/*
 * $Id: Pattern.java,v 1.7 2003/11/07 20:16:25 dfs Exp $
 *
 * ====================================================================
 * The Apache Software License, Version 1.1
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 * Copyright (c) 2000 The Apache Software Foundation.  All rights
 * reserved.
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 * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
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package org.apache.oro.text.regex;


/**
 * The Pattern interface allows multiple representations of a regular
 * expression to be defined.  In general, different regular expression
 * compilers will produce different types of pattern representations.
 * Some will produce state transition tables derived from syntax trees,
 * others will produce byte code representations of an NFA, etc.  The
 * Pattern interface does not impose any specific internal pattern
 * representation, and consequently, Pattern implementations are not meant
 * to be interchangeable among differing PatternCompiler and PatternMatcher
 * implementations.  The documentation accompanying a specific implementation
 * will define what other classes a Pattern can interact with.
 *
 * @version @version@
 * @since 1.0
 * @see PatternCompiler
 * @see PatternMatcher
 */
public interface Pattern {

  /**
   * This method returns the string representation of the pattern.  Its
   * purpose is to allow a pattern to be reconstructed after compilation.
   * In other words, when you compile a pattern, the resulting data 
   * structures bear no relation to the string defining the pattern.
   * It is often useful to be able to access the string defining a pattern 
   * after it has been compiled.
   * <p>
   * @return The original string representation of the regular expression
   *         pattern.
   */
  public String getPattern();



  /**
   * This method returns an integer containing the compilation options used
   * to compile this pattern.
   * <p>
   * @return The compilation options used to compile the pattern.
   */
  public int getOptions();
}
