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/*
   Copyright 2009-2013 Attila Szegedi

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package jdk.dynalink.linker;



Optional interface to be implemented by GuardingTypeConverterFactory implementers. Language-specific conversions can cause increased overloaded method resolution ambiguity, as many methods can become applicable because of additional conversions. The static way of selecting the "most specific" method will fail more often, because there will be multiple maximally specific method with unrelated signatures. In these cases, language runtimes can be asked to resolve the ambiguity by expressing preferences for one conversion over the other. 
/**
 * Optional interface to be implemented by {@link GuardingTypeConverterFactory}
 * implementers. Language-specific conversions can cause increased overloaded
 * method resolution ambiguity, as many methods can become applicable because of
 * additional conversions. The static way of selecting the "most specific"
 * method will fail more often, because there will be multiple maximally
 * specific method with unrelated signatures. In these cases, language runtimes
 * can be asked to resolve the ambiguity by expressing preferences for one
 * conversion over the other.
 */
public interface ConversionComparator {
    
Enumeration of possible outcomes of comparing one conversion to another.

/**
     * Enumeration of possible outcomes of comparing one conversion to another.
     */
    enum Comparison {
        
The conversions cannot be compared. 
/** The conversions cannot be compared. **/
        INDETERMINATE,
        
The first conversion is better than the second one. 
/** The first conversion is better than the second one. **/
        TYPE_1_BETTER,
        
The second conversion is better than the first one. 
/** The second conversion is better than the first one. **/
        TYPE_2_BETTER,
    }

    
Determines which of the two target types is the preferred conversion
target from a source type.

Params:
  • sourceType – the source type.
  • targetType1 – one potential target type
  • targetType2 – another potential target type.
Returns:one of Comparison constants that establish which - if any - of
the target types is preferred for the conversion.
/**
     * Determines which of the two target types is the preferred conversion
     * target from a source type.
     * @param sourceType the source type.
     * @param targetType1 one potential target type
     * @param targetType2 another potential target type.
     * @return one of Comparison constants that establish which - if any - of
     * the target types is preferred for the conversion.
     */
    public Comparison compareConversion(Class<?> sourceType, Class<?> targetType1, Class<?> targetType2);
}