Interface CasterChain<I,O>

Type Parameters:
I - the input type
O - the output type
All Superinterfaces:
Caster<I,O>
All Known Implementing Classes:
DefaultCasterChain
public interface CasterChain<I,O> extends Caster<I,O>
A composite Caster that supports registration of multiple casting strategies.

This interface allows dynamic addition of Caster instances, which may be applied in sequence or based on type matching logic. CasterChains are used in serialization and deserialization pipelines to handle transformations like upcasting, downcasting, or schema evolution.

It extends Caster and adds registration capabilities.

  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type
    Method
    Description
    default boolean
    canSkipCast(I input, Integer rev)
    Whether this chain is guaranteed to return the input as one unchanged logical value.
    default O
    castFirstOrNull(I input, Integer rev)
    Casts a single input and returns the first resulting output, or null if the input is dropped.
    default <BEFORE,AFTER>
    CasterChain<BEFORE,AFTER>
    intercept(Function<BEFORE, ? extends I> before, Function<? super O, AFTER> after)
    Composes this caster chain with input and output interceptors.
    default I
    prepareForSkippingCast(I input, Integer rev)
    Prepares an input for direct deserialization when no content caster can transform, split or drop it.
    io.fluxzero.common.Registration
    registerCasterCandidates(Object... candidates)
    Registers one or more objects that may contain casting logic (e.g. annotated methods or implementations).

    Methods inherited from interface Caster

    cast, cast

  • Method Details

    • castFirstOrNull

      default O castFirstOrNull(I input, Integer rev)
      Casts a single input and returns the first resulting output, or null if the input is dropped.

      This is equivalent to cast(Stream.of(input), rev).findAny().orElse(null), but implementations may optimize the common no-caster path without constructing a stream pipeline.

      Parameters:
      input - the input value
      rev - the target revision number (nullable)
      Returns:
      the first casted result, or null when no result is produced

    • canSkipCast

      default boolean canSkipCast(I input, Integer rev)
      Whether this chain is guaranteed to return the input as one unchanged logical value.

      The default is deliberately conservative. Implementations may return true only when no caster can drop, split or transform this input at the requested revision.

    • prepareForSkippingCast

      default I prepareForSkippingCast(I input, Integer rev)
      Prepares an input for direct deserialization when no content caster can transform, split or drop it. Implementations may normalize its type identifier, but must not execute content casters or converters.

      Returns the prepared input, or null when the ordinary casting path is required. The default is deliberately conservative, including for intercepted chains whose callbacks may transform their input.

      Parameters:
      input - the input value
      rev - the target revision number (nullable)
      Returns:
      the input with any required type normalization, or null if casting cannot safely be skipped

    • registerCasterCandidates

      io.fluxzero.common.Registration registerCasterCandidates(Object... candidates)
      Registers one or more objects that may contain casting logic (e.g. annotated methods or implementations). These candidates are inspected and included into the chain if applicable.
      Parameters:
      candidates - one or more caster providers
      Returns:
      a Registration that can be used to remove the registered casters

    • intercept

      default <BEFORE,AFTER> CasterChain<BEFORE,AFTER> intercept(Function<BEFORE, ? extends I> before, Function<? super O, AFTER> after)
      Composes this caster chain with input and output interceptors. Allows pre- and post-processing transformations around the casting logic.
      Specified by:
      intercept in interface Caster<I,O>
      Type Parameters:
      BEFORE - the new input type
      AFTER - the new output type
      Parameters:
      before - a function to convert from BEFORE to I
      after - a function to convert from O to AFTER
      Returns:
      a new CasterChain with adapted input/output types