Open framework for the definition of metadata

摘要

A family of Java interfaces defines methods to provide common information about a property, such as data type and editing capabilities. The interfaces identify the methods used to get generic metadata. Implementers may extend these classes, as needed, to provide the metadata for their specific properties. The common metadata description interface of the present invention allows multiple metadata sources to be used interchangeably within the same software product without the software code being specifically written for each metadata source.