@ParseOrder

@ParseOrder

@ParseOrder controls the order in which pathway-methods are parsed. By default, Imperat parses pathway-methods in the order they are declared in the class. With @ParseOrder, you can specify a custom parsing order using an integer value. Pathway-methods with lower @ParseOrder values are parsed before those with higher values.

Natural Order of Method Parsing

When Imperat parses methods in a class, it follows this order: @Processor methods & @ExceptionHandler methods -> @Execute methods -> @SubCommand methods -> @RootCommand methods. This means that all @Execute methods are parsed before any @SubCommand methods.

@ParseOrder only affects the order of parsing, it does not affect the order of execution.

How does @ParseOrder affect the natural order?

The @ParseOrder doesn't conflict with the natural order, it works within it.

Among methods with the same annotation (e.g., multiple @Execute methods), @ParseOrder determines their parsing order.

Where to Place

On any relevant method (e.g., @Execute, @SubCommand, etc.).

@Target(ElementType.METHOD)

Properties

Example

@RootCommand("testparseorder")
public class TestParseOrderCommand {

    @Execute
    @ParseOrder(1)
    public void firstExec(PLATFORMSOURCE source, String arg) {
        System.out.println("Second to be parsed, it has @Execute but lower @ParseOrder than secondExec");
    }

    @Execute
    @ParseOrder(2)
    public void secondExec(PLATFORMSOURCE source) {
        System.out.println("First to be parsed, it has @Execute");
    }

    @SubCommand("first")
    @ParseOrder(1)
    public void firstSub(PLATFORMSOURCE source) {
        System.out.println("Third to be parsed of all methods, it has @SubCommand and same @ParseOrder as firstExec but @Execute takes priority");
    }

    @SubCommand("second")
    @ParseOrder(2)
    public void secondSub(PLATFORMSOURCE source) {
        System.out.println("Last to be parsed, it has @SubCommand and highest @ParseOrder");
    }
}

In this example, the parsing order of the methods will be:

1. firstExec (because it has @Execute and the lowest @ParseOrder value)
2. secondExec (because it has @Execute and a higher @ParseOrder value than firstExec)
3. firstSub (because it has @SubCommand and the same @ParseOrder value as firstExec, but @Execute takes priority over @SubCommand)
4. secondSub (because it has @SubCommand and the highest @ParseOrder value)