001/*
002 * CDDL HEADER START
003 *
004 * The contents of this file are subject to the terms of the
005 * Common Development and Distribution License, Version 1.0 only
006 * (the "License").  You may not use this file except in compliance
007 * with the License.
008 *
009 * You can obtain a copy of the license at
010 * docs/licenses/cddl.txt
011 * or http://www.opensource.org/licenses/cddl1.php.
012 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions
013 * and limitations under the License.
014 *
015 * When distributing Covered Code, include this CDDL HEADER in each
016 * file and include the License file at
017 * docs/licenses/cddl.txt.  If applicable,
018 * add the following below this CDDL HEADER, with the fields enclosed
019 * by brackets "[]" replaced with your own identifying information:
020 *      Portions Copyright [yyyy] [name of copyright owner]
021 *
022 * CDDL HEADER END
023 *
024 *
025 *      Portions Copyright 2010-2023 Ping Identity Corporation
026 */
027package com.unboundid.directory.sdk.common.schema;
028
029
030
031import com.unboundid.util.ByteString;
032import com.unboundid.util.NotExtensible;
033import com.unboundid.util.ThreadSafety;
034import com.unboundid.util.ThreadSafetyLevel;
035
036
037
038/**
039 * This interface provides an API for interacting with ordering matching rules,
040 * which can be used to determine the logical order of two values in a sorted
041 * list.
042 */
043@NotExtensible()
044@ThreadSafety(level=ThreadSafetyLevel.INTERFACE_THREADSAFE)
045public interface OrderingMatchingRule
046       extends MatchingRule
047{
048  /**
049   * Compares the provided values to determine their logical order in a sorted
050   * list.
051   *
052   * @param  normValue1  The normalized form of the first value for which to
053   *                     make the determination.
054   * @param  normValue2  The normalized form of the second value for which to
055   *                     make the determination.
056   *
057   * @return  A negative value if the first value should be ordered before the
058   *          second, a positive value if the first value should be ordered
059   *          after the second, or zero if there is no logical difference
060   *          between the provided values.
061   */
062  int compareValues(final ByteString normValue1, final ByteString normValue2);
063}