lv.lumii.tda.raapi

Interface RAAPI

All Known Subinterfaces:

IRepository, RAAPI_WR

public interface RAAPI

RAAPI is a common abstraction layer for accessing models stored in different repositories associated with different technical spaces.

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
java.lang.String	callSpecificOperation(java.lang.String operationName, java.lang.String arguments) Calls a repository-specific operation (e.g., or MOF/ECore-like operation, an SQL statement, or a SPARQL statement).
long	createAdvancedAssociation(java.lang.String name, boolean nAry, boolean associationClass) Creates an n-ary association, an association class, or an n-ary association class.
long	createAssociation(long rSourceClass, long rTargetClass, java.lang.String sourceRoleName, java.lang.String targetRoleName, boolean isComposition) Creates a bidirectional association (or two directed associations, where each is an inverse of the other).
long	createAttribute(long rClass, java.lang.String name, long rPrimitiveType) Creates (defines) a new attribute for the given class.
long	createClass(java.lang.String name) Creates a class with the given fully qualified name.
long	createDirectedAssociation(long rSourceClass, long rTargetClass, java.lang.String targetRoleName, boolean isComposition) Creates a directed association.
boolean	createGeneralization(long rSubClass, long rSuperClass) Creates a generalization between the two given classes.
boolean	createLink(long rSourceObject, long rTargetObject, long rAssociationEnd) Creates a link of the given type (specified by rAssociationEnd) between two objects.
long	createObject(long rClass) Creates an instance of the given class.
boolean	createOrderedLink(long rSourceObject, long rTargetObject, long rAssociationEnd, int targetPosition) Creates a link of the given type (specified by rAssociationEnd) between two objects at the given position.
boolean	deleteAssociation(long rAssociationEndOrAdvancedAssociation) Deletes the given association.
boolean	deleteAttribute(long rAttribute) Deletes the given attribute.
boolean	deleteAttributeValue(long rObject, long rAttribute) Deletes the value (all the values) of the given attribute for the given object.
boolean	deleteClass(long rClass) Deletes the class and frees the reference.
boolean	deleteGeneralization(long rSubClass, long rSuperClass) Deletes the generalization between the given two classes.
boolean	deleteLink(long rSourceObject, long rTargetObject, long rAssociationEnd) Deletes a link of the given type (specified by rTargetAssociationEnd) between the given two objects.
boolean	deleteObject(long rObject) Creates the given object.
long	deserializeReference(java.lang.String r) Obtains a reference to a serialized element from the given serialization.
boolean	excludeObjectFromClass(long rObject, long rClass) Takes out the given object from the given (quasi-ontological) class.
long	findAssociationEnd(long rSourceClass, java.lang.String targetRoleName) Obtains a reference to an association end (by its role name) starting at the given class.
long	findAttribute(long rClass, java.lang.String name) Obtains a reference to an existing attribute with the given name of the given class.
long	findClass(java.lang.String name) Obtains a reference to an existing class with the given fully qualified name.
long	findPrimitiveDataType(java.lang.String name) Obtains a reference to a primitive data type with the given name.
void	freeIterator(long it) Frees the memory associated with the given iterator reference.
void	freeReference(long r) Frees the memory associated with the given reference (if necessary).
long	getAttributeDomain(long rAttribute) Obtains a class, for which the given attribute was defined.
java.lang.String	getAttributeName(long rAttribute) Returns the name of the given attribute.
long	getAttributeType(long rAttribute) Returns the (primitive) type for values of the given attribute.
java.lang.String	getAttributeValue(long rObject, long rAttribute) Gets the value or the ordered collection of values (encoded as a string) of the given attribute for the given object.
java.lang.String	getClassName(long rClass) Returns the fully qualified name of the given class.
long	getInverseAssociationEnd(long rAssociationEnd) Obtains a reference to the inverse association end of the given association end (if association is bidirectional or a bidirectional part of an advanced association).
long	getIteratorForAllAttributes(long rClass) Obtains an iterator for all (including inherited) attributes of the given class.
long	getIteratorForAllClassObjects(long rClassOrAdvancedAssociation) Obtains an iterator for all quasi-ontological instances of the given class or advanced association.
long	getIteratorForAllIngoingAssociationEnds(long rClass) Obtains an iterator for all (including inherited) ingoing association ends of the given class.
long	getIteratorForAllLinguisticInstances(long rClass) Returns an iterator for all quasi-linguistic instances (including instances of subclasses) at Level MΩ of the given class at Level M3.
long	getIteratorForAllOutgoingAssociationEnds(long rClass) Obtains an iterator for all (including inherited) outgoing association ends of the given class.
long	getIteratorForClasses() Obtains an iterator for all classes (all quasi-ontological classes at all quasi-ontological meta-levels).
long	getIteratorForDirectAttributes(long rClass) Obtains an iterator for direct (without inherited) attributes of the given class.
long	getIteratorForDirectClassObjects(long rClassOrAdvancedAssociation) Obtains an iterator for direct quasi-ontological instances of the given class or advanced association.
long	getIteratorForDirectIngoingAssociationEnds(long rClass) Obtains an iterator for direct (without inherited) ingoing association ends of the given class.
long	getIteratorForDirectLinguisticInstances(long rClass) Returns an iterator for direct quasi-linguistic instances (not including instances of subclasses) at Level MΩ of the given class at Level M3.
long	getIteratorForDirectObjectClasses(long rObjectOrAdvancedLink) Obtains an iterator for direct quasi-ontological classes of the given object or advanced link.
long	getIteratorForDirectOutgoingAssociationEnds(long rClass) Obtains an iterator for direct (without inherited) outgoing association ends of the given class.
long	getIteratorForDirectSubClasses(long rSuperClass) Obtains an iterator for all direct subclasses of the given superclass.
long	getIteratorForDirectSuperClasses(long rSubClass) Obtains an iterator for all direct superclasses of the given subclass.
long	getIteratorForLinguisticClasses() Returns an iterator for all quasi-linguistic classes at Level M3.
long	getIteratorForLinkedObjects(long rObject, long rAssociationEnd) Returns an iterator for objects linked to the given start object by links of the given type.
long	getIteratorForObjectsByAttributeValue(long rAttribute, java.lang.String value) Obtains an iterator for objects, for whose the value of the given attribute equals to the given value.
int	getIteratorLength(long it) Places the iterator to the position 0 and returns the total number of elements to iterate through.
long	getLinguisticClassFor(long r) Returns a reference to the Level M3 class of the given quasi-ontological (Level MΩ) element.
int	getLinkedObjectPosition(long rSourceObject, long rTargetObject, long rAssociationEnd) Returns the index (numeration starts from 0) of the target object in the list of objects linked to the source object by links of the given type.
java.lang.String	getPrimitiveDataTypeName(long rDataType) Returns the name of the given primitive data type.
java.lang.String	getRoleName(long rAssociationEnd) Returns the role name of the given association end.
long	getSourceClass(long rTargetAssociationEnd) Obtains a reference to the source class of the given directed or bidirectional association (or part of an advanced association) specified by its target end.
long	getTargetClass(long rTargetAssociationEnd) Obtains a reference to the class corresponding to the given association end of some directed, bidirectional, or advanced association.
boolean	includeObjectInClass(long rObject, long rClass) Adds the given object to the given (quasi-ontological) class.
boolean	isAdvancedAssociation(long r) Checks, whether the given reference corresponds to an advanced association.
boolean	isAssociationEnd(long r) Checks, whether the given reference corresponds to an association end.
boolean	isAttribute(long r) Checks whether the given reference is associated with an attribute.
boolean	isClass(long r) Checks whether the given reference is associated with a class.
boolean	isComposition(long rTargetAssociationEnd) Returns, whether the directed or bidirectional association (or a part of an advanced association) specified by its target association end is a composition (i.e., whether the source class objects are containers for the target class objects).
boolean	isDerivedClass(long rDirectlyOrIndirectlyDerivedClass, long rSuperClass) Checks whether one class is a direct or indirect subclass of another.
boolean	isDirectSubClass(long rSubClass, long rSuperClass) Checks whether the generalization relation between the two given classes holds.
boolean	isKindOf(long rObject, long rClass) Checks whether the given object is a direct or indirect, quasi-ontological or quasi-linguistic, instance of the given class.
boolean	isLinguistic(long r) Checks, whether the given reference is associated with a Level M3 element.
boolean	isPrimitiveDataType(long r) Checks whether the given reference is associated with a primitive data type.
boolean	isTypeOf(long rObject, long rClass) Checks whether the given object is a direct (quasi-ontological or quasi-linguistic) instance of the given class.
boolean	linkExists(long rSourceObject, long rTargetObject, long rAssociationEnd) Checks whether the link of the given type (specified by rTargetAssociationEnd) between the given two objects exists.
boolean	moveObject(long rObject, long rToClass) Moves (reclassifies) the given object into the given (quasi-ontological) class, removing it from its current class (classes).
long	resolveIterator(long it, int position) Returns a reference to the element at the given position (numeration starts from 0) and forwards the iterator to position+1.
long	resolveIteratorFirst(long it) Places the iterator to the position 0 and gets the element there.
long	resolveIteratorNext(long it) Moves the iterator forward and gets the element at that position.
java.lang.String	serializeReference(long r) Creates a string representation of the given reference, which survives the current session.
boolean	setAttributeValue(long rObject, long rAttribute, java.lang.String value) Sets the value or the ordered collection of values (encoded as a string) of the given attribute for the given object.

Method Detail

findPrimitiveDataType

long findPrimitiveDataType(java.lang.String name)

Obtains a reference to a primitive data type with the given name.

Parameters:

name - the type name. Each repository must support at least four standard primitive data types: "Integer", "Real", "Boolean", and "String".
[TODO] Certain repositories may introduce additional primitive types. To denote a repository-specific additional primitive data type, prepend the mount point of that repository, e.g., MountPoint::PeculiarDataType.

Returns:

a reference to a primitive data type with the given name, or 0 on error.
Note (TDA Kernel): TDA Kernel returns a proxy reference, which is usable even when there are multiple repositories mounted or non-standard primitive data types are used.

getPrimitiveDataTypeName

java.lang.String getPrimitiveDataTypeName(long rDataType)

Returns the name of the given primitive data type.

Parameters:

rDataType - a reference to a primitive data type, for which the name has to be obtained

Returns:

the name of the given primitive data type, or null on error.

See Also:

findPrimitiveDataType(java.lang.String)

isPrimitiveDataType

boolean isPrimitiveDataType(long r)

Checks whether the given reference is associated with a primitive data type.

Parameters:

r - a reference in question

Returns:

whether the given reference is associated with a primitive data type. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

findPrimitiveDataType(java.lang.String), getPrimitiveDataTypeName(long)

createClass

long createClass(java.lang.String name)

Creates a class with the given fully qualified name.

Parameters:

name - the fully qualified name of the class (packages are delimited by double colon "::"); this fully qualified name must be unique

Returns:

a reference to the class just created, or 0 on error.

findClass

long findClass(java.lang.String name)

Obtains a reference to an existing class with the given fully qualified name.
Note (M3): If the underlying repository provides access to its quasi-linguistic meta-metamodel, quasi-linguistic classes can be accessed by using the prefix "M3::", e.g., SomePath::MountPoint::M3::SomeMetaType
Note (adapters): This function is optional for repository adapters. If not implemented in an adapter, TDA Kernel implements it through getIteratorForClasses [TODO] and getIteratorForLinguisticClasses.

Parameters:

name - the fully qualified name of the class (for quasi-linguistic classes, use prefix "M3::")

Returns:

a reference to a (quasi-ontological or quasi-linguistic) class with the given fully qualified name.

See Also:

on meta-levels

getClassName

java.lang.String getClassName(long rClass)

Returns the fully qualified name of the given class.
[TODO] Note (M3): If the reference points to a quasi-linguistic class, then the prefix "M3::" is also included in the return value, e.g., MountPointForTheCorrespondingRepository::M3::ClassName.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to the class, for which the class name has to be obtained

Returns:

the fully qualified name of the given class, or null on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

deleteClass

boolean deleteClass(long rClass)

Deletes the class and frees the reference.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to the class to be deleted

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

getIteratorForClasses

long getIteratorForClasses()

Obtains an iterator for all classes (all quasi-ontological classes at all quasi-ontological meta-levels).
Note (M3): Linguistic classes are not traversed by this iterator. Use getIteratorForLinguisticClasses instead.

Returns:

an iterator for all classes, or 0 on error.

See Also:

getIteratorForLinguisticClasses(), on iterators, on meta-levels

createGeneralization

boolean createGeneralization(long rSubClass,
                             long rSuperClass)

Creates a generalization between the two given classes.
The given subclass can be a derived class of the given superclass, but the direct generalization between them must not exist.
The generalization relation being created must not introduce inheritance loops.

Parameters:

rSubClass - a class that becomes a subclass

rSuperClass - a class that becomes a superclass

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

deleteGeneralization

boolean deleteGeneralization(long rSubClass,
                             long rSuperClass)

Deletes the generalization between the given two classes.

Parameters:

rSubClass - a class that was a subclass

rSuperClass - a class that was a superclass

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

getIteratorForDirectSuperClasses

long getIteratorForDirectSuperClasses(long rSubClass)

Obtains an iterator for all direct superclasses of the given subclass.
Note (M3): If the given subclass is a quasi-linguistic class, then an iterator for its direct quasi-linguistic superclasses is returned.

Parameters:

rSubClass - a subclass for which to obtain direct superclasses

Returns:

an iterator for all direct superclasses of the given subclass, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on iterators, on meta-levels

getIteratorForDirectSubClasses

long getIteratorForDirectSubClasses(long rSuperClass)

Obtains an iterator for all direct subclasses of the given superclass.
Note (M3): If the given superclass is a quasi-linguistic class, then an iterator for direct quasi-linguistic subclasses is returned.

Parameters:

rSuperClass - a superclass for which to obtain direct subclasses

Returns:

an iterator for all direct subclasses of the given superclass, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on iterators, on meta-levels

isClass

boolean isClass(long r)

Checks whether the given reference is associated with a class.
Note (M3): A reference at Level M3 can also be passed.

Parameters:

r - a reference in question

Returns:

whether the given reference is associated with a class. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on meta-levels

isDirectSubClass

boolean isDirectSubClass(long rSubClass,
                         long rSuperClass)

Checks whether the generalization relation between the two given classes holds.
Note (M3): Both classes may be either quasi-ontological, or quasi-linguistic.

Parameters:

rSubClass - a reference to a potential subclass

rSuperClass - a reference to a potential superclass

Returns:

whether the generalization relation holds. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on meta-levels

isDerivedClass

boolean isDerivedClass(long rDirectlyOrIndirectlyDerivedClass,
                       long rSuperClass)

Checks whether one class is a direct or indirect subclass of another.
Note (M3): Both classes may be either quasi-ontological, or quasi-linguistic.

Parameters:

rDirectlyOrIndirectlyDerivedClass - a reference to a potential subclass or derived class

rSuperClass - a reference to a potential (direct or indirect) superclass

Returns:

whether the first class derives from the second. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on meta-levels

createObject

long createObject(long rClass)

Creates an instance of the given class.
Note (M3): If the given class is a quasi-linguistic class, then its quasi-linguistic instance at Level MΩ is being created.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class (either quasi-ontological, or quasi-linguistic)

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on meta-levels

deleteObject

boolean deleteObject(long rObject)

Creates the given object.

Parameters:

rObject - a reference to the object to be deleted

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

includeObjectInClass

boolean includeObjectInClass(long rObject,
                             long rClass)

Adds the given object to the given (quasi-ontological) class. The function works, if the underlying repository supports multiple classification and dynamic reclassification.
Note (M3): It is assumed that an element from a quasi-ontological level can be associated with only one quasi-linguistic type (quasi-linguistic class), thus, includeObjectInClass is meaningless in this case.

Parameters:

rObject - a reference to the object to be included in the given class

rClass - a reference to the class, where to put the object (in addition to classes, where the object already belongs)

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on meta-levels

excludeObjectFromClass

boolean excludeObjectFromClass(long rObject,
                               long rClass)

Takes out the given object from the given (quasi-ontological) class.
The function works, if the underlying repository supports multiple classification and dynamic reclassification. If the object currently is only in one class, then the operation fails (it is assumed that each object must be at least in one class).
Note (M3): It is assumed that an element from a quasi-ontological level can be associated with only one quasi-linguistic type (quasi-linguistic class), thus, excludeObjectInClass as well as includeObjectInClass are meaningless in this case.

Parameters:

rObject - a reference to the object to be excluded from the given class

rClass - a reference to the class, which to exclude from the classifiers of the given object

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on meta-levels

moveObject

boolean moveObject(long rObject,
                   long rToClass)

Moves (reclassifies) the given object into the given (quasi-ontological) class, removing it from its current class (classes).
The function is similar to calling
includeObjectInClass(rObject, rToClass); followed by calling
excludeObjectInClass(rObject, c) for all other current classifiers c of the given object.
The distinction is that it may be possible to implement this function even when multiple classification is not supported.
Note (adapters): This function is optional for repository adapters. If not implemented in an adapter, TDA Kernel implements it by [TODO] recreating the object (with the new type), while also recreating all attributes and links.
Note (M3): It is assumed that an element from a quasi-ontological level cannot dynamically change its quasi-linguistic type (quasi-linguistic class), thus, moveObject is meaningless in this case.

Parameters:

rObject - a reference to the object to be reclassified

rToClass - a reference to the class, to which the object will belong

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on meta-levels

getIteratorForAllClassObjects

long getIteratorForAllClassObjects(long rClassOrAdvancedAssociation)

Obtains an iterator for all quasi-ontological instances of the given class or advanced association.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllClassObjects and getIteratorForDirectClassObjects. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): If the given class or advanced association is quasi-linguistic, then an iterator for the quasi-linguistic elements it describes is returned, e.g., for the EMOF class "Class", an iterator for all classes found in EMOF is returned; for the EMOF class "Property", an iterator for all properties found in EMOF is returned, etc.

Parameters:

rClassOrAdvancedAssociation - a reference to a class or an advanced association

Returns:

an iterator for all quasi-ontological instances (objects) of the given class or advanced association. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForDirectClassObjects(long), on iterators, on advanced associations, on meta-levels

getIteratorForDirectClassObjects

long getIteratorForDirectClassObjects(long rClassOrAdvancedAssociation)

Obtains an iterator for direct quasi-ontological instances of the given class or advanced association.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllClassObjects and getIteratorForDirectClassObjects. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): If the given class or advanced association is quasi-linguistic, then an iterator for the quasi-linguistic elements it describes is returned, e.g., for the EMOF class "Class", an iterator for all classes found in EMOF is returned; for the EMOF class "Property", an iterator for all properties found in EMOF is returned, etc.

Parameters:

rClassOrAdvancedAssociation - a reference to a class or an advanced association

Returns:

an iterator for direct quasi-ontological instances (objects) of the given class or advanced association. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForAllClassObjects(long), on iterators, on advanced associations, on meta-levels

getIteratorForDirectObjectClasses

long getIteratorForDirectObjectClasses(long rObjectOrAdvancedLink)

Obtains an iterator for direct quasi-ontological classes of the given object or advanced link.
Note (M3): The function works also if the given object or advanced link is quasi-linguistic and the underlying repository provides access to quasi-linguistic elements. To get the quasi-linguistic class for the given element at some quasi-ontological level, use getLinguisticClassFor.

Parameters:

rObjectOrAdvancedLink - a reference to an object or advanced link

Returns:

an iterator for direct quasi-ontological classes of the given object or advanced link. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getLinguisticClassFor(long), on iterators, on advanced associations, on meta-levels

isTypeOf

boolean isTypeOf(long rObject,
                 long rClass)

Checks whether the given object is a direct (quasi-ontological or quasi-linguistic) instance of the given class.
Note (M3): The function works also when one or both of rObject and rClass is/are quasi-linguistic. If the object is at a quasi-ontological meta-level, but the class is quasi-linguistic, then the function checks whether the object is a direct quasi-linguistic instance of the given class.

Parameters:

rObject - a reference to an object

rClass - a reference to a class

Returns:

whether the given object is a direct instance of the given class. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

isKindOf(long, long), on meta-levels

isKindOf

boolean isKindOf(long rObject,
                 long rClass)

Checks whether the given object is a direct or indirect, quasi-ontological or quasi-linguistic, instance of the given class.
Note (M3): The function works also when one or both of rObject and rClass is/are quasi-linguistic. If the object is at a quasi-ontological meta-level, but the class is quasi-linguistic, then the function checks whether the object is a quasi-linguistic instance of the given class or one of its subclasses.

Parameters:

rObject - a reference to an object

rClass - a reference to a class

Returns:

whether the given object is a (direct or indirect) instance of the given class. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

isTypeOf(long, long), on meta-levels

createAttribute

long createAttribute(long rClass,
                     java.lang.String name,
                     long rPrimitiveType)

Creates (defines) a new attribute for the given class. The default cardinality is the widest cardinality supported by the repository (e.g., "0..*", if multi-valued attributes are supported; or "0..1", otherwise). The cardinality can be looked up and changed by using the quasi-linguistic meta-metalevel.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to an existing class, for which to define the attribute

name - the name of the attribute being created; it must be unique within all the attributes defined for this class, including derived ones

rPrimitiveType - a reference to a primitive data type for attribute values

Returns:

a reference to the attribute just created, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

findAttribute

long findAttribute(long rClass,
                   java.lang.String name)

Obtains a reference to an existing attribute with the given name of the given class.
Note (M3): The class reference may point also to a quasi-linguistic class.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class, where the attribute in question belongs; rClass may be also one of its subclasses, since the attribute is available for subclasses, too

name - the name of the attribute

Returns:

a reference to the desired attribute, or 0 on error; the reference returned is the same reference for the class, for which the attribute was defined, as well as for derived classes.

See Also:

on meta-levels

deleteAttribute

boolean deleteAttribute(long rAttribute)

Deletes the given attribute.

Parameters:

rAttribute - a reference to the attribute to be deleted

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

getIteratorForAllAttributes

long getIteratorForAllAttributes(long rClass)

Obtains an iterator for all (including inherited) attributes of the given class.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllAttributes and getIteratorForDirectAttributes. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): The function works also for quasi-linguistic classes.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class, whose attributes we are interested in

Returns:

an iterator for all attributes (including inherited) of the given class. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForDirectAttributes(long), on iterators, on meta-levels

getIteratorForDirectAttributes

long getIteratorForDirectAttributes(long rClass)

Obtains an iterator for direct (without inherited) attributes of the given class.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllAttributes and getIteratorForDirectAttributes. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): The function works also for quasi-linguistic classes.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class, whose attributes we are interested in

Returns:

an iterator for direct attributes of the given class. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForAllAttributes(long), on iterators, on meta-levels

getAttributeName

java.lang.String getAttributeName(long rAttribute)

Returns the name of the given attribute.
Note (M3): The function works also for attributes of quasi-linguistic classes.

Parameters:

rAttribute - a reference to the attribute in question

Returns:

the name of the given attribute, or null on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

getAttributeDomain

long getAttributeDomain(long rAttribute)

Obtains a class, for which the given attribute was defined.
Note (M3): The function works also for attributes of quasi-linguistic classes.

Parameters:

rAttribute - a reference to the attribute in question

Returns:

a reference to a class, for which the given attribute belongs, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

getAttributeType

long getAttributeType(long rAttribute)

Returns the (primitive) type for values of the given attribute.
Note (M3): The function works also for attributes of quasi-linguistic classes.

Parameters:

rAttribute - a reference to the attribute in question

Returns:

a reference to a primitive data type for values of the given attribute.

See Also:

on meta-levels

isAttribute

boolean isAttribute(long r)

Checks whether the given reference is associated with an attribute.
Note (adapters): If a repository adapter does not implement this function, TDA Kernel will implement it by means of getAttributeDomain, getAttributeName and findAttribute.
Note (M3): A reference at Level M3 can also be passed.

Parameters:

r - a reference in question

Returns:

whether the given reference is associated with an attribute. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on meta-levels

setAttributeValue

boolean setAttributeValue(long rObject,
                          long rAttribute,
                          java.lang.String value)

Sets the value or the ordered collection of values (encoded as a string) of the given attribute for the given object.
Note (adapters): Repository adapters may assume that the value is not null and not a string encoding null, since for those cases TDA Kernel forwards the call to deleteAttributeValue.
Note (M3): The attribute reference can be a reference at the M3 level. In this case the object can be any element at the MΩ level.

Parameters:

rObject - the object, for which to set the attribute value (values)

rAttribute - the attribute, for which to set the value; this attribute must be associated either with a quasi-ontological class or the quasi-linguistic class of the given object

value - the attribute value (values) encoded as a string (use "." for the decimal point)

Returns:

whether the value(s) has (have) been set. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on encoding values, on meta-levels

getAttributeValue

java.lang.String getAttributeValue(long rObject,
                                   long rAttribute)

Gets the value or the ordered collection of values (encoded as a string) of the given attribute for the given object.
Note (M3): The attribute reference can be a reference at the M3 level.

Parameters:

rObject - the object, for which to get the attribute value (values)

rAttribute - the attribute, for which to obtain the value; this attribute must be associated either with a quasi-ontological class or the quasi-linguistic class of the given object

Returns:

the attribute value (values) encoded as a string (for the decimal point the dot symbol "." is used), or null on error.

See Also:

on encoding values, on meta-levels

deleteAttributeValue

boolean deleteAttributeValue(long rObject,
                             long rAttribute)

Deletes the value (all the values) of the given attribute for the given object.
Note (M3): The attribute reference can be a reference at the M3 level. In this case the object can be any element at the MΩ level.

Parameters:

rObject - the object, for which to get the attribute value (values)

rAttribute - the attribute, for which to obtain the value; this attribute must be associated either with a quasi-ontological class or the quasi-linguistic class of the given object

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on encoding values, on meta-levels

getIteratorForObjectsByAttributeValue

long getIteratorForObjectsByAttributeValue(long rAttribute,
                                           java.lang.String value)

Obtains an iterator for objects, for whose the value of the given attribute equals to the given value. The value has to be encoded as a string (it may encode an ordered collection of multiple values).
Note (M3): The attribute reference can be a reference at the M3 level. In this case the objects traversed by the returned iterator are elements at the MΩ level.

Parameters:

rAttribute - the attribute to check

value - the value to check

Returns:

the iterator for objects with the given attribute value, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on iterators, on encoding values, on meta-levels

createAssociation

long createAssociation(long rSourceClass,
                       long rTargetClass,
                       java.lang.String sourceRoleName,
                       java.lang.String targetRoleName,
                       boolean isComposition)

Creates a bidirectional association (or two directed associations, where each is an inverse of the other). The default value for the source and target cardinalities should be "*".
Note (M3): The M3 level can be used to get/set the cardinality, if the repository supports constraints and the M3 level operations. Cardinality constraints must be accessible via M3 for that.

Parameters:

rSourceClass - the class, where the association starts

rTargetClass - the class, where the association ends

sourceRoleName - the name of the association end near the source class

targetRoleName - the name of the association end near the target class

isComposition - whether the association is a composition, i.e., the source class objects are containers for the target class objects

Returns:

a reference for the target association end of the association just created, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

createDirectedAssociation

long createDirectedAssociation(long rSourceClass,
                               long rTargetClass,
                               java.lang.String targetRoleName,
                               boolean isComposition)

Creates a directed association. The default value for the source and target cardinalities should be "*".
Note (adapters): If a repository adapter does not implement this function, TDA kernel will simulate it by means of createAssociation (a stub inverse role will be generated).
Note (M3): The M3 level can be used to get/set the cardinality, if the repository supports constraints and the M3 level operations. Cardinality constraints must be accessible via M3 for that.

Parameters:

rSourceClass - the class, where the association starts

rTargetClass - the class, where the association ends

targetRoleName - the name of the association end near the target class

isComposition - whether the association is a composition, i.e., the source class objects are containers for the target class objects

Returns:

a reference for the target association end of the association just created, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

createAdvancedAssociation

long createAdvancedAssociation(java.lang.String name,
                               boolean nAry,
                               boolean associationClass)

Creates an n-ary association, an association class, or an n-ary association class.
An advanced association behaves likes a class (although it might not be a class internally) with n bidirectional associations attached to it. To specify all n association ends, call createAssociation n times, where a reference to the n-ary association has to be passed instead of one of the class references. N-ary association links can be created by means of createObject, and n-ary link ends can be created by calling createLink n times and passing a reference to the n-ary link instead of one of the object references.
Note (adapters): The underlying repository is allowed to create an n-ary association class, even when nAry or associationClass is false.
Note (adapters): If a repository adapter does not implement this function, TDA kernel will implement this function by introducing an additional class.
Note (M3): The M3 level can be used to get/set the cardinality, if the repository supports constraints and the M3 level operations. Cardinality constraints must be accessible via M3 for that.

Parameters:

name - the name of the advanced association (the class name in case of an association class)

nAry - whether the association is an n-ary association

associationClass - whether the association is an association class

Returns:

a reference to the n-ary association just created (not the association end, since no association ends are created yet), or 0 on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels, on advanced associations

findAssociationEnd

long findAssociationEnd(long rSourceClass,
                        java.lang.String targetRoleName)

Obtains a reference to an association end (by its role name) starting at the given class.
Note (adapters): If not implemented in the adapter, TDA kernel will implement it by means of getIteratorForAllOutgoingAssociationEnds.
Note (M3): The function works also, when searching for association ends at Level M3.

Parameters:

rSourceClass - a class that is a source class for the association, or one of its subclasses

targetRoleName - a role name associated with the target association end

Returns:

a reference to an association end corresponding to the given target role name.

See Also:

on meta-levels

deleteAssociation

boolean deleteAssociation(long rAssociationEndOrAdvancedAssociation)

Deletes the given association. Directed and bidirectional associations are specified by (one of) their ends. Advanced associations have their own references. If the association is bidirectional, the inverse association end is deleted as well. For advanced associations, all association parts are deleted.

Parameters:

rAssociationEndOrAdvancedAssociation - a reference to an association end (if the association is directed or bidirectional) or a reference to an advanced association

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on advanced associations

getIteratorForAllOutgoingAssociationEnds

long getIteratorForAllOutgoingAssociationEnds(long rClass)

Obtains an iterator for all (including inherited) outgoing association ends of the given class.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllOutgoingAssociationEnds and getIteratorForDirectOutgoingAssociationEnds. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): The function works also for associations at Level M3.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class, whose outgoing associations (including inherited) have to be traversed

Returns:

an iterator for all (including inherited) outgoing association ends of the given class. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForDirectOutgoingAssociationEnds(long), on iterators, on meta-levels

getIteratorForDirectOutgoingAssociationEnds

long getIteratorForDirectOutgoingAssociationEnds(long rClass)

Obtains an iterator for direct (without inherited) outgoing association ends of the given class.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllOutgoingAssociationEnds and getIteratorForDirectOutgoingAssociationEnds. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): The function works also for associations at Level M3.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class, whose direct outgoing associations have to be traversed

Returns:

an iterator for direct (without inherited) outgoing association ends of the given class. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForAllOutgoingAssociationEnds(long), on iterators, on meta-levels

getIteratorForAllIngoingAssociationEnds

long getIteratorForAllIngoingAssociationEnds(long rClass)

Obtains an iterator for all (including inherited) ingoing association ends of the given class.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllIngoingAssociationEnds and getIteratorForDirectIngoingAssociationEnds. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): The function works also for associations at Level M3.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class, whose ingoing associations (including inherited) have to be traversed

Returns:

an iterator for all (including inherited) ingoing association ends of the given class. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForDirectIngoingAssociationEnds(long), on iterators, on meta-levels

getIteratorForDirectIngoingAssociationEnds

long getIteratorForDirectIngoingAssociationEnds(long rClass)

Obtains an iterator for direct (without inherited) ingoing association ends of the given class.
Note (adapters): A repository adapter may implement only one of the functions getIteratorForAllIngoingAssociationEnds and getIteratorForDirectIngoingAssociationEnds. The unimplemented function will be implemented via another by TDA Kernel.
Note (M3): The function works also for associations at Level M3.

Parameters:

rClass - a reference to a class, whose direct ingoing associations have to be traversed

Returns:

an iterator for direct (without inherited) ingoing association ends of the given class. On error, 0 is returned.

See Also:

getIteratorForAllIngoingAssociationEnds(long), on iterators, on meta-levels

getInverseAssociationEnd

long getInverseAssociationEnd(long rAssociationEnd)

Obtains a reference to the inverse association end of the given association end (if association is bidirectional or a bidirectional part of an advanced association).
Note (M3): The function works also for association ends at Level M3.

Parameters:

rAssociationEnd - a reference to a known association end, for which the inverse end has to be obtained

Returns:

a reference to the inverse association end. On error or if the association end does not have the inverse, 0 is returned.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

getSourceClass

long getSourceClass(long rTargetAssociationEnd)

Obtains a reference to the source class of the given directed or bidirectional association (or part of an advanced association) specified by its target end. Any of the association ends can be considered a target end, when calling this function.

Parameters:

rTargetAssociationEnd - an association end of some association; this association end will be considered a target end

Returns:

a reference to the source class of the given association specified by its target end.

See Also:

on advanced associations

getTargetClass

long getTargetClass(long rTargetAssociationEnd)

Obtains a reference to the class corresponding to the given association end of some directed, bidirectional, or advanced association. For bidirectional and advanced associations, any of the two association ends can be considered a target end, when calling this function.

Parameters:

rTargetAssociationEnd - an association end of some association; this association end will be considered a target end

Returns:

a reference to the class corresponding to the given association end.

See Also:

on advanced associations

getRoleName

java.lang.String getRoleName(long rAssociationEnd)

Returns the role name of the given association end.

Parameters:

rAssociationEnd - an association end of some directed, bidirectional, or advanced association

Returns:

the role name of the given association end, or null on error.

See Also:

on advanced associations

isComposition

boolean isComposition(long rTargetAssociationEnd)

Returns, whether the directed or bidirectional association (or a part of an advanced association) specified by its target association end is a composition (i.e., whether the source class objects are containers for the target class objects).
Note (M3): A reference at Level M3 can also be passed.

Parameters:

rTargetAssociationEnd - an association end of some association; this association end will be considered a target end

Returns:

whether the directed or bidirectional association (or a part of an advanced association) is a composition.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

isAdvancedAssociation

boolean isAdvancedAssociation(long r)

Checks, whether the given reference corresponds to an advanced association.
Note (M3): A reference at Level M3 can also be passed.

Parameters:

r - a reference in question

Returns:

whether the given reference corresponds to an advanced association. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

isAssociationEnd

boolean isAssociationEnd(long r)

Checks, whether the given reference corresponds to an association end.
Note (adapters): If not implemented in a repository adapter, TDA Kernel will implement it by means of getSourceClass, getRoleName and findAssociationEnd.
Note (M3): A reference at Level M3 can also be passed.

Parameters:

r - a reference in question

Returns:

whether the given reference corresponds to an association end. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

createLink

boolean createLink(long rSourceObject,
                   long rTargetObject,
                   long rAssociationEnd)

Creates a link of the given type (specified by rAssociationEnd) between two objects.
Note (M3): An association end at Level M3 can also be passed. In this case, at least one of the source and target objects must be an element at the MΩ level. The semantics of such link then depends on a particular quasi-linguistic metamodel at Level M3.

Parameters:

rSourceObject - a start object of the link; this object must be an instance of the source class for the given association end

rTargetObject - an end object of the link; this object must be an instance of the target class for the given association end

rAssociationEnd - a target association end that specifies the link type

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

createOrderedLink

boolean createOrderedLink(long rSourceObject,
                          long rTargetObject,
                          long rAssociationEnd,
                          int targetPosition)

Creates a link of the given type (specified by rAssociationEnd) between two objects at the given position. The target position normally should be from 0 to n, where n is the number of currently linked objects at positions from 0 to n-1. If the target position is outside [0..n], then the link is appended to the end.
Note (M3): An association end at Level M3 can also be passed. In this case, at least one of the source and target objects must be an element at the MΩ level. The semantics of such link then depends on a particular quasi-linguistic metamodel at Level M3.

Parameters:

rSourceObject - a start object of the link; this object must be an instance of the source class for the given association end

rTargetObject - an end object of the link; this object must be an instance of the target class for the given association end

rAssociationEnd - a target association end that specifies the link type

targetPosition - the position (starting from 0) of the target object in the list of linked objects of the source object;

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

deleteLink

boolean deleteLink(long rSourceObject,
                   long rTargetObject,
                   long rAssociationEnd)

Deletes a link of the given type (specified by rTargetAssociationEnd) between the given two objects.
Note (M3): An association end at Level M3 can also be passed. In this case, at least one of the source and target objects must be an element at the MΩ level. The semantics of such link then depends on a particular quasi-linguistic metamodel at Level M3.

Parameters:

rSourceObject - a start object of the link; this object must be an instance of the source class for the given association end

rTargetObject - an end object of the link; this object must be an instance of the target class for the given association end

rAssociationEnd - a target association end that specifies the link type

Returns:

whether the operation succeeded.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

linkExists

boolean linkExists(long rSourceObject,
                   long rTargetObject,
                   long rAssociationEnd)

Checks whether the link of the given type (specified by rTargetAssociationEnd) between the given two objects exists.
Note (adapters): If not implemented in a repository adapter, TDA Kernel will implement this function through getIteratorForLinkedObjects.
Note (M3): An association end at Level M3 can also be passed. In this case, at least one of the source and target objects must be an element at the MΩ level. The semantics of such link then depends on a particular quasi-linguistic metamodel at Level M3.

Parameters:

rSourceObject - a start object of the link; this object must be an instance of the source class for the given association end

rTargetObject - an end object of the link; this object must be an instance of the target class for the given association end

rAssociationEnd - a target association end that specifies the link type

Returns:

whether the link exists. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on advanced associations, on meta-levels

getIteratorForLinkedObjects

long getIteratorForLinkedObjects(long rObject,
                                 long rAssociationEnd)

Returns an iterator for objects linked to the given start object by links of the given type.
Note (M3): The type of links may also be an association end at Level M3.

Parameters:

rObject - a start object, for which the iterable objects are linked this object must be an instance of the source class for the given association end

rAssociationEnd - a target association end that specifies the type of links

Returns:

an iterator for objects, linked to the given object by links of the given type, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on iterators, on advanced associations, on meta-levels

getLinkedObjectPosition

int getLinkedObjectPosition(long rSourceObject,
                            long rTargetObject,
                            long rAssociationEnd)

Returns the index (numeration starts from 0) of the target object in the list of objects linked to the source object by links of the given type.
Note (M3): The type of links may also be an association end at Level M3.

Parameters:

rSourceObject - a source object; this object must be an instance of the source class for the given association end

rTargetObject - a target object; this object must be an instance of the target class for the given association end

rAssociationEnd - a target association end that specifies the type of links

Returns:

the index (numeration starts from 0) of the given target object in the list of objects linked to the source object. On error or when the source and target objects are not linked by the given association, -1 is returned.

See Also:

on iterators, on advanced associations, on meta-levels

resolveIteratorFirst

long resolveIteratorFirst(long it)

Places the iterator to the position 0 and gets the element there.

Parameters:

it - an iterator reference

Returns:

the element at position 0 in the iterable list. If there are no elements or if an error occurred, 0 is returned.

See Also:

resolveIteratorNext(long), freeIterator(long), on iterators

resolveIteratorNext

long resolveIteratorNext(long it)

Moves the iterator forward and gets the element at that position.

Parameters:

it - an iterator reference

Returns:

the element the iterator points to, after the iterator has been moved one step forward. If there are no elements or if an error occurred, 0 is returned.

See Also:

resolveIteratorFirst(long), freeIterator(long), on iterators

getIteratorLength

int getIteratorLength(long it)

Places the iterator to the position 0 and returns the total number of elements to iterate through. Call resolveIteratorFirst or resolveIterator to move the iterator.
Note (adapters): If not implemented in a repository adapter, TDA Kernel traverses all the elements and stores them in a temporary list. Thus, the first call will take the linear execution time, while all subsequent calls will take the constant time. The same refers to the resolveIterator function. If both getIteratorLength and resolveIterator are used, the temporary list is created only once.

Parameters:

it - an iterator reference

Returns:

the total number of elements to iterate through. On error returns 0 (thus, the return value still represents the number of iterations, which can be performed with this iterator).

See Also:

resolveIterator(long, int), freeIterator(long), on iterators

resolveIterator

long resolveIterator(long it,
                     int position)

Returns a reference to the element at the given position (numeration starts from 0) and forwards the iterator to position+1.
Note (adapters): If not implemented in a repository adapter, TDA Kernel traverses all the elements and stores them in a temporary list. Thus, the first call will take the linear execution time, while all subsequent calls will take the constant time. The same refers to the getIteratorLength function. If both getIteratorLength and resolveIterator are used, the temporary list is created only once.

Parameters:

it - an iterator reference

position - the position in the iterable list, where the interested element is located

Returns:

a reference to the element at the given position, or 0 if the position is out of bounds, or if an error occurred.

See Also:

getIteratorLength(long), freeIterator(long), on iterators

freeIterator

void freeIterator(long it)

Frees the memory associated with the given iterator reference.

Parameters:

it - an iterator reference

See Also:

on iterators

freeReference

void freeReference(long r)

Frees the memory associated with the given reference (if necessary).

serializeReference

java.lang.String serializeReference(long r)

Creates a string representation of the given reference, which survives the current session. For the next session, TDA kernel will use this string to get another reference to the same element by means of deserializeReference. This is essential for storing inter-repository relations.

Parameters:

r - the reference to serialize

Returns:

a string representation of the given reference, which survives the current session, or null on error.

See Also:

deserializeReference(java.lang.String)

deserializeReference

long deserializeReference(java.lang.String r)

Obtains a reference to a serialized element from the given serialization. This is essential for loading inter-repository relations.

Parameters:

r - the serialization of an element, for which to obtain a reference

Returns:

a reference corresponding for the given serialization, or 0 on error.

See Also:

serializeReference(long)

getIteratorForLinguisticClasses

long getIteratorForLinguisticClasses()

Returns an iterator for all quasi-linguistic classes at Level M3.
Note (M3): This function works only at Level M3.

Returns:

an iterator for all quasi-linguistic classes at Level M3.

See Also:

on meta-levels

getIteratorForDirectLinguisticInstances

long getIteratorForDirectLinguisticInstances(long rClass)

Returns an iterator for direct quasi-linguistic instances (not including instances of subclasses) at Level MΩ of the given class at Level M3.
Note (M3): This function takes a class at Level M3 and returns an iterator for elements at Level MΩ.

Parameters:

rClass - a Level M3 class

Returns:

an iterator for direct quasi-linguistic instances at Level MΩ of the given class at Level M3, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

getIteratorForAllLinguisticInstances

long getIteratorForAllLinguisticInstances(long rClass)

Returns an iterator for all quasi-linguistic instances (including instances of subclasses) at Level MΩ of the given class at Level M3.
Note (M3): This function takes a class at Level M3 and returns an iterator for elements at Level MΩ.

Parameters:

rClass - a Level M3 class

Returns:

an iterator for direct quasi-linguistic instances at Level MΩ of the given class (and its subclasses) at Level M3, or 0 on error.

See Also:

on meta-levels

getLinguisticClassFor

long getLinguisticClassFor(long r)

Returns a reference to the Level M3 class of the given quasi-ontological (Level MΩ) element. It is assumed that there may be at most one quasi-linguistic class at M3 for each quasi-ontological element at MΩ.

Parameters:

r - a quasi-ontological (Level MΩ) element

Returns:

a reference to the Level M3 class of the given quasi-ontological (Level MΩ) element. On error or if M3 is not supported by the underlying repository, 0 is returned.

See Also:

on meta-levels

isLinguistic

boolean isLinguistic(long r)

Checks, whether the given reference is associated with a Level M3 element. Can be used together with isClass, isAssociationEnd, etc. to get more details about the element.

Parameters:

r - a reference in question

Returns:

whether the given reference is associated with a Level M3 element. On error, false is returned.

See Also:

on meta-levels

callSpecificOperation

java.lang.String callSpecificOperation(java.lang.String operationName,
                                       java.lang.String arguments)

Calls a repository-specific operation (e.g., or MOF/ECore-like operation, an SQL statement, or a SPARQL statement). Arguments (if any) are encoded as a string delimited by means of the Unicode character U+001E (INFORMATION SEPARATOR TWO). For no-argument methods arguments must be null.
For instance, a repository may accept the following calls:
callSpecificOperation("SQL", "SELECT * FROM MY TABLE");
callSpecificOperation("myMethod", "[object-reference][u001E][argument1]...");
callSpecificOperation("", null);
For static MOF/ECore-like operations, the first argument should point to a class. For non-static operations the first argument should point to an object (that resembles this pointer in Java).

Parameters:

operationName - a repository-specific operation name

arguments - operation-specific arguments encoded as a string

Returns:

the return value of the call encoded as a string, or null on error.

See Also:

on encoding values