001    /**
002    The contents of this file are subject to the Mozilla Public License Version 1.1 
003    (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. 
004    You may obtain a copy of the License at http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/ 
005    Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" basis, 
006    WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the 
007    specific language governing rights and limitations under the License. 
008    
009    The Original Code is "Application.java".  Description: 
010    "From an HL7 messaging perspective, a consumer of a messages" 
011    
012    The Initial Developer of the Original Code is University Health Network. Copyright (C) 
013    2002.  All Rights Reserved. 
014    
015    Contributor(s): ______________________________________. 
016    
017    Alternatively, the contents of this file may be used under the terms of the 
018    GNU General Public License (the  �GPL�), in which case the provisions of the GPL are 
019    applicable instead of those above.  If you wish to allow use of your version of this 
020    file only under the terms of the GPL and not to allow others to use your version 
021    of this file under the MPL, indicate your decision by deleting  the provisions above 
022    and replace  them with the notice and other provisions required by the GPL License.  
023    If you do not delete the provisions above, a recipient may use your version of 
024    this file under either the MPL or the GPL. 
025    */
026    
027    package ca.uhn.hl7v2.app;
028    
029    import ca.uhn.hl7v2.model.Message;
030    import ca.uhn.hl7v2.HL7Exception;
031    
032    /**
033     * <p>From an HL7 messaging perspective, an Application is a consumer of a messages. 
034     * Once a parser parses an incoming message, the message would normally be forwarded 
035     * to an Application of some sort (e.g. a lab system) which would process the 
036     * message in some way meaningful for it, and then return a response.</p>  
037     * <p>If you are wondering how to integrate HAPI into an existing server application, 
038     * this is probably the place.  Create a class that implements Application, then look 
039     * at Responder and SimpleServer to see how to get HAPI to listen for messages on 
040     * a socket and pass them to your Application.</p>
041     * @author  Bryan Tripp
042     * 
043     * @see ApplicationExceptionHandler
044     * @see DefaultApplication
045     * 
046     */
047    public interface Application {
048    
049        /**
050         * Uses the contents of the message for whatever purpose the Application 
051         * has for this message, and returns an appropriate response message.   
052         */
053        public Message processMessage(Message in) throws ApplicationException, HL7Exception;
054        
055        /** 
056         * Returns true if this Application wishes to accept the message.  By returning
057         * true, this Application declares itself the recipient of the message, accepts 
058         * responsibility for it, and must be able to respond appropriately to the sending system.  
059         */
060        public boolean canProcess(Message in);
061    }
062