001    /*
002     * Copyright 2005 Stephen J. McConnell.
003     *
004     * Licensed  under the  Apache License,  Version 2.0  (the "License");
005     * you may not use  this file  except in  compliance with the License.
006     * You may obtain a copy of the License at
007     *
008     *   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
009     *
010     * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
011     * distributed  under the  License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
012     * WITHOUT  WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS  OF ANY KIND, either  express  or
013     * implied.
014     *
015     * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
016     * limitations under the License.
017     */
018    
019    package net.dpml.state;
020    
021    /**
022     * An operation defines the name of a bean style accessor that 
023     * may be invoked by a management application while the operation
024     * is exposed within the active path.
025     *
026     * @author <a href="http://www.dpml.net">Digital Product Meta Library</a>
027     * @version 1.2.0
028     */
029    public interface Operation extends Action
030    {
031       /**
032        * Return the optional overriding method name.  If the 
033        * value returned is null the method shall be assumed to be the 
034        * equivalent of "get[Name]().
035        * @return the operation method name
036        */
037        String getMethodName();
038    }