StringReaderProvider.java

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package com.sun.jersey.spi;

import java.lang.annotation.Annotation;
import java.lang.reflect.Type;

/**
 * Contract for a provider that supports the conversion of a string to a
 * Java type. To add a <code>StringReaderProvider</code> implementation, 
 * annotate the implementation class with <code>Provider</code>.
 * <p>
 * Such providers will be used when converting a String value to a java type
 * annotated by the *Param annotations such as {@link javax.ws.rs.QueryParam}.
 * 
 * @param <T> The Java type.
 * @see javax.ws.rs.ext.Provider
 * @see com.sun.jersey.spi.StringReaderWorkers
 * @author Paul.Sandoz@Sun.Com
 */
public interface StringReaderProvider<T> {

    /**
     * Obtain a StringReader that can produce an instance of a particular type
     * from a string.
     *
     * @param type the class of object to be produced.
     *
     * @param genericType the type of object to be produced. E.g. if the
     * string is to be converted into a method parameter, this will be
     * the formal type of the method parameter as returned by
     * <code>Class.getGenericParameterTypes</code>.
     *
     * @param annotations an array of the annotations on the declaration of the
     * artifact that will be initialized with the produced instance. E.g. if the
     * string is to be converted into a method parameter, this will be
     * the annotations on that parameter returned by
     * <code>Class.getParameterAnnotations</code>.
     *
     * @return the string reader, otherwise null.
     */
    StringReader<T> getStringReader(Class<?> type, Type genericType, Annotation annotations[]);
}