General Information

Question (arch-what): What is this project good for?
Answer:

The project provides a generic framework for accessing Java EE metadata models.

Question (arch-overall): Describe the overall architecture.
Answer:

This module provides the GenericJavaEEMetadataModelAPI, which is a generic framework for models of Java EE metadata expressed as either XML deployment descriptors or Java annotations. The framework itself doesn't provide access to any specific metadata. Instead, it allows metadata providers to plug in SPI implementations returning whichever kind of metadata they want to provide.

Question (arch-usecases): Describe the main use cases of the new API. Who will use it under what circumstances? What kind of code would typically need to be written to use the module?
Answer:

Accessing metadata models

A module wishing to access Java EE metadata obtains a metadata model, which is encapsulated by the MetadataModel class. The client then implements a model action, represented by the MetadataModelAction class, and executes this action in the model context by calling the model's runReadAction() method:

    MetadataModel<SomeMetadata> model = // ...
    String result = model.runReadAction(new MetadataModelAction<SomeMetadata, String>() {
        public String run(SomeMetadata metadata) {
            // ... do something with metadata, e.g.
            // compute a String value
            return value;
        }
    }
   

The way to obtain the model itself, as well as the kinds of metadata encapsulated by MetadataModel is metadata and metadata provider-specific and is not addressed by this API.

Providing metadata models

A metadata provider first defines a root class describing the metadata, e.g., SomeMetadata. Then the provider implements the MetadataModelImplementation interface and creates a MetadataModel using MetadataModelFactory. Then the provider defines a way to return the model to its clients:

    private SomeMetadataModelImplementation modelImpl = new SomeMetadataModelImplementation();
    private MetadataModel<SomeMetadata> model = MetadataModelFactory.createMetadataModel(modelImpl);

    /**
     * Call this to retrieve the model of some metadata.
     */
    public MetadataModel<SomeMetadata> getSomeMetadataModel() {
        return model;
    }

    // ... 

    private class SomeMetadataModelImplementation implements MetadataModelImplementation<SomeMetadata> {

        // ...

    }
   

Providing multiple metadata models

A metadata provider might need to provide several kinds of metadata models at once. Furthermore, since there can be many models available or for backward compatibility reasons it might be impractical to provide a method for each of the models. In this case the provider may define a method like:

    public MetadataModel<T> getMetadataModel(Class<T> clazz) {
        // ...
    }
   

The types of Class which may be passed to the method is a part of the contract between the provider and its clients.

Question (arch-time): What are the time estimates of the work?
Answer:

The work should be ready for the 6.0 release.

Question (arch-quality): How will the quality of your code be tested and how are future regressions going to be prevented?
Answer:

XXX no answer for arch-quality

Question (arch-where): Where one can find sources for your module?
Answer:

The sources for the module are in the NetBeans CVS in the j2ee/metadata directory on the merged_model branch.

The default answer to this question is:


The sources for the module are in NetBeans CVS in j2ee/metadata directory.

Project and platform dependencies

Question (dep-nb): What other NetBeans projects and modules does this one depend on?
Answer:

These modules are required in project.xml:

• JavaSupportAPIs - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.8 is required.
• ProjectAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.7 is required.
• FilesystemsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
• UtilitiesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 7.6 is required.
Question (dep-non-nb): What other projects outside NetBeans does this one depend on?
Answer:

XXX no answer for dep-non-nb

Question (dep-platform): On which platforms does your module run? Does it run in the same way on each?
Answer:

XXX no answer for dep-platform

Question (dep-jre): Which version of JRE do you need (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, etc.)?
Answer:

XXX no answer for dep-jre

Question (dep-jrejdk): Do you require the JDK or is the JRE enough?
Answer:

XXX no answer for dep-jrejdk

Deployment

Question (deploy-jar): Do you deploy just module JAR file(s) or other files as well?
Answer:

XXX no answer for deploy-jar

Question (deploy-nbm): Can you deploy an NBM via the Update Center?
Answer:

XXX no answer for deploy-nbm

Question (deploy-shared): Do you need to be installed in the shared location only, or in the user directory only, or can your module be installed anywhere?
Answer:

XXX no answer for deploy-shared

Question (deploy-packages): Are packages of your module made inaccessible by not declaring them public?
Answer:

XXX no answer for deploy-packages

Question (deploy-dependencies): What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one, in addition to or instead of the normal module dependency declaration (e.g. tokens to require)?
Answer:

XXX no answer for deploy-dependencies

Compatibility with environment

Question (compat-i18n): Is your module correctly internationalized?
Answer:

XXX no answer for compat-i18n

Question (compat-standards): Does the module implement or define any standards? Is the implementation exact or does it deviate somehow?
Answer:

XXX no answer for compat-standards

Question (compat-version): Can your module coexist with earlier and future versions of itself? Can you correctly read all old settings? Will future versions be able to read your current settings? Can you read or politely ignore settings stored by a future version?
Answer:

XXX no answer for compat-version

Question (compat-deprecation): How the introduction of your project influences functionality provided by previous version of the product?
Answer:

XXX no answer for compat-deprecation

Access to resources

Question (resources-file): Does your module use java.io.File directly?
Answer:

XXX no answer for resources-file

Question (resources-layer): Does your module provide own layer? Does it create any files or folders in it? What it is trying to communicate by that and with which components?
Answer:

XXX no answer for resources-layer

Question (resources-read): Does your module read any resources from layers? For what purpose?
Answer:

XXX no answer for resources-read

Question (resources-mask): Does your module mask/hide/override any resources provided by other modules in their layers?
Answer:

XXX no answer for resources-mask

Question (resources-preferences): Does your module uses preferences via Preferences API? Does your module use NbPreferences or or regular JDK Preferences ? Does it read, write or both ? Does it share preferences with other modules ? If so, then why ?
Answer:

XXX no answer for resources-preferences

Lookup of components

Question (lookup-lookup): Does your module use org.openide.util.Lookup or any similar technology to find any components to communicate with? Which ones?
Answer:

XXX no answer for lookup-lookup

Question (lookup-register): Do you register anything into lookup for other code to find?
Answer:

XXX no answer for lookup-register

Question (lookup-remove): Do you remove entries of other modules from lookup?
Answer:

XXX no answer for lookup-remove

Execution Environment

Question (exec-property): Is execution of your code influenced by any environment or Java system (System.getProperty) property? On a similar note, is there something interesting that you pass to java.util.logging.Logger? Or do you observe what others log?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-property

Question (exec-component): Is execution of your code influenced by any (string) property of any of your components?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-component

Question (exec-ant-tasks): Do you define or register any ant tasks that other can use?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-ant-tasks

Question (exec-classloader): Does your code create its own class loader(s)?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-classloader

Question (exec-reflection): Does your code use Java Reflection to execute other code?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-reflection

Question (exec-privateaccess): Are you aware of any other parts of the system calling some of your methods by reflection?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-privateaccess

Question (exec-process): Do you execute an external process from your module? How do you ensure that the result is the same on different platforms? Do you parse output? Do you depend on result code?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-process

Question (exec-introspection): Does your module use any kind of runtime type information (instanceof, work with java.lang.Class, etc.)?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-introspection

Question (exec-threading): What threading models, if any, does your module adhere to? How the project behaves with respect to threading?
Answer:

XXX no answer for exec-threading

Question (security-policy): Does your functionality require modifications to the standard policy file?
Answer:

XXX no answer for security-policy

Question (security-grant): Does your code grant additional rights to some other code?
Answer:

XXX no answer for security-grant

Format of files and protocols

Question (format-types): Which protocols and file formats (if any) does your module read or write on disk, or transmit or receive over the network? Do you generate an ant build script? Can it be edited and modified?
Answer:

XXX no answer for format-types

Question (format-dnd): Which protocols (if any) does your code understand during Drag & Drop?
Answer:

XXX no answer for format-dnd

Question (format-clipboard): Which data flavors (if any) does your code read from or insert to the clipboard (by access to clipboard on means calling methods on java.awt.datatransfer.Transferable?
Answer:

XXX no answer for format-clipboard

Performance and Scalability

Question (perf-startup): Does your module run any code on startup?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-startup

Question (perf-exit): Does your module run any code on exit?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-exit

Question (perf-scale): Which external criteria influence the performance of your program (size of file in editor, number of files in menu, in source directory, etc.) and how well your code scales?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-scale

Question (perf-limit): Are there any hard-coded or practical limits in the number or size of elements your code can handle?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-limit

Question (perf-mem): How much memory does your component consume? Estimate with a relation to the number of windows, etc.
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-mem

Question (perf-wakeup): Does any piece of your code wake up periodically and do something even when the system is otherwise idle (no user interaction)?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-wakeup

Question (perf-progress): Does your module execute any long-running tasks?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-progress

Question (perf-huge_dialogs): Does your module contain any dialogs or wizards with a large number of GUI controls such as combo boxes, lists, trees, or text areas?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-huge_dialogs

Question (perf-menus): Does your module use dynamically updated context menus, or context-sensitive actions with complicated and slow enablement logic?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-menus

Question (perf-spi): How the performance of the plugged in code will be enforced?
Answer:

XXX no answer for perf-spi