net.sf.mmm.util.pattern.api

Interface PatternCompiler

All Known Implementing Classes:

AbstractGlobPatternCompiler, GlobPatternCompiler, PathPatternCompiler, RegexInfixPatternCompiler, RegexPatternCompiler, WildcardGlobPatternCompiler

public interface PatternCompiler

This is the interface for a compiler that can compile an pattern-expression given as string into a Pattern.
The intention is to abstract from Pattern.compile(String, int) and therefore also allow other dialects like glob-patterns.

Since:

1.0.0

Author:

Joerg Hohwiller (hohwille at users.sourceforge.net)

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
Pattern	compile(String pattern)

Method Detail

compile

Pattern compile(String pattern)
         throws IllegalArgumentException

Parameters:

pattern - is the expression to be compiled as pattern.

Returns:

the compiled pattern. May only return null if explicitly documented by the underlying implementation. E.g. if the given pattern is just a plain string without wildcards.

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if the given pattern has illegal syntax for the underlying compiler.

See Also:

Pattern.compile(String)