//
   // Attention: generated code (by Metafacade.vsl) - do not modify!
   //
   package org.andromda.metafacades.uml;
   
   /***
    * <p>
    * Represents a persistent entity.
    * </p>
   *
   * Metafacade interface to be used by AndroMDA cartridges.
   */
  public interface Entity
      extends org.andromda.metafacades.uml.ClassifierFacade
  {
  
      /***
       * Indicates the metafacade type (used for metafacade mappings).
       *
       * @return always <code>true</code>
       */
      public boolean isEntityMetaType();
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * Gets a comma seperated list of attribute names.  If 'follow' is
      * true, will travel up the inheritance hiearchy to include
      * attributes in parent entities as well.  If 'withIdentifiers' is
      * true, will include identifiers.
      * </p>
      */
      public java.lang.String getAttributeNameList(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * Gets a comma seperated list of attribute types.  If 'follow' is
      * true, will travel up the inheritance hiearchy to include
      * attributes in parent entities as well.  If 'withIdentifiers' is
      * true, will include identifiers.
      * </p>
      */
      public java.lang.String getAttributeTypeList(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * Gets all attributes of the entity, and optionally retieves the
      * super entities attributes as well as excludes the entity's
      * identifiers if 'withIdentifiers' is set to false.
      * </p>
      */
      public java.util.Collection getAttributes(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * All business operations of the entity, these include any
      * operations that aren't queries.
      * </p>
      */
      public java.util.Collection getBusinessOperations();
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * Gets any children association ends (i.e. entity association ends
      * that are participants in an association with this entity and
      * this entity has composite aggregation defined for those
      * associations).
      * </p>
      */
      public java.util.Collection getChildEnds();
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * All entities referenced by this entity.
      * </p>
      */
      public java.util.Collection getEntityReferences();
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * Gets all the associationEnds of this entity marked with the
      * identifiers stereotype.
      * </p>
      */
      public java.util.Collection getIdentifierAssociationEnds();
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * All the attributes of the entity which make up its identifier
      * (primary key).  Will search any super classes as well.  If no
      * identifiers exist, a default identifier will be created if the
      * allowDefaultIdentifiers property is set to true.
      * </p>
      */
      public java.util.Collection getIdentifiers();
  
     /***
      * <p>
      * Gets all identifiers for an entity. If 'follow' is true, and if
      * no identifiers can be found on the entity, a search up the
     * inheritance chain will be performed, and the identifiers from
     * the first super class having them will be used.   If no
     * identifiers exist, a default identifier will be created if the
     * allowDefaultIdentifiers property is set to true.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.util.Collection getIdentifiers(boolean follow);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * The maximum length a SQL name may be.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.Short getMaxSqlNameLength();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Gets the attributes as a list within an operation call,
     * optionally including the type names and the identifier
     * attributes.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getOperationCallFromAttributes(boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Gets the attributes as a list within an operation call.  If
     * 'withTypeNames' is true, it will include the type names, if
     * 'withIdentifiers' is true it will include the identifiers.  If
     * 'follow' is true it will follow the inheritance hierarchy and
     * get the attributes of the super class as well.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getOperationCallFromAttributes(boolean withIdentifiers, boolean follow);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Returns the parent association end of this entity if its a child
     * entity.  The parent is the entity that is the participant the
     * association that has composite aggregation defined.  Will return
     * null if the entity has no parent.
     * </p>
     */
     public org.andromda.metafacades.uml.EntityAssociationEnd getParentEnd();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Gets all properties of this entity, this includes the attributes
     * and navigable association ends of the entity.  The 'follow' flag
     * indcates whether or not the inheritance hierachy should be
     * followed when getting all the properties.  The 'withIdentifiers'
     * flag indicates whether or not identifiers should be included in
     * the collection of properties.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.util.Collection getProperties(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Gets all query operations for an entity. If 'follow' is true,
     * and if no query operations can be found on the entity, a search
     * up the inheritance chain will be performed, and the identifiers
     * from the first super class having them will be used.   If no
     * identifiers exist, a default identifier will be created if the
     * allowDefaultIdentifiers property is set to true.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.util.Collection getQueryOperations(boolean follow);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Returns all the operations that can perform queries on the
     * entity.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.util.Collection getQueryOperations();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Gets a comma seperated list of required attribute names.  If
     * 'follow' is true, will travel up the inheritance hiearchy to
     * include attributes in parent entities as well.  If
     * 'withIdentifiers' is true, will include identifiers.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getRequiredAttributeNameList(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Gets a comma seperated list of attribute types with are
     * required.  If 'follow' is true, will travel up the inheritance
     * hiearchy to include attributes in parent entities as well.  If
     * 'withIdentifiers' is true, will include identifiers.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getRequiredAttributeTypeList(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Returns all attributes that are specified as 'required' in the
     * model.  If 'follow' is true, then required attributes in super
     * classes will also be returned, if false, just the ones directly
     * on the entity will be returned.  If 'withIdentifiers' is true,
     * the identifiers will be include, if false, no identifiers will
     * be included.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.util.Collection getRequiredAttributes(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Gets all required properties for this entity.  These consist of
     * any required attributes as well as navigable associations that
     * are marked as 'required'.  If 'follow' is true, then the
     * inheritance hierchy will be followed and all required properties
     * from super classes will be included as well.
     * </p>
     * <p>
     * If 'withIdentifiers' is true, the identifiers will be include,
     * if false, no identifiers will be included.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.util.Collection getRequiredProperties(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Creates a comma seperated list of the required property names.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getRequiredPropertyNameList(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * A comma seperated list of the required property types.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getRequiredPropertyTypeList(boolean follow, boolean withIdentifiers);
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * The name of the schema that contains the database table
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getSchema();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * The name of the database table to which this entity is
     * persisted.
     * </p>
     */
     public java.lang.String getTableName();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Returns true/false depending on whether or not this entity
     * represetns a child in an association (this occurs when this
     * entity is on the opposite end of an assocation end defined as
     * composite).
     * </p>
     */
     public boolean isChild();
 
    /***
     * 
     */
     public boolean isCompositeIdentifier();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * True if the entity has its identifiers dynamically added, false
     * otherwise.
     * </p>
     */
     public boolean isDynamicIdentifiersPresent();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * True if the entity has any identifiers defined, false otherwise.
     * </p>
     */
     public boolean isIdentifiersPresent();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Indiciates if this entity is using an assigned identifier or
     * not.
     * </p>
     */
     public boolean isUsingAssignedIdentifier();
 
    /***
     * <p>
     * Indicates whether or not this entity is using a foreign
     * identifier as its identifiers.  That is: the foreignIdentifier
     * flag was set on an incoming association end and the entity is
     * therefore using the related foreign parent entity's identifier.
     * </p>
     */
     public boolean isUsingForeignIdentifier();
 
 }