Interface IEditable

All Known Subinterfaces:
IEditableModel

public interface IEditable
Models that implement this interface indicate that they can be changed. When a model is changed, it becomes 'dirty'. This state can either be reset (in case of a 'false alarm' or naturally set to false as a result of saving the changes. Models that implement this interface are expected to be able to save in ASCII file format (e.g. XML).
Since:
2.0
Restriction:
This interface is not intended to be implemented by clients.
Restriction:
This interface is not intended to be extended by clients.
  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type
    Method
    Description
    boolean
    Tests whether the model has been changed from the last clean state.
    boolean
    Tests whether the model marked as editable can be edited.
    void
    save(PrintWriter writer)
    Saves the model into the provided writer.
    void
    setDirty(boolean dirty)
    Sets the dirty flag of the model.
  • Method Details

    • isEditable

      boolean isEditable()
      Tests whether the model marked as editable can be edited. Even though a model is generally editable, it can me marked as read-only because some condition prevents it from changing state (for example, the underlying resource is locked). While read-only models can never be changed, editable models can go in and out editable state during their life cycle.
      Returns:
      true if model can be modified, false otherwise.
    • isDirty

      boolean isDirty()
      Tests whether the model has been changed from the last clean state.
      Returns:
      true if the model has been changed and need saving
    • save

      void save(PrintWriter writer)
      Saves the model into the provided writer. The assumption is that the model can be persisted in an ASCII output stream (for example, an XML file). This method should clear the 'dirty' flag when done.
      Parameters:
      writer - an object that should be used to write ASCII representation of the model
    • setDirty

      void setDirty(boolean dirty)
      Sets the dirty flag of the model. This method is normally not intended to be used outside the model. Most often, a dirty model should be saved to clear the flag.
      Parameters:
      dirty - a new value for the 'dirty' flag