package tc.oc.api.docs.virtual;
/**
* A subset of the fields in some {@link Model} serving some particular use case.
*
* ### How the model hiearchy works ###
*
* PartialModel ---------> Thing.Partial
* | |
* | +------+------+
* | | |
* | v v
* | Thing.FooInfo Thing.BarInfo
* | | |
* | +------+------+
* | |
* | v
* Model ------------> Thing.Complete
*
* The hiearchy for a model called Thing would start with an empty interface
* called Thing.Partial that extends {@link PartialModel}. For every sub-group
* of Thing fields that are sent/received together, there would be an interface
* extending Thing.Partial that declares getter methods for those fields only.
*
* At the bottom of the hiearchy would be an interface called Thing.Complete
* that extends {@link Model} and ALL of the Thing parts. Any fields that are not
* declared in any of the parts should be declared in the complete model.
*
* Fields can be shared among different parts of the same model, as long as they
* have identical signatures in all of the parts where they appear.
*
* This system ties together all the parts of a model in a type-safe way, ensuring
* that the fields stay in sync. Model classes should be created for specific cases,
* and only implement the interfaces containing the fields that they use, avoiding
* empty fields and nulls.
*/
public interface PartialModel extends Document {}