* @see #getAttributeValue(String, String, Object[]) */ public Object removeAttributeValue(String objectKey, String attributeName, Object[] keyIntoValue); /** * Removes all values bound to objectKey in attributeName. Most attribute * definitions will have no key space, and such attribute definitions will * bind at most one attribute value to any give objectKey; this method is * useful with attribute definitions that have nonzero key spaces. * @param objectKey the object from which to delete all bound attribute * values. * @param attributeName the attribute definition in which to delete * attribute values. * @return true if and only if objectKey had at least one attribute value * bound in attributeName prior to this method invocation. * @exception IllegalStateException if attributeName is not an existing * attribute definition; see MultiHashMapDefinition. * @exception NullPointerException if objectKey or attributeName is null. */ public boolean removeAllAttributeValues(String objectKey, String attributeName); /** * For all key sequences, having specified prefix, that map into bound * values on objectKey in attributeName, returns the [unique] representatives * from dimension keyPrefix.length + 1. This method * only makes sense for attributeNames that have nonzero key space * dimensionality.
* NOTE: The returned iterator does not support the remove() operation.
* IMPORTANT: The returned iterator becomes invalid as soon as any * attribute value is set or removed for some objectKey in attributeName. * Calling methods on an invalid iterator will result in undefined * behavior of that iterator. * @param objectKey the object to query. * @param attributeName the attribute definition to query. * @param keyPrefix an array of length K, where K is strictly less than * the dimensionality of key space of attributeName; * entry at index i contains a "representative" from dimension i + 1 of * the key space of attributeName; keyPrefix may * be either null or the empty array, in which case the iterator * returned consists of the representatives in the first dimension of * key space. * @return an iterator of key representatives in key space dimension K + 1 * along specified keyPrefix; the iterator returned is never null; * the order of the returned keys is arbitrary. * @exception IllegalStateException if attributeName is not an existing * attribute definition; see MultiHashMapDefinition. * @exception NullPointerException if objectKey or attributeName is null, * or if keyPrefix is [not null and] of positive length and any one * of its entries is null. * @exception ClassCastException if any one of keyPrefix's representatives * is not of the appropriate object type; see MultiHashMapDefinition. * @exception IllegalArgumentException if keyPrefix's length is not * strictly less than the dimensionality of attributeName's key space. */ public CountedIterator getAttributeKeyspan(String objectKey, String attributeName, Object[] keyPrefix); /** * Returns all objectKeys that have at least one attribute value assigned * in attributeName.
* NOTE: The returned iterator does not support the remove() operation.
* NOTE: To quickly determine whether or not a given objectKey has at least * one attribute value bound to it under attributeName, test for a null * return value in getAttributeValue(objectKey, attributeName, null) * if attributeName has zero key space dimensionality, or test for an empty * iterator return value in * getAttributeKeyspan(objectKey, attributeName, null) if attributeName has * nonzero key space dimensionality.
* IMPORTANT: The returned iterator becomes invalid as soon as any * attribute value is set or removed for some objectKey in attributeName. * Calling methods on an invalid iterator will result in undefined * behavior of that iterator. * @param attributeName the attribute definition to query. * @return an iterator of objectKey strings (java.lang.String) that * currently have value[s] assigned to them in the specified attribute * definition; the order of the returned strings is arbitrary; null is * never returned. * @exception IllegalStateException if attributeName is not an existing * attribute definition; to test whether or not attributeName is an * existing attribute definition, use * MultiHashMapDefinition.getAttributeValueType(attributeName). * @exception NullPointerException if attributeName is null. * @see MultiHashMapDefinition#getAttributeValueType(String) */ public CountedIterator getObjectKeys(String attributeName); /* * I'm not including this method in the API for good reasons. * For one, removal is the opposite of insertion, and even though * we could potentially remove many entries at once for free, because * we inserted them one-by-one, the time complexity for a complete * insert-remove cycle of many elements is governed by the insertion * time complexity. Therefore we don't lose in overall time complexity if * we omit this removal optimization. Second, I want listeners to hear * all removals that happen. If I include this method, I either have * to iterate over all values that have been removed to fire appropriate * listener events (which defeats the purpose of this optimization) * or I have to define a separate listener method that * says "hey I've removed a keyspan", but then the listener would not * get a list of values (corresponding to all keys, recursively, in * keyspan) that were removed. */ // public int removeAttributeKeyspan(String objectKey, // String attributeName, // Object[] keyPrefix); /** * Registers a listener for receiving events having to do with * attribute values being assigned and removed. * @param listener the listener to register. */ public void addDataListener(MultiHashMapListener listener); /** * Unregisters a listener; this method has the opposite effect as * addDataListener(listener). * @param listener the listener to unregister. */ public void removeDataListener(MultiHashMapListener listener); }