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package com.pekinsoft.validation;

import com.pekinsoft.validation.builtin.stringvalidation.StringValidators;

/**
 * Validator that can validate some aspect of a component's model, and
 * indicate problems to the user.
 *
 *  Note that the enum {@link StringValidators} provides many
 * built-in validators to perform common tasks.
 * 
 * ***Contributor's Note***:
 * The {@link com.pekinsoft.validation.Problems Problems} class has been
 * updated to fire a property change against the 
 * {@link com.pekinsoft.framework.ApplicationContext ApplicationContext} on the
 * property named "dataValid". Any class using the Validation API that wants its
 * buttons' or menus' actions to be enabled when there are no fatal problems 
 * will need to register with the {@code ApplicationContext} on this property.
 * 
 *
 * @author Tim Boudreau
 */
public interface Validator {
    /**
     * Validate the passed model.  If the component is invalid, this
     * method shall add problems to the passed list.
     *
     * @param problems A list of problems.
     * @param compName The name of the component in question (may be {@code null} in some cases)
     * @param model The model in question
     */
    void validate (Problems problems, String compName, T model);
    /**
     * The type of the model object which can be validated.  Necessary due
     * to limitations of the Java implementation of generics, so that
     * model conversions can be done at runtime, and declaratively registered
     * ValidationListeners can be matched with Validator types.
     * 
     * The return value of this method is expected to remain constant
     * throughout the life of this validator.
     * 
     * @return The type of the model object expected.  Note that a validator
     * may be passed a subclass of this type.
     */
    Class modelType();
}