Text Document Object Model classes

Text Document Object Model (TextDOM) represents text document as a tree of objects. This tree matches internal document structure.
Text file content gets parsed and validated automatically using Schema Object Model (TextSOM) classes and top-level classes.
Text DOM classes allow you to load documents and document fragments, validate them, create, modify and save back Text DOM objects to a file or text stream.
Technically, DOM is a class hierarchy based on TextNode class which defines all the basic node functionality.
Here is the list of derived classes:
  • TextString - represents a fixed string of text (terminal lexeme).
  • TextChar - represents a single character corresponding character class in schema.
  • TextRule - text data structure, represented by its content.
  • TextDocument - represents a top-level text data structure which keeps a link to the whole format schema and provide document-level functionality.
These classes inherit all BinNode properties and methods, and provide some additional data type-specific functionality.

To obtain object content, you need to use Content property.
Also, for debugging purposes, you may get special text representation of object using ToString() overridden method.

Below are properties and methods of these classes. TextNode methods and properties are not listed below for classes derived from TextNode, but, of course, they are inherited.

Class TextNode
public abstract class TextNode : ICloneable, IEnumerable, ITextNavigable

Represents the root class for the DOM hierarchy. Every object in a document is a TextNode.
Property Type Description
ParentNode TextNode, get/set The parent TextNode of this TextNode.
Position long, get/set Offset for the node from the beginning of the document. Set by TextReader.
NextSibling TextNode, get only The next sibling of this TextNode. Returns null if this is the last item.
PreviousSibling TextNode, get only The previous sibling of this TextNode. Returns null if this is the first item.
OwnerDocument TextDocument, get only The owner document of this TextNode. Returns null if the root node is not TextDocument.
RootNode TextNode, get only The root node. Returns TextDocument unless this node is in a document fragment.
SchemaInfo ITextSchemaInfo, get/set Node schema information object. Created by TextReader and TextValidator.
HasChildNodes bool, get only Returns true if this node has child nodes. If this node could potentially have child nodes (TextRule), but actually has none, this property will return false.
ChildNodes TextNodeList, get only Returns a list of child nodes. If this node cannot have child nodes, returns null.
Size long, get only Returns size of this node in characters.
Capacity long, get only Returns number of bytes this node could contain.
Description string, get only Returns description for the node.
Content string, get/set Represents content of the node. Is is possible to set contents of the node using this property. However, keep in mind that TextStrings without SchemaInfo has unlimited Capacity and will absorb the rest of the data.
To fill complex structures correctly, you need to use parsing, i.e., ReadFrom method.
NodeType TextNodeType, get only Returns type of the node.
Method Parameters Description
CreateNavigator returns TextPathNavigator Implementation of ITextNavigable.CreateNavigator. Returns a TextPathNavigator for this node.
WriteTo TextWriter, returns void Saves a node contents to a stream.
ReadFrom TextReader stream, TextEventHandler handler, returns void Reads text data to this node. TextChar and textString just fills themselves with data from stream, according to Capacity value. TextRule and TextDocument do real data parsing with validations and error handling.
Calls back handler on errors.

Class TextChar
public class TextChar : TextNode

This class represents a single character of specified class.
Constructor Parameters Description
TextChar None Default constructor.
TextChar char Creates a value filled by char.
TextChar TextChar Copy constructor.
Method Parameters Description
SetContent char, returns long Set content from a given char.
Validate returns bool Validates character against its SchemaInfo, if present. Returns true if character is valid.
ToString returns void Textual representation of object.

Class TextString
public class TextString : TextNode

This class represents a terminal string in a document.
If TextString does not have SchemaInfo (pattern to compare), it has unlimited Capacity (-1) and will absorb all data from input stream (in ReadFrom method).
Constructor Parameters Description
TextString None Default constructor. Creates an empty string.
TextString string Creates an initialized string.
TextString TextString Copy constructor.
Method Parameters Description
Validate returns bool Validates string against its SchemaInfo, if present. Returns true if string is the same as SchemaInfo pattern.
ToString returns void Textual representation of object.

Class TextRule
public class TextRule : TextNode

This class organizes a hierarchy structure in a document. It is a container for other TextNodes and has a set of methods and properties manage these nodes.
Initially, TextRule instance is "anonymous", i.e., does not have any specific content pattern. Rule has a type and could be parsed or validated only if SchemaInfo is assigned.
Please do not use TextNodeList methods to add/insert/delete nodes, because they will not correctly assign parent node for child nodes. Use TextRule methods instead.
Constructor Parameters Description
TextRule None Default constructor. Creates an empty rule of unknown type.
TextRule TextRule Copy constructor.
Property Type Description
Item (indexer) long, get only Returns TextNode child item by index.
FirstTerminalPosition long, get only Returns position of the first terminal (string, char) child item. It could be different from position of the Rule itself if IgnoreWitheSpace option is used in header.
FirstChild TextNode, get only Returns first child item.
LastChild TextNode, get only Returns last child item.
Method Parameters Description
AppendChild TextNode newChild, returns TextNode Appends an item to the list of nodes. Returns appended node.
InsertAfter TextNode newChild, TextNode refChild, returns TextNode Inserts an item to the list of nodes after refChild. Returns inserted node.
InsertBefore TextNode newChild, TextNode refChild, returns TextNode Inserts an item to the list of nodes before refChild. Returns inserted node.
PrependChild TextNode newChild, returns TextNode Inserts an item to the beginning of the list of nodes. Returns inserted node.
RemoveChild TextNode child, returns TextNode Removes an item from the list of nodes, if specified node was a child of the structure; otherwise does nothing. Returns removed node.
RemoveFirstChild returns void Removes the first item from the list of child nodes.
RemoveLastChild returns void Removes the last item from the list of child nodes.
RemoveAll returns void Removes all items from the list of child nodes.
ReplaceChild TextNode newChild, TextNode oldChild, returns TextNode Replaces oldChild with newChild, if oldChild was a child of the structure; otherwise does nothing. Returns newChild node.
ConvertToString returns void Convert all TextRule content into a single string and insert it as a sole child node.
ToString returns void Textual representation of object.

Class TextDocument
public class TextDocument : TextRule

This class represents a text document. It is derived from TextRule, therefore, it provides all TextRule functionality.
Also, TextDocument includes a set of static helper methods to create and initialize various TextNode classes, to simplify automated document creation from client software.
Constructor Parameters Description
TextDocument None Default constructor. Creates an empty document of unknown type.
TextDocument TextDocument Copy constructor.
Property Type Description
Schema TextSchema, get/set Schema for use to parse/validate this document.
Method Parameters Description
static CreateRule TextNode[] nodes, returns TextRule Helper function which creates unnamed TextRule and fills it with child nodes.
static CreateChar char value, returns TextChar Helper function which creates TextChar and assigns it a value.
static CreateString string data, returns TextString Helper function which creates TextString and fills it with data.
CreateRule string name, returns TextRule Helper function which creates TextRule with appropriate SchemaInfo of a specified type.
Validate TextSchema schema, TextEventHandler handle, returns void Validates document against the schema. Initializes Schema property.

Class TextNodeList
public class TextNodeList : HugeList<TextNode>

This class represents a list of nodes and provides a full set of functionality for manipulations with this list.
BinNodeList is based on generic HugeList doubly-linked list.

Class TextException
public class TextException : SystemException

This class is a class of exception objects thrown when text document parsed, validated or incorrectly manipulated.
Constructor Parameters Description
TextException TextNode obj Constructs an exception with source node.
TextException TextNode obj, string message Constructs an exception with source node and a message.
TextException TextNode obj, string message, long pos Constructs an exception with source node, a message and a position.
TextException TextNode obj, string message, Exception e Constructs an exception with source node, a message and inner exception.
Property Type Description
Position long, get only Returns position of the error in a document.
SourceNode TextNode, get only Returns node which caused the exception.

Class TextEventArgs
public class TextEventArgs : EventArgs

Contains information about error or warning occured during text document processing.
Constructor Parameters Description
TextEventArgs TextException e, SeverityType s Initializes object with appropriate values.
Property Type Description
Exception TextException, get only Returns exception information.
Severity SeverityType, get only Returns information about severity of error.

Enumeration TextNodeType
public enum TextNodeType

Represents type of node.
Member Description
CHAR The node is a single character.
STRING The node is string.
RULE The node is a rule.
DOCUMENT The node is a document.

Delegate TextEventHandler
public delegate void TextEventHandler(
Object sender,
TextEventArgs e
);

Represents the callback method that will handle text document parsing/validation events.

See also: