package org.jgroups.annotations;

import java.lang.annotation.*;

import org.jgroups.conf.PropertyConverter;
import org.jgroups.conf.PropertyConverters;

/**
 * Represents a Protocol property assigned from corresponding field in JGroups
 * properties file.
 * 
 * <p>
 * Since all protocol properties are read as String instances from properties
 * file properties need to be converted to an appropriate field type of a
 * matching Protocol instance. JGroups supplies set of converters in
 * {@link PropertyConverters} class.
 * 
 * <p>
 * Third parties can provide their own converters if such need arises by
 * implementing {@link PropertyConverter} interface and by specifying that
 * converter as converter on a specific Property annotation of a field or a
 * method instance.
 * 
 * <p>
 * Property annotation can decorate either a field or a method of a Property
 * class. If a method is decorated with Property annotation it is assumed that
 * such a method is a setter with only one parameter type that a specified
 * converter can convert from a String to an actual type.
 * 
 * 
 * @author Vladimir Blagojevic
 * @version $Id: Property.java,v 1.5 2008/05/23 11:11:02 belaban Exp $
 */

@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Target( { ElementType.METHOD, ElementType.FIELD })
public @interface Property {

    String name() default "";

    String description() default "";

    String deprecatedMessage() default "";

    Class<?> converter() default PropertyConverters.Default.class;    
}