/*
 * Copyright 2002-2008 the original author or authors.
 *
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 */

package org.springframework.web.bind.annotation;

import java.lang.annotation.Documented;
import java.lang.annotation.ElementType;
import java.lang.annotation.Inherited;
import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
import java.lang.annotation.Target;

/**
 * Annotation that indicates the session attributes that a specific handler
 * uses. This will typically list the names of model attributes which should be
 * transparently stored in the session or some conversational storage,
 * serving as form-backing beans. <b>Declared at the type level,</b> applying
 * to the model attributes that the annotated handler class operates on.
 *
 * <p><b>NOTE:</b> Session attributes as indicated using this annotation
 * correspond to a specific handler's model attributes, getting transparently
 * stored in a conversational session. Those attributes will be removed once
 * the handler indicates completion of its conversational session. Therefore,
 * use this facility for such conversational attributes which are supposed
 * to be stored in the session <i>temporarily</i> during the course of a
 * specific handler's conversation.
 *
 * <p>For permanent session attributes, e.g. a user authentication object,
 * use the traditional <code>session.setAttribute</code> method instead.
 * Alternatively, consider using the attribute management capabilities of the
 * generic {@link org.springframework.web.context.request.WebRequest} interface.
 *
 * @author Juergen Hoeller
 * @since 2.5
 */
@Target({ElementType.TYPE})
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Inherited
@Documented
public @interface SessionAttributes {

	/**
	 * The names of session attributes in the model, to be stored in the
	 * session or some conversational storage.
	 * <p>Note: This indicates the model attribute names. The session attribute
	 * names may or may not match the model attribute names; applications should
	 * not rely on the session attribute names but rather operate on the model only.
	 */
	String[] value() default {};

	/**
	 * The types of session attributes in the model, to be stored in the
	 * session or some conversational storage. All model attributes of this
	 * type will be stored in the session, regardless of attribute name.
	 */
	Class[] types() default {};

}