gistfile1.java

package org.pentaho.hadoop.mapreduce.converter;

import org.pentaho.di.core.row.ValueMetaInterface;

/**
 * Provides conversion between types
 *
 * @param <F> Type this converter can convert from
 * @param <T> Type this converter can convert to
 */
public interface ITypeConverter<F, T> {
  /**
   * Can this converter convert between the types provided?
   *
   * @param from Type to convert from
   * @param to Type to convert to
   * @return {@code true} if this converter can handle the conversion between {@code from} and {@code to}
   */
  public boolean canConvert(Class from, Class to);

  /**
   * Convert an object with some metadata to the destination type.
   *
   * @param meta Metadata for the object provided. This provides hints and formatting to aid in conversion.
   * @param obj  Object to convert
   * @return Converted object
   *
   * @throws TypeConversionException Error encountered when converting {@code obj} to type {@code T}
   */
  public T convert(ValueMetaInterface meta, F obj) throws TypeConversionException;
}