitor

All Known Implementing Classes:
ConfigurationNodeVisitorAdapter

public interface ConfigurationNodeVisitor

Definition of a Visitor interface for a configuration node structure.

The ConfigurationNode interface defines a visit(), which simplifies traversal of a complex node hierarchy. A configuration node implementation must provide a way of visiting all nodes in the current hierarchy. This is a typical application of the GoF Visitor pattern.

Since:
1.3
Author:
Oliver Heger
See Also:
ConfigurationNode

Method Summary
 boolean terminate()
          Returns a flag whether the actual visit process should be aborted.
 void visitAfterChildren(ConfigurationNode node)
          Visits the specified node.
 void visitBeforeChildren(ConfigurationNode node)
          Visits the specified node.
 

Method Detail

visitBeforeChildren

public void visitBeforeChildren(ConfigurationNode node)
Visits the specified node. This method is called before eventually existing children of this node are processed.

Parameters:
node - the node to be visited

visitAfterChildren

public void visitAfterChildren(ConfigurationNode node)
Visits the specified node. This method is called after eventually existing children of this node have been processed.

Parameters:
node - the node to be visited

terminate

public boolean terminate()
Returns a flag whether the actual visit process should be aborted. This method allows a visitor implementation to state that it does not need any further data. It may be used e.g. by visitors that search for a certain node in the hierarchy. After that node was found, there is no need to process the remaining nodes, too.

Returns:
a flag if the visit process should be stopped


Copyright © 2001-2008 The Apache Software Foundation. All Rights Reserved.