/*
 * @(#)Bindings.java	1.5 06/04/07 20:59:45
 *
 * Copyright 2006 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
 * SUN PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTAIL. Use is subject to license terms.
 */

package javax.script;
import java.util.Map;

/**
 * A mapping of key/value pairs, all of whose keys are
 * <code>Strings</code>.
 *
 * @version 1.0
 * @author Mike Grogan
 * @since 1.6
 */
public interface Bindings extends Map<String, Object> {
    /**
     * Set a named value.
     *
     * @param name The name associated with the value.
     * @param value The value associated with the name.
     *
     * @return The value previously associated with the given name.
     * Returns null if no value was previously associated with the name.
     *
     * @throws NullPointerException if the name is null.
     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the name is empty String.
     */
    public Object put(String name, Object value);
    
    /**
     * Adds all the mappings in a given <code>Map</code> to this <code>Bindings</code>.
     * @param toMerge The <code>Map</code> to merge with this one.
     *
     * @throws NullPointerException 
     *         if toMerge map is null or if some key in the map is null.
     * @throws IllegalArgumentException
     *         if some key in the map is an empty String.
     */
    public void putAll(Map<? extends String, ? extends Object> toMerge);

    /**
     * Returns <tt>true</tt> if this map contains a mapping for the specified
     * key.  More formally, returns <tt>true</tt> if and only if
     * this map contains a mapping for a key <tt>k</tt> such that
     * <tt>(key==null ? k==null : key.equals(k))</tt>.  (There can be
     * at most one such mapping.)
     *
     * @param key key whose presence in this map is to be tested.
     * @return <tt>true</tt> if this map contains a mapping for the specified
     *         key.
     *
     * @throws NullPointerException if key is null
     * @throws ClassCastException if key is not String
     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if key is empty String
     */
    public boolean containsKey(Object key);

    /**
     * Returns the value to which this map maps the specified key.  Returns
     * <tt>null</tt> if the map contains no mapping for this key.  A return
     * value of <tt>null</tt> does not <i>necessarily</i> indicate that the
     * map contains no mapping for the key; it's also possible that the map
     * explicitly maps the key to <tt>null</tt>.  The <tt>containsKey</tt>
     * operation may be used to distinguish these two cases.
     *
     * <p>More formally, if this map contains a mapping from a key
     * <tt>k</tt> to a value <tt>v</tt> such that <tt>(key==null ? k==null :
     * key.equals(k))</tt>, then this method returns <tt>v</tt>; otherwise
     * it returns <tt>null</tt>.  (There can be at most one such mapping.)
     *
     * @param key key whose associated value is to be returned.
     * @return the value to which this map maps the specified key, or
     *         <tt>null</tt> if the map contains no mapping for this key.
     *
     * @throws NullPointerException if key is null
     * @throws ClassCastException if key is not String
     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if key is empty String
     */
    public Object get(Object key);

    /**
     * Removes the mapping for this key from this map if it is present
     * (optional operation).   More formally, if this map contains a mapping
     * from key <tt>k</tt> to value <tt>v</tt> such that
     * <code>(key==null ?  k==null : key.equals(k))</code>, that mapping
     * is removed.  (The map can contain at most one such mapping.)
     *
     * <p>Returns the value to which the map previously associated the key, or
     * <tt>null</tt> if the map contained no mapping for this key.  (A
     * <tt>null</tt> return can also indicate that the map previously
     * associated <tt>null</tt> with the specified key if the implementation
     * supports <tt>null</tt> values.)  The map will not contain a mapping for
     * the specified  key once the call returns.
     *
     * @param key key whose mapping is to be removed from the map.
     * @return previous value associated with specified key, or <tt>null</tt>