Instant

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jtemporal
Interface Instant

All Superinterfaces:: java.lang.Comparable

All Known Implementing Classes:: IntInstant

public interface Instant
extends java.lang.Comparable

You must implement this interface (basically a Comparable) to represent time. The implementing object must be immutable.
If you are in nuclear particle research you won't use the same class as if you are a geologist.
You can write a little adapter wrapping java.util.Date. Most users rether use "pure" dates, to avoid issues with timezones. There are many opensource implementations of Julian date and of Gregorian date. Many companies have their own date/calendar framework. For example, in my unit test classes, I have simply adapted an int.
Any object implementing this interface is required to be immutable. This is part of the contract.
Do not forget to implement equals and hashCode properly, as defined in the java.lang.Object documentation. Also, the equals method must be consistent with the compareTo method.

Version:: $Id$

Method Summary

int compareTo(java.lang.Object o)
          Compares this object with the specified object for order.

Instant negativeInfinity()
          Returns the lowest existing Instant.

Instant positiveInfinity()
          Returns the biggest existing Instant.

Method Detail

compareTo

public int compareTo(java.lang.Object o)

Compares this object with the specified object for order. Returns a negative integer, zero, or a positive integer as this object is less than, equal to, or greater than the specified object.

The implementor must ensure sgn(x.compareTo(y)) == -sgn(y.compareTo(x)) for all x and y. (This implies that x.compareTo(y) must throw an exception iff y.compareTo(x) throws an exception.)

The implementor must also ensure that the relation is transitive: (x.compareTo(y)>0 && y.compareTo(z)>0) implies x.compareTo(z)>0.

Finally, the implementer must ensure that x.compareTo(y)==0 implies that sgn(x.compareTo(z)) == sgn(y.compareTo(z)), for all z.

It is required that (x.compareTo(y)==0) == (x.equals(y)).

Specified by:: compareTo in interface java.lang.Comparable

positiveInfinity

public Instant positiveInfinity()

Returns the biggest existing Instant.
The implementation of this method is not mandatory.
It could become mandatory in a future version.

negativeInfinity

public Instant negativeInfinity()

Returns the lowest existing Instant.
The implementation of this method is not mandatory.
It could become mandatory in a future version.