net.ontopia.topicmaps.core
Interface AssociationRoleIF

All Superinterfaces:

ReifiableIF, TMObjectIF, TypedIF

All Known Implementing Classes:

AssociationRole, AssociationRole, DynamicAssociationRole, ReadOnlyAssociationRole

public interface AssociationRoleIF
extends TypedIF, ReifiableIF

PUBLIC: Implemented by objects representing association roles in the topic map model. Association roles are first-class objects which represent a topic playing a role in an association.

Note: in XTM 1.0 terminology, associations have members playing roles in the association. In ISO 13250 terminology, playing a role in an association is a characteristic of a topic. These notions are intended to be equivalent.

Method Summary

AssociationIF	getAssociation() PUBLIC: Gets the association to which this association role belongs.
TopicIF	getPlayer() PUBLIC: Gets the topic that plays this association role (this member of the association).
void	setPlayer(TopicIF player) PUBLIC: Sets the topic that plays this association role.

Methods inherited from interface net.ontopia.topicmaps.core.TypedIF

getType, setType

Methods inherited from interface net.ontopia.topicmaps.core.ReifiableIF

getReifier, setReifier

Methods inherited from interface net.ontopia.topicmaps.core.TMObjectIF

addItemIdentifier, getItemIdentifiers, getObjectId, getTopicMap, isReadOnly, remove, removeItemIdentifier

Method Detail

getAssociation

AssociationIF getAssociation()

PUBLIC: Gets the association to which this association role belongs.

Returns:

The association to which this association role belongs; an object implementing AssociationIF.

getPlayer

TopicIF getPlayer()

PUBLIC: Gets the topic that plays this association role (this member of the association).

Returns:

The topic (member) which plays this role in the association.

setPlayer

void setPlayer(TopicIF player)

PUBLIC: Sets the topic that plays this association role. Note that this has the side-effect of removing the role from its current player, if any, and inserting it on the new player, if any.

Parameters:

player - The topic (member) which plays this role in the association. Can be null; if null, then the effect is that there is no player of this role in this association.