uk.ac.starlink.table
Interface DomainMapper

All Known Implementing Classes:
TimeMapper

public interface DomainMapper

Marker interface for objects that can map input values to a particular common value domain. Abstract sub-types of this interface will define a particular common value domain and abstract methods for conversions to that domain. A concrete implementation of one of those sub-types will provide the actual conversion methods for a particular type of input data.

A common value domain is typically a range of numeric values with the same units and zero point, giving something like a one-dimensional coordinate frame, but without necessarily modelling all the subtleties that can be associated with coordinates. Its main job is to untangle different possible representations of physical values in input data.

Table input handlers can provide typed DomainMapper instances as part of the table metadata they construct, as a way to communicate format-specific information about the intended semantics and conversion mechanisms of columns or parameters to users of the table.

Since:
15 Aug 2013

Method Summary
 Class getSourceClass()
          Returns the type of values from which this mapper instance can convert.
 String getSourceDescription()
          Returns a description of the type of source values which this mapper can convert from.
 String getSourceName()
          Returns a short name for the type of source values which this mapper can convert from.
 String getTargetName()
          Returns a name identifying the target domain of this mapper.
 

Method Detail

getTargetName

String getTargetName()
Returns a name identifying the target domain of this mapper. An abstract DomainMapper sub-type should normally implement this as a final method with a fixed return value.

Returns:
domain identifier

getSourceClass

Class getSourceClass()
Returns the type of values from which this mapper instance can convert.

Returns:
class of mapper source objects to which this mapper can be applied

getSourceName

String getSourceName()
Returns a short name for the type of source values which this mapper can convert from.

Returns:
mapper source type name

getSourceDescription

String getSourceDescription()
Returns a description of the type of source values which this mapper can convert from.

Returns:
mapper source type description

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