org.mule.extension.introspection

Interface Extension

All Superinterfaces:

Capable, Described

public interface Extension
extends Described, Capable

An Extension that provides packaged functionality.

Extensions can augment a system by providing new features in the form of operations. What makes an extension different from a class implementing a certain interface is the fact that extensions provide enough information at runtime so that they can be used without prior knowledge, and can be both executed or integrated into tooling seamlessly.

An extension is not a miscellaneous group of methods, but can be seen (and may be derived from) an object model. As such, an extension will provide several ways to configure itself (akin to providing different constructors), and will provide a set of operations that may be eventually executed.

The extension model doesn't just map a JVM object model. Extensions provide richer metadata, and a dynamic execution model, but more importantly they restrict the way operations are defined and used to a manageable subset that would deterministic data flow analysis.

An extension doesn't define any predefined syntax, evaluation order or execution paradigm. The operations provided are expected to be used as individual building blocks in a bigger system, hence the name Extension

Since:

1.0

Method Summary

Methods

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
Configuration	getConfiguration(String name) Returns the Configuration that matches the given name.
List<Configuration>	getConfigurations() Returns the Configurations available for this extension.
String	getName() A simple name for this extension.
Operation	getOperation(String name) Returns the Operation that matches the given name.
List<Operation>	getOperations() Returns the Operations available for this extension.
String	getVersion() Returns this extension's version.

Methods inherited from interface org.mule.extension.introspection.Described

getDescription

Methods inherited from interface org.mule.extension.introspection.Capable

getCapabilities, isCapableOf

Method Detail

getName

String getName()

A simple name for this extension. Usually one or two simple words that describes the functionality. For example, for an extension that performs validations it could be something like "validation". For an ftp connector it could be "ftp". For a connector that accesses the google contacts API it could be "google-contacts".

To follow the convention described above is important since the platform might use this name to auto generate resources based on it. This attribute will be used in a convention over configuration pattern. It cannot contain spaces

Specified by:

getName in interface Described

Returns:

a non blank String

getVersion

String getVersion()

Returns this extension's version.

The extension version is specified as a Semantic Versioning.

Note that while an extension implements a specific version, nothing prevents several versions of the same extension to coexists at runtime.

Returns:

the version associated with this extension

getConfigurations

List<Configuration> getConfigurations()

Returns the Configurations available for this extension. Each configuration is guaranteed to have a unique name.

There is always at least one configuration. The first configuration is the preferred (default) one, the rest of the configurations are ordered alphabetically.

Returns:

an immutable List with the available Configurations.

getConfiguration

Configuration getConfiguration(String name)
                               throws NoSuchConfigurationException

Returns the Configuration that matches the given name.

Parameters:

name - case sensitive configuration name

Returns:

a Configuration

Throws:

NoSuchConfigurationException - if no configuration available for that name

getOperations

List<Operation> getOperations()

Returns the Operations available for this extension. Each operation is guaranteed to have a unique name, and that name cannot be already in use by one of the available getConfigurations()

There is always at least one operation, and operations will be sorted alphabetically.

Returns:

an immutable List of Operation

getOperation

Operation getOperation(String name)
                       throws NoSuchOperationException

Returns the Operation that matches the given name.

Parameters:

name - case sensitive operation name

Returns:

a Operation

Throws:

NoSuchOperationException - if no operation matches the given name