Objectivity for Java Reference

About This Reference

Audience
Viewing Formats
Organization
Package Pages
Interface and Class Pages
Interface or Class Introduction
Field, Constructor, and Method Descriptions
Classification of Reference Entries
Serialized Form
Hierarch Pages
Index of Reference Entries
Typographical Conventions
Other On-line Documentation

This document provides a complete description of all the interfaces and classes comprising the Objectivity for Java programming interface.

Audience

This document assumes that you are familiar with programming in Java and have read the Objectivity for Java Guide.

Viewing Formats

You may view the document in either Frame format or No-Frame format.

The navigation bar of every page has links labeled "Frames" and "No Frames". Clicking these links switches between the two viewing formats. Typically, however, you should choose the desired viewing format before you start to navigate within this document, because switching formats may lose your location within the document.

Note: Clicking "No Frames" switches to the No-Frame format and leaves you viewing the same page. However, clicking "Frames" not only switches to the Frame format, but also jumps to the Objectivity for Java Reference page.

Organization

The Objectivity for Java Reference page is the starting point for browsing the documentation of all packages in the Objectivity for Java programming interface. Every page in the on-line reference documentation includes a link labeled "Overview" that returns you to the Objectivity for Java Reference page.

The Objectivity for Java Reference page contains links to:

Package Pages

The page for a package provides a summary of its contents and links to the interfaces and classes it contains. The links are grouped into the following categories:

The navigation bar at the beginning and end of each package page has links to:

Interface and Class Pages

An interface page begins with a list of known subinterfaces (if any), a list of known implementing classes (if any), and the interface declaration. A class page begins with an inheritance hierarchy diagram, a list of direct subclasses (if any), and the class declaration. The hierarchy diagram shows the ancestor classes from which the class inherits; the declaration shows the superclass and any interfaces that the class implements. Names of classes and interfaces are linked to the corresponding class and interface pages.

The navigation bar at the beginning and end of each interface or class page has links to:

Interface or Class Introduction

A one-sentence description of the interface or class follows its declaration. Subsequent paragraphs give a more detailed description.

If the interface of a class defines constants or has public methods that serve more than one purpose, its description ends with an API summary, which groups the constants and methods according to purpose. If an interface or class description is several paragraphs long, a link to the API summary table follows the one-sentence description.

Field, Constructor, and Method Descriptions

Reference entries within each interface and class are grouped into three categories: fields, constructors, and methods. Each category contains two sections:

  • The summary section consists of a table listing the reference entries in alphabetical order. Each row of the table gives the declaration and a brief description, and is linked to its corresponding description.

  • The details section contains descriptions of the reference entries in the order in which they are defined in the source file. The ordering of the reference entries preserves whatever logical groupings were established by the programmer.

    Classification of Reference Entries

    The brief description of a field, constructor, or method may be preceded by one of the following tags to classify how the item is used.

    TagClassification
    DRO The method or constant is included with the Objectivity/DB Data Replication Option (DRO).
    FTO The method or constant is included with the Objectivity/DB Fault Tolerant Option (FTO).
    IPLS The method or constant is included with the Objectivity/DB In-Process Lock Server Option (IPLS).
    ODMG The method or constant is described in the ODMG standard.

    The same tags are used in the API summary tables in the interface or class introduction.

    Serialized Form

    If a class is serializable or externalizable, The See Also section of its introduction includes a "Serialized Form" link. You can click that link to see a description of the serialization fields and methods of the class. However, that information is of interest to re-implementors, not to developers using the Objectivity for Java API.

    Hierarchy Pages

    A hierarchy page shows inheritance relationships for a group of interfaces and classes. One page shows the hierarchies for the interfaces and classes in all packages. Separate pages show the hierarchies for each package. The hierarchy page for all packages has links to each package hierarchy page; each package hierarchy page has a link to the hierarchy page for all packages.

    Each hierarchy page contains a class hierarchy for all classes in the group and an interface for all interfaces in the group. The hierarchies are shown in outline form with a class or interface indented under its superclass or superinterface. The name of each class and interface in the outline is a link to the page describing that class or interface.

    The navigation bar at the beginning and end of each hierarchy page has links to:

    Index of Reference Entries

    The index contains an alphabetical index of public interfaces, classes, fields, constructors, and methods in the API.

    Each index entry for an interface or class gives its brief description. You can click the name of the interface or class to jump to the page describing it.

    Each index entry for a field, constructor, or method shows the class or interface where that item is defined and gives its brief description. You can click the name of the item to jump to its detailed description.

    The navigation bar at the beginning and end of each index page has links to:

    Typographical Conventions

    The Objectivity for Java Reference uses the following typographical conventions:

    ooObj
    Monospaced text is used for code examples and for the names of classes, interfaces, methods, fields, files, and paths.

    lockMode
    Italic monospaced text identifies a variable element (such as a parameter) for which you must substitute a value.

    federated database
    Italic text identifies new terms where they are defined, book titles, and emphasized words.

    Other Online Documentation

    The Objectivity for Java page has links to all Objectivity for Java online documentation.

    The Objectivity for Java Guide introduces concepts that are fundamental to developing applications and gives detailed descriptions, with examples, of the process by which you build an application. If you are new to Objectivity for Java, you should start by reading the Guide.

    Objectivity for Java Reference

    Copyright © 1999 Objectivity, Inc. All rights reserved.