/*
* Copyright 2004-2008 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.webflow.engine.model.registry;
import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
import org.springframework.webflow.engine.model.FlowModel;
/**
* A holder holding a reference to a Flow model. Provides a layer of indirection, enabling things like "hot-reloadable"
* flow models.
*
* @see FlowModelRegistry#registerFlowModel(String, FlowModelHolder)
*
* @author Keith Donald
* @author Scott Andrews
*/
public interface FlowModelHolder {
/**
* Returns the flow model held by this holder. Calling this method the first time may trigger flow model assembly.
*/
public FlowModel getFlowModel();
/**
* Has the underlying flow model changed since it was last accessed via a call to {@link #getFlowModel()}.
* @return true if yes, false if not
*/
public boolean hasFlowModelChanged();
/**
* Returns the underlying resource defining the flow model.
* @return the flow model resource
*/
public Resource getFlowModelResource();
/**
* Refresh the flow model held by this holder. Calling this method typically triggers flow re-assembly, which may
* include a refresh from an externalized resource such as a file.
*/
public void refresh();
}