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Interfaces and classes providing access to file and file system attributes.

Attribute views
Description
AttributeView
    
Can read or update non-opaque values associated with objects in a file system
  FileAttributeView
    
Can read or update file attributes
    BasicFileAttributeView 
    
Can read or update a basic set of file attributes
      PosixFileAttributeView 
    
Can read or update POSIX defined file attributes
      DosFileAttributeView 
    
Can read or update FAT file attributes
    FileOwnerAttributeView 
    
Can read or update the owner of a file
     AclFileAttributeView 
    
Can read or update Access Control Lists
    UserDefinedFileAttributeView 
    
Can read or update user-defined file attributes
  FileStoreAttributeView
    
Can read or update file system attributes

 An attribute view provides a read-only or updatable view of the non-opaque
values, or metadata, associated with objects in a file system. The FileAttributeView interface is extended by several other interfaces that that views to specific sets of file attributes. FileAttributeViews are selected by invoking the Files.getFileAttributeView method with a type-token to identify the required view. Views can also be identified by name. The FileStoreAttributeView interface provides access to file store attributes. A FileStoreAttributeView of a given type is obtained by invoking the FileStore.getFileStoreAttributeView method. 
 The BasicFileAttributeView class defines methods to read and update a basic set of file
attributes that are common to many file systems.
 The PosixFileAttributeView interface extends BasicFileAttributeView by defining methods to access the file attributes commonly used by file systems and operating systems that implement the Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) family of standards. 
 The DosFileAttributeView class extends BasicFileAttributeView by defining methods to access the legacy "DOS" file attributes supported on file systems such as File Allocation Tabl (FAT), commonly used in consumer devices. 
 The AclFileAttributeView class defines methods to read and write the Access Control List (ACL) file attribute. The ACL model used by this file attribute view is based on the model defined by 
RFC 3530: Network File System (NFS) version 4 Protocol.
 In addition to attribute views, this package also defines classes and
interfaces that are used when accessing attributes:

  
 The UserPrincipal and GroupPrincipal interfaces represent an identity or group identity. 
  
 The UserPrincipalLookupService interface defines methods to lookup user or group principals. 
  
 The FileAttribute interface represents the value of an attribute for cases where the attribute value is required to be set atomically when creating an object in the file system. 

 Unless otherwise noted, passing a null argument to a constructor or method in any class or interface in this package will cause a NullPointerException to be thrown. 
Since:
1.7/**
 * Interfaces and classes providing access to file and file system attributes.
 *
 * <blockquote><table cellspacing=1 cellpadding=0 summary="Attribute views">
 * <tr><th align="left">Attribute views</th><th align="left">Description</th></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt><i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.AttributeView}</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update non-opaque values associated with objects in a file system</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.FileAttributeView}</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update file attributes</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.BasicFileAttributeView}&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update a basic set of file attributes</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.PosixFileAttributeView}&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update POSIX defined file attributes</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.DosFileAttributeView}&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update FAT file attributes</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.FileOwnerAttributeView}&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update the owner of a file</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.AclFileAttributeView}&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update Access Control Lists</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.UserDefinedFileAttributeView}&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update user-defined file attributes</td></tr>
 * <tr><td valign=top><tt>&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>{@link java.nio.file.attribute.FileStoreAttributeView}</i></tt></td>
 *     <td>Can read or update file system attributes</td></tr>
 * </table></blockquote>
 *
 * <p> An attribute view provides a read-only or updatable view of the non-opaque
 * values, or <em>metadata</em>, associated with objects in a file system.
 * The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.FileAttributeView} interface is
 * extended by several other interfaces that that views to specific sets of file
 * attributes. {@code FileAttributeViews} are selected by invoking the {@link
 * java.nio.file.Files#getFileAttributeView} method with a
 * <em>type-token</em> to identify the required view. Views can also be identified
 * by name. The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.FileStoreAttributeView} interface
 * provides access to file store attributes. A {@code FileStoreAttributeView} of
 * a given type is obtained by invoking the {@link
 * java.nio.file.FileStore#getFileStoreAttributeView} method.
 *
 * <p> The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.BasicFileAttributeView}
 * class defines methods to read and update a <em>basic</em> set of file
 * attributes that are common to many file systems.
 *
 * <p> The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.PosixFileAttributeView}
 * interface extends {@code BasicFileAttributeView} by defining methods
 * to access the file attributes commonly used by file systems and operating systems
 * that implement the Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) family of
 * standards.
 *
 * <p> The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.DosFileAttributeView}
 * class extends {@code BasicFileAttributeView} by defining methods to
 * access the legacy "DOS" file attributes supported on file systems such as File
 * Allocation Tabl (FAT), commonly used in consumer devices.
 *
 * <p> The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.AclFileAttributeView}
 * class defines methods to read and write the Access Control List (ACL)
 * file attribute. The ACL model used by this file attribute view is based
 * on the model defined by <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3530.txt">
 * <i>RFC&nbsp;3530: Network File System (NFS) version 4 Protocol</i></a>.
 *
 * <p> In addition to attribute views, this package also defines classes and
 * interfaces that are used when accessing attributes:
 *
 * <ul>
 *
 *   <li> The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.UserPrincipal} and
 *   {@link java.nio.file.attribute.GroupPrincipal} interfaces represent an
 *   identity or group identity. </li>
 *
 *   <li> The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.UserPrincipalLookupService}
 *   interface defines methods to lookup user or group principals. </li>
 *
 *   <li> The {@link java.nio.file.attribute.FileAttribute} interface
 *   represents the value of an attribute for cases where the attribute value is
 *   required to be set atomically when creating an object in the file system. </li>
 *
 * </ul>
 *
 *
 * <p> Unless otherwise noted, passing a <tt>null</tt> argument to a constructor
 * or method in any class or interface in this package will cause a {@link
 * java.lang.NullPointerException NullPointerException} to be thrown.
 *
 * @since 1.7
 */

package java.nio.file.attribute;