The Apache Celix Utils library provides a properties implementation which is used in several places in Apache Celix. The properties are a key-value map with string keys and values with can be of a type:
Properties can be used - and are used in the Apache Celix framework - for runtime configuration and metadata. In this use case the actual underlying value types are not important and the properties values can be accessed and automatically converted to the requested type.
In the aforementioned use case the properties value are accessed using the “getAs” functions, for example:
celix_properties_t* props = celix_properties_create(); celix_properties_set(props, "myLong", "10"); long value = celix_properties_getAsLong(props, "myLong", 0L); assert(value == 10L);
In the above example the value of the property with key “myLong” is returned as a long and if the property is not available or cannot be converted to a long the default value (0L) is returned.
Properties are also be used as metadata for services. In this use case the actual underlying value types are important , because they are used to filter services.
The only access properties values if the property value type is the expected type the “get” functions should be used, for example:
celix_properties_t* props = celix_properties_create(); celix_properties_setLong(props, "myLong", 10); long value = celix_properties_getLong(props, "myLong", 0L); assert(value == 10L);
In the above example the value of the property with key “myLong” is returned if the property is available and the property value type is a long.
The Apache Celix Properties C++ API is a header only API which can be used to create and access properties. The concept of C++ Properties is similar to the C Properties.
Example:
celix::Properties props{}; props.set("myLong", 10L); long value = props.getLong("myLong", 0L); assert(value == 10L);
See the celix_properites.h C header and celix/Properties.h C++ header for more information.
Apache Celix also provides a filter implementation which can be used to filter properties based on their values. In the Apache Celix Framework the filter implementation is used to filter services based on their properties.
Filters are created using a LDAP like syntax, for example:
celix_filter_t* filter = celix_filter_create("(myLong>5)");
Filters can be used to match properties, for example:
celix_properties_t* props = celix_properties_create(); celix_properties_setLong(props, "myLong", 10); bool match = celix_filter_match(filter, props); assert(match);
When matching properties with a filter, the property value types determined the matching rules. This means that a = (equal) match for a long property will yield a different result than a = (equal) match for a string.
For example, if a properties set contains a property “myLong” with string value “10” and a filter “(myLong>5)” is used to match the properties set, the filter will not match. This is because the filter matching uses lexical comparison and in that case “10” is not greater than “5”. When the same filter is used to match a properties set with a property “myLong” with long value 10, the filter will match.
The Apache Celix Filter C++ API is a header only API which can be used to create and match filters. The concept of C++ Filters is similar to the C Filters.
Example:
celix::Filter filter{"(myLong>5)"}; celix::Properties props{}; props.set("myLong", 10L); bool match = filter.match(props); assert(match);
See the celix_filter.h C header and celix/Filter.h C++ header for more information.