com.reverseXSL.parser
Class Definition

java.lang.Object
  com.reverseXSL.parser.Definition

public final class Definition
extends java.lang.Object

A Definition object holds the complete hierarchical description of a text-based structured message. In other words, it contains all instructions for the correct interpretation of an input message by the Parser.

The Definition class models the object in memory whereas a DEF file is the same object represented in a sequential text file.

The DEF file contains a optional SET BASENAMESPACE statement, followed by a 'Named Conditions' block, followed by the larger 'MSG...END' block that describes the hierarchical message structure.

A DEF file has the following general layout:
SET BASENAMESPACE ... optional specification of the root element namespace
COND ... specification of interdependency rules (conditions)
COND ...
... more COND lines
Comments may be written elsewhere; by convention, these are lines starting with a space or tab character.
MSG The top level segment is the message itself and is level 0 by definition
The top level segment is noted MSG instead of SEG, although it is a SEGment
The '|' characters are actually part of the syntax of the DEF file itself.
|SEG first segment at level 1 with a single data piece
||D data and other segments here are at level 2, hence prefixed ||
|SEG second segment with 4 data pieces
||D first data element
||D second data element
||SEG the third data element is a "sub-segment", i.e. a composite
|||D first sub-element
|||D second sub-element
||D fourth data element, back to level 2
|SEG third segment within the top-level segment, i.e. at level 1
||D
||D
|GRP first group at level 1, a group is only a logical grouping of segments or other groups that are then, by principle, at the next level
||SEG a segment at level 2, first within the group
|||D
|||D
|MARK evaluates a condition on the fly and marks it at this point in the message
||GRP a sub-group at level 2 within the level 1 group
|||D Data elements may be placed directly in groups as well
|||SEG a segment at level 3 within the previous level 2 group
||||SEG a sub-segment, then at level 4
|||| etc. the rest of level 4 shall contain data and sub-segments, and sub-segments may again contain segments and groups!
|||SEG
||SEG back to level 2, hence next to the previous group
||GRP ...more groups, etc.
END marks the end of the message definition
Please refer to the MS-Word documentation 'Message DEF file specs.doc' for a complete description of the Definition objects and file syntax.

Constructor Summary

Definition()
This is the only way to create a new Definition object.

Method Summary

java.io.StringWriter	getXMLSample(boolean indent, boolean withSKIP) Generates a sample XML message with element descriptions as data values.
void	loadDefinition(java.io.LineNumberReader inputDEF) Build a Definition object from a LineNumberReader containing a complete DEF file.
java.lang.String	toString() In order to trace the definition itself, i.e.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

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

Constructor Detail

Definition

public Definition()

This is the only way to create a new Definition object. Always empty at the begining.

It shall then be loaded with a definition using loadDefinition(LineNumberReader).

Once loaded, pass it as argument to a Parser constructor.

Method Detail

getXMLSample

public java.io.StringWriter getXMLSample(boolean indent,
                                         boolean withSKIP)
                                  throws javax.xml.transform.TransformerFactoryConfigurationError,
                                         javax.xml.transform.TransformerException,
                                         javax.xml.parsers.ParserConfigurationException

Generates a sample XML message with element descriptions as data values.

The current implementation generates only one instance of each element.

Parameters:

indent - whether we ask to indent the XML document

withSKIP - whether we ask to generate XML elements with SKIP tags

Returns:

the XML document as string

Throws:

javax.xml.transform.TransformerFactoryConfigurationError

javax.xml.transform.TransformerException

javax.xml.parsers.ParserConfigurationException

loadDefinition

public void loadDefinition(java.io.LineNumberReader inputDEF)
                    throws java.io.IOException,
                           ParserException

Build a Definition object from a LineNumberReader containing a complete DEF file.

Definition objects contain pure 'read-only' definitions and thus can be shared by as many threads as desired.

Parameters:

inputDEF - line number reader containing a complete DEF file

Throws:

java.io.IOException

ParserException

toString

public java.lang.String toString()

In order to trace the definition itself, i.e. generate again the DEF file but without any of the original comments.

Overrides:

toString in class java.lang.Object