[MOBY-dev] Datatype instantiation in jMoby

[Ola Spjuth]

Hi,

In jMoby, I look up a service, and get the first primaryInputs  
DataType by

	service.getPrimaryData()[0].getDataType();

This gives me a Datatype with correct name and LSID, but nothing more  
(no children).

If I do the following:

	String dataTypeName=service.getPrimaryInputs()[i].getDataType 
().getName();
	primaryData[i] = new MobyDataComposite(dataTypeName);
	MobyDataType dataType=primaryData[i].getDataType();

Then jMoby reads the ontology and I get a dataType that has relations  
(children). How can I achieve this without having to instantiate a  
bogus MobyDataComposite? What is the purpose of this behaviour? Would  
something like this be an acceptable API-request:

	service.getPrimaryData()[0].getDataType();
	service.getPrimaryData()[0].populateFromOntology();


Next question:
I'd like to create MobyDataObjects that I can later populate with  
values.

The line

	MobyDataObject obj = MobyDataObject.createInstanceFromString 
(childTypeName,"0");

works fine, but I'd like to do is create an object with no values,  
like the following:

			for(MobyRelationship child: dataType.getAllChildren()){
				String childName = child.getName();
				String childTypeName = child.getDataTypeName();
				if(PrimitiveTypes.isPrimitive(childTypeName)){
						MobyDataObject obj = new MobyDataObject(childTypeName);
						primaryComposites[i].put(childName,obj);
				}
			}

Is it wrong to instantiate the values first and fill them at a later  
point?

Last question:
Can a service take only one primitive DataType as primaryInput or  
does it always require a MobyDataComposite? Is it an error in that  
case to supply a MobyDataComposite with only one primitive  
MobyDataObject in it (i.e. is it OK to always send a  
MobyDataComposite as PrimaryInput to a service)?

Thanks,

    .../Ola