/*
 * Copyright (c) 2005, 2006, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 * ORACLE PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
 *
 *
 *
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 *
 *
 *
 *
 *
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 */

package javax.script;
import java.util.Map;

/**
 * A mapping of key/value pairs, all of whose keys are
 * <code>Strings</code>.
 *
 * @author Mike Grogan
 * @since 1.6
 */
public interface Bindings extends Map<String, Object> {
 /**
 * Set a named value.
 *
 * @param name The name associated with the value.
 * @param value The value associated with the name.
 *
 * @return The value previously associated with the given name.
 * Returns null if no value was previously associated with the name.
 *
 * @throws NullPointerException if the name is null.
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the name is empty String.
 */
 public Object put(String name, Object value);

 /**
 * Adds all the mappings in a given <code>Map</code> to this <code>Bindings</code>.
 * @param toMerge The <code>Map</code> to merge with this one.
 *
 * @throws NullPointerException
 * if toMerge map is null or if some key in the map is null.
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException
 * if some key in the map is an empty String.
 */
 public void putAll(Map<? extends String, ? extends Object> toMerge);

 /**
 * Returns <tt>true</tt> if this map contains a mapping for the specified
 * key. More formally, returns <tt>true</tt> if and only if
 * this map contains a mapping for a key <tt>k</tt> such that
 * <tt>(key==null ? k==null : key.equals(k))</tt>. (There can be
 * at most one such mapping.)
 *
 * @param key key whose presence in this map is to be tested.
 * @return <tt>true</tt> if this map contains a mapping for the specified
 * key.
 *
 * @throws NullPointerException if key is null
 * @throws ClassCastException if key is not String
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if key is empty String
 */
 public boolean containsKey(Object key);

 /**
 * Returns the value to which this map maps the specified key. Returns
 * <tt>null</tt> if the map contains no mapping for this key. A return
 * value of <tt>null</tt> does not <i>necessarily</i> indicate that the
 * map contains no mapping for the key; it's also possible that the map
 * explicitly maps the key to <tt>null</tt>. The <tt>containsKey</tt>
 * operation may be used to distinguish these two cases.
 *
 * <p>More formally, if this map contains a mapping from a key
 * <tt>k</tt> to a value <tt>v</tt> such that <tt>(key==null ? k==null :
 * key.equals(k))</tt>, then this method returns <tt>v</tt>; otherwise
 * it returns <tt>null</tt>. (There can be at most one such mapping.)
 *
 * @param key key whose associated value is to be returned.
 * @return the value to which this map maps the specified key, or
 * <tt>null</tt> if the map contains no mapping for this key.
 *
 * @throws NullPointerException if key is null
 * @throws ClassCastException if key is not String
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if key is empty String
 */
 public Object get(Object key);

 /**
 * Removes the mapping for this key from this map if it is present
 * (optional operation). More formally, if this map contains a mapping
 * from key <tt>k</tt> to value <tt>v</tt> such that
 * <code>(key==null ? k==null : key.equals(k))</code>, that mapping
 * is removed. (The map can contain at most one such mapping.)
 *
 * <p>Returns the value to which the map previously associated the key, or
 * <tt>null</tt> if the map contained no mapping for this key. (A
 * <tt>null</tt> return can also indicate that the map previously
 * associated <tt>null</tt> with the specified key if the implementation
 * supports <tt>null</tt> values.) The map will not contain a mapping for
 * the specified key once the call returns.
 *
 * @param key key whose mapping is to be removed from the map.
 * @return previous value associated with specified key, or <tt>null</tt>
 * if there was no mapping for key.
 *
 * @throws NullPointerException if key is null
 * @throws ClassCastException if key is not String
 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if key is empty String
 */
 public Object remove(Object key);
}