/*
 * @(#)Resolver.java	1.5 00/02/02
 *
 * Copyright 1999, 2000 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 * 
 * This software is the proprietary information of Sun Microsystems, Inc.  
 * Use is subject to license terms.
 * 
 */


package javax.naming.spi;

import javax.naming.Name;
import javax.naming.NamingException;

/**
  * This interface represents an "intermediate context" for name resolution.
  *<p>
  * The Resolver interface contains methods that are implemented by contexts 
  * that do not support subtypes of Context, but which can act as
  * intermediate contexts for resolution purposes.
  *<p>
  * A <tt>Name</tt> parameter passed to any method is owned
  * by the caller.  The service provider will not modify the object
  * or keep a reference to it.
  * A <tt>ResolveResult</tt> object returned by any
  * method is owned by the caller.  The caller may subsequently modify it;
  * the service provider may not.
  *
  * @author Rosanna Lee
  * @author Scott Seligman
  * @version 1.5 00/02/02
  * @since 1.3
  */

public interface Resolver {

    /**
     * Partially resolves a name.  Stops at the first
     * context that is an instance of a given subtype of
     * <code>Context</code>.
     *
     * @param name
     *		the name to resolve
     * @param contextType
     *		the type of object to resolve.  This should
     *		be a subtype of <code>Context</code>.
     * @return	the object that was found, along with the unresolved
     *		suffix of <code>name</code>.  Cannot be null.
     *
     * @throws	javax.naming.NotContextException
     *		if no context of the appropriate type is found
     * @throws	NamingException if a naming exception was encountered
     *
     * @see #resolveToClass(String, Class)
     */
    public ResolveResult resolveToClass(Name name, Class contextType)
	    throws NamingException;

    /**
     * Partially resolves a name.
     * See {@link #resolveToClass(Name, Class)} for details.
     *
     * @param name
     *		the name to resolve
     * @param contextType
     *		the type of object to resolve.  This should
     *		be a subtype of <code>Context</code>.
     * @return	the object that was found, along with the unresolved
     *		suffix of <code>name</code>.  Cannot be null.
     *
     * @throws	javax.naming.NotContextException
     *		if no context of the appropriate type is found
     * @throws	NamingException if a naming exception was encountered
     */
    public ResolveResult resolveToClass(String name, Class contextType)
	    throws NamingException;
};