/**
 * The contents of this file are subject to the license and copyright
 * detailed in the LICENSE and NOTICE files at the root of the source
 * tree and available online at
 *
 * http://www.dspace.org/license/
 */
package org.dspace.app.xmlui.wing.element;

import org.xml.sax.ContentHandler;
import org.xml.sax.SAXException;
import org.xml.sax.ext.LexicalHandler;
import org.xml.sax.helpers.NamespaceSupport;

/**
 * This basic interface is implemented by all WingElements.  Once an element has
 * been created it can be translated into SAX events and disposed of.
 * 
 * @author Scott Phillips
 */

public interface WingElement
{

    /**
     * Translate this element and all contained elements into SAX events. The
     * events should be routed to the contentHandler found in the WingContext.
     * 
     * @param contentHandler
     *            (Required) The registered contentHandler where SAX events
     *            should be routed too.
     * @param lexicalHandler
     *            (Required) The registered lexicalHandler where lexical 
     *            events (such as CDATA, DTD, etc) should be routed too.
     * @param namespaces
     *            (Required) SAX Helper class to keep track of namespaces able
     *            to determine the correct prefix for a given namespace URI.
     * @throws org.xml.sax.SAXException
     *            on error.
     */
    public abstract void toSAX(ContentHandler contentHandler, LexicalHandler lexicalHandler,
            NamespaceSupport namespaces) throws SAXException;

    /**
     * Dispose
     */
    public void dispose();
}