/*
 * @(#)ParameterMetaData.java	1.17 06/04/16
 *
 * Copyright 2006 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
 * SUN PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
 */

package java.sql;

/**
 * An object that can be used to get information about the types 
 * and properties for each parameter marker in a 
 * <code>PreparedStatement</code> object. For some queries and driver 
 * implementations, the data that would be returned by a <code>ParameterMetaData</code> 
 * object may not be available until the <code>PreparedStatement</code> has 
 * been executed.
 *<p>
 *Some driver implementations may not be able to provide information about the 
 *types and properties for each parameter marker in a <code>CallableStatement</code> 
 *object.
 *
 * @since 1.4
 */

public interface ParameterMetaData extends Wrapper {

    /**
     * Retrieves the number of parameters in the <code>PreparedStatement</code> 
     * object for which this <code>ParameterMetaData</code> object contains
     * information.
     *
     * @return the number of parameters
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    int getParameterCount() throws SQLException;

    /**
     * Retrieves whether null values are allowed in the designated parameter.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return the nullability status of the given parameter; one of 
     *        <code>ParameterMetaData.parameterNoNulls</code>, 
     *        <code>ParameterMetaData.parameterNullable</code>, or 
     *        <code>ParameterMetaData.parameterNullableUnknown</code>
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    int isNullable(int param) throws SQLException;

    /**
     * The constant indicating that a
     * parameter will not allow <code>NULL</code> values.
     */
    int parameterNoNulls = 0;

    /**
     * The constant indicating that a
     * parameter will allow <code>NULL</code> values.
     */
    int parameterNullable = 1;

    /**
     * The constant indicating that the
     * nullability of a parameter is unknown.
     */
    int parameterNullableUnknown = 2;

    /**
     * Retrieves whether values for the designated parameter can be signed numbers.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return <code>true</code> if so; <code>false</code> otherwise
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    boolean isSigned(int param) throws SQLException;

    /**
     * Retrieves the designated parameter's specified column size.
     *  
     * <P>The returned value represents the maximum column size for the given parameter. 
     * For numeric data, this is the maximum precision.  For character data, this is the length in characters. 
     * For datetime datatypes, this is the length in characters of the String representation (assuming the 
     * maximum allowed precision of the fractional seconds component). For binary data, this is the length in bytes.  For the ROWID datatype, 
     * this is the length in bytes. 0 is returned for data types where the
     * column size is not applicable.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return precision
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    int getPrecision(int param) throws SQLException;

    /**
     * Retrieves the designated parameter's number of digits to right of the decimal point.
     * 0 is returned for data types where the scale is not applicable.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return scale
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    int getScale(int param) throws SQLException;	

    /**
     * Retrieves the designated parameter's SQL type.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return SQL type from <code>java.sql.Types</code>
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     * @see Types
     */
    int getParameterType(int param) throws SQLException;

    /**
     * Retrieves the designated parameter's database-specific type name.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return type the name used by the database. If the parameter type is
     * a user-defined type, then a fully-qualified type name is returned.
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    String getParameterTypeName(int param) throws SQLException;

 
    /**
     * Retrieves the fully-qualified name of the Java class whose instances 
     * should be passed to the method <code>PreparedStatement.setObject</code>.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return the fully-qualified name of the class in the Java programming
     *         language that would be used by the method 
     *         <code>PreparedStatement.setObject</code> to set the value 
     *         in the specified parameter. This is the class name used 
     *         for custom mapping.
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    String getParameterClassName(int param) throws SQLException;

    /**
     * The constant indicating that the mode of the parameter is unknown.
     */
    int parameterModeUnknown = 0;

    /**
     * The constant indicating that the parameter's mode is IN.
     */
    int parameterModeIn = 1;

    /**
     * The constant indicating that the parameter's mode is INOUT.
     */
    int parameterModeInOut = 2;

    /**
     * The constant indicating that the parameter's mode is  OUT.
     */
    int parameterModeOut = 4;

    /**
     * Retrieves the designated parameter's mode.
     *
     * @param param the first parameter is 1, the second is 2, ...
     * @return mode of the parameter; one of 
     *        <code>ParameterMetaData.parameterModeIn</code>,
     *        <code>ParameterMetaData.parameterModeOut</code>, or
     *        <code>ParameterMetaData.parameterModeInOut</code>
     *        <code>ParameterMetaData.parameterModeUnknown</code>.
     * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs
     * @since 1.4
     */
    int getParameterMode(int param) throws SQLException;
}
