org.apache.stanbol.entityhub.servicesapi.model
Interface Entity

public interface Entity

A Sign links three things together

1. the signifier (ID) used to identify the sign
2. the description (Representation) for the signified entity
3. the organisation (Site) that provides this description

Author:

Rupert Westenthaler

Field Summary

static String

ENTITY_SITE Property used to link the site managing this entity

Method Summary

String	getId() The id (signifier) of this Entity.
Representation	getMetadata() Getter for the meta data about the representation of this Entity.
Representation	getRepresentation() Getter for the Representation of that sign as defined/managed by the site The id of this Representation MUST BE the same as the id if the Entity.
String	getSite() Getter for the id of the referenced Site that defines/manages this sign. Note that the Entityhub allows that different referenced Sites provide representations for the same id (getId()).

Field Detail

ENTITY_SITE

static final String ENTITY_SITE

Property used to link the site managing this entity

Method Detail

getId

String getId()

The id (signifier) of this Entity.

Returns:

the id

getSite

String getSite()

Getter for the id of the referenced Site that defines/manages this sign.
Note that the Entityhub allows that different referenced Sites provide representations for the same id (getId()). Therefore there may be different entity instances of Entity with the same id but different representations.
In other word different referenced Sites may manage representations by using the same id.
Note also, that the Entityhub assumes that all such representations are equivalent and interchangeable. Therefore Methods that searches for Entities on different Sites will return the first hit without searching for any others.

Returns:

the site of this Sign

getRepresentation

Representation getRepresentation()

Getter for the Representation of that sign as defined/managed by the site The id of this Representation MUST BE the same as the id if the Entity.

Returns:

the representation

getMetadata

Representation getMetadata()

Getter for the meta data about the representation of this Entity. The id of this Representation MUST NOT BE the same as the id if the Entity.

Returns:

the meta data