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Re[2]: Fwd: Re: Re[2]: [higgins-dev] IdAS Update Proposals
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The difference between #3 and #5 is that both single and multi valued
properties are on the same level of hierarchy and if I have single
valued property I do not have a temptation to add value I can only set
it.
Valery
> I like the motorcycle analogy, but I don't see it that way at all.
>
>
>
> In proposal 3, what we've done is defined a WheeledVehicle, and
> subclassed that with a Unicycle. I'm not sure what functionality
> exists in IProperty that is inappropriate for
> ISingleValuedProperty. The one which was mentioned was addValue.
> This is valid to be called once-only on a ISingleValuedProperty,
> just as it is valid to be called 5 times-only on an IProperty which
> has maxCardinality = 5. Remember that ISingleValuedProperty is
> nothing more than an IProperty with maxCardinality = 1.
>
> In proposal 5 below, ISingleValuedProperty needs an addValue(URI
> type) (which yes, could be called setValue I suppose), and
> IMultiValuedProperty needs an addValue(IPropertyValue newValue) to
> be consistent with other interfaces.
>
>
>
> I may be missing something, but I think proposal 5 is like proposal
> 3 other than it doesn't use inheritance and uses a different name
> for the setter (set instead of add).
>
> Jim
>
>>>> Valery Kokhan <vkokhan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 4/28/07 7:21 AM >>>
> Actually I dislike proposal #3 because to my mind it is even more
> confusing then #2. It looks like in #3 we're going to do something
> like this:
> We need to define an interface to represent a motorcycle with the
> methods to fuel up, start the engine and drive and we define it as our
> base interface (just because our model allow this). Then, because
> there are use cases when we don't need an engine at all, we "extend"
> our base interface by defining an interface to represent a cycle (just
> for a user convenience). We are saying that cycle is actually a
> motorcycle but... without an engine.
> I hate to think that when I have an instance of the cycle I still have
> a methods to fuel it up and to start an engine but with unknown
> semantic however.
> It looks like nobody like proposal #2 because of the way how
> objects are extended there. Ok, I could live with that but as for me
> #2 is less confusing then #3.
> As alternative take a look at #5 below which to my mind could help us
> to avoid ambiguity like we have in both #2 and #3.
> Proposal 5:
> Definitions:
> interface IProperty {
> public URI getType() throws IdASException;
> public boolean isSingleValued();
> }
> interface ISingleValuedProperty extends IProperty {
> IPropertyValue getValue();
> IPropertyValue setValue(IPropertyValue newValue);
> }
> interface IMultiValuedProperty extends IProperty {
> Iterator getValues();
> IPropertyValue addValue(URI type);
> }
> Some sample code:
> IProperty prop;
> ...
>
> IPropertyValue val;
> IPropertyValue newVal;
>
> if (prop.isSingleValued()) {
> ISingleValuedProperty sProp = (ISingleValuedProperty) prop;
> val = sProp.getValue();
> //do thimething with the value
>
> //set new value
> sProp.setValue(newVal);
> } else {
> IMultiValuedProperty mProp = (IMultiValuedProperty) prop;
> Iterator iter = mProp.getValues();
> while (iter.hasNext()) {
> val = (IPropertyValue)iter.next();
> // do something with the value
> }
>
> //add new value
> mProp.addValue(URI.create("someType"));
> }
> In order, I'd prefer #5, #4, #2, #3, #1
> Valery
> Friday, April 27, 2007, 11:34:49 PM, you wrote:
>>
>>
>> So, here's my opinion:
>>
>> Proposal #1; I agree seems a bit wishy washy, but it's very simple
>> (check for single-valuedness, and proceed with no casting)
>>
>>
>>
>> Proposal #2; I like that there's no casting when it's a single-valued attribute.
>>
>> I dislike because it presents a model where:
>>
>> * A property has a value
>>
>> * A value is either a value or a list of values
>>
>> * A list of values is both a value and a list of values
>>
>>
>>
>> It's the last point that I worry about. A list of values is itself
>> a value? It means that my list has methods like isList(), and
>> getType(). It also has isSimple() and isComplex(). I view the two
>> latter as things that should be declared at the attribute level, not
>> the value level. Also, I don't want to present APIs that make it
>> appear that we allow an attribute to contain different typed
>> values. It also presents the view that a value may be a list of
>> values, each of which itself could be a list of values and so on.
>> Meaning, it presents an API view inconsistent with the data model.
>>
>>
>>
>> Proposal #3; If we really think it's necessary to provide a
>> convenience for users to call "getValue()" IFF an attribute is
>> single-valued, then I slightly prefer this method over #1. Valery
>> dislikes that it's possible to call ISingleValuedProperty.setValue
>> repeatedly (would fail on subsequent calls). I think this is fine
>> -- it's simply one of many places where an API will fail due to the
>> constraints of a specific Context's model.
>>
>>
>>
>> Proposal #4; This has the advantage of presenting exactly the
>> intent of the data model. Adding a convenience like getValue() is
>> effectively trying to reflect the reality of a specific Context's
>> model through the general-use IdAS APIs -- I believe this is why
>> we're getting into trouble in the first place. None of the other
>> methods provide instructions that the consumer can't perform
>> himself. Further, the consumer can build his own convenience method however he wishes.
>>
>>
>>
>> In order, I prefer #4, #3, #1, #2
>>
>>
>>
>> Jim
>>>>> "Jim Sermersheim" <jimse@xxxxxxxxxx> 4/27/07 12:14 PM >>>
>>
>> I happened to catch Valery on #higgins and asked if there were
>> issues with these before committing them. There were no issues with
>> the new add* methods, but in terms of getting a single valued
>> attribute, our proposals differ, and he had issues with what I was proposing to add.
>>
>> Please take some time to review the problem and the two proposed
>> solutions and express your view on which direction we should move
>> (or propose an alternate if you wish)
>>
>>
>>
>> Problem:
>>
>> We say that an attribute may have multiple values, and we reflect
>> this in the APIs with the method Iterator IProperty::getValues().
>> This is fine except for one thing; in a large number of cases,
>> attribute will have only a single value -- causing consumers to have to do something this:
>>
>> // assumes the user already knows this is a single-valued attr
>>
>> Iterator iter = myAttribute.getValues();
>>
>> IPropertyValue val = null;
>>
>> if (iter.hasNext()) {
>>
>> val = ((IPropertyValue)iter).next();
>>
>> }
>>
>>
>>
>> //this could have been used to determine whether the attribute was a single-valued attr
>>
>> boolean bIsSingleValued =
>> myAttribute.getProperty().getMaxCardinality() == 1 ? true : false;
>>
>>
>>
>> From a purist standpoint, this is fine -- we've provided an access
>> method which is perfectly aligned with the model being presented.
>> >From a practical standpoint however, people might prefer a simpler
>> method to access single-valued attributes. Note that we're talking
>> here about single-valued attribute in terms of the Context's model.
>> Not whether or not there happens to be a single value in a multi-valued attribute.
>>
>>
>>
>> Assuming that we're correct in our belief that the half-dozen lines
>> above are cumbersome, A number of proposals have been presented:
>>
>>
>>
>> Proposal 1 (currently implemented)
>>
>> http://download.eclipse.org/technology/higgins/idas/lastNightlyBuild/javadoc/org/eclipse/higgins/idas/IProperty.html#getValue(boolean)
>>
>> Callers would probably want to precede this by first determining
>> whether or not it's single-valued (see above)
>>
>> Sample code:
>>
>> IPropertyValue val;
>>
>> if (myAttribute.getProperty().getMaxCardinality() == 1) {
>>
>>
>> // handle single-val case
>> val = myAttribute.getValue(true); // boolean doesn't really
>> matter here since we've already determined
>>
>> // do something with val
>>
>> } else {
>>
>> // handle multi-val case
>>
>>
>> Iterator iter = myAttribute.getValues();
>>
>> while (iter.hasNext()) {
>>
>> val = ((IPropertyValue)iter).next();
>>
>>
>> // do something with val
>>
>> }
>>
>> }
>>
>>
>>
>> Proposal 2
>>
>> http://wiki.eclipse.org/index.php?title=IdAS_Update_Proposals_2 (Stuff in the first grey box)
>>
>> Sample code:
>>
>> IPropertyValue val = MyAttribute.getValue();
>>
>> if (!val.isList()) {
>>
>>
>> // handle single-val case
>>
>> // do something with val
>>
>> } else {
>>
>>
>> // handle multi-val case
>>
>> IValueList list = (IValueList) val;
>>
>>
>> Iterator iter = list.getValues();
>>
>> while (iter.hasNext()) {
>>
>> val = ((IPropertyValue)iter).next();
>>
>>
>> // do something with val
>>
>> }
>> }
>>
>>
>>
>> Proposal 3
>>
>> http://wiki.eclipse.org/index.php?title=IdAS_Update_Proposals_2 (Stuff in the second grey box)
>>
>> Sample code:
>>
>>
>> IPropertyValue val;
>>
>> if (myAttribute.isSingleValued()) {
>>
>> // handle single-val case
>>
>> ISingleValuedProperty prop = (ISingleValuedProperty) myAttribute;
>>
>> val = prop.getValue();
>>
>> // do something with val
>>
>> } else {
>>
>> // handle multi-val case
>>
>>
>> Iterator iter = myAttribute.getValues();
>>
>> while (iter.hasNext()) {
>>
>> val = ((IPropertyValue)iter).next();
>>
>>
>> // do something with val
>>
>> }
>>
>> }
>>
>>
>>
>> Proposal 4
>>
>> Remove IProperty.getValue() and make people always iterate.
>>
>>
>>
>> Please respond with your preference or alternate proposal.
>>
>>
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>>
>>>>> "Jim Sermersheim" <jimse@xxxxxxxxxx> 4/26/07 8:07 PM >>>
>> Javadoc for these changes is reflected here
>> http://www.eclipse.org/higgins/org.eclipse.higgins.docs/idas/
>>>>> "Jim Sermersheim" <jimse@xxxxxxxxxx> 4/26/07 7:29 PM >>>
>>
>> Here's the diff (which also includes the changes talked about in
>> http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/higgins-dev/msg02312.html) of
>> the addition of add*(<Instance of * interface>) methods.
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't think there was any contention on either change, so I plan
>> to check these both in tomorrow a.m. unless I hear otherwise.
>>
>>
>>
>> Jim
>>>>> "Jim Sermersheim" <jimse@xxxxxxxxxx> 4/26/07 7:25 PM >>>
>> <fwding: sorry, I'm used to pressing reply to sender for higgins
>> messages, which works except in the case of messages that come from
>> Valery for some reason. So I keep replying privately to him on accident>
>>>>> Jim Sermersheim 4/26/07 9:18 AM >>>
>>
>> I agree. I noted this at
>> http://wiki.eclipse.org/index.php/IdAS_Update_Proposals_Distillation#Specifying_updates #2,
>> but I didn't include it at this point as I viewed it as not
>> absolutely necessary. In other words, the only way I could see
>> getting the update refactoring done in a timely way was to remove anything potentially contentious.
>>
>>
>>
>> I'm happy to add this useful convenience method if no one has
>> issues with it. The only drawback I see is that it adds one more
>> method to implement -- but I think it's worth it.
>>
>>
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>>
>>>>> Valery Kokhan <vkokhan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 4/26/07 9:04 AM >>>
>> Jim,
>> I wonder why there is no methods like
>> IAttribute IDigitalSubject.addAttribute(IAttribute attr);
>> which you proposed earlier.
>> To my mind, such methods are useful when we need to copy some
>> attribute(s) from one digital subject to another.
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