ElementValue (Geotools modules 31-SNAPSHOT API)

All Known Implementing Classes:

ElementValueGT
```
public interface ElementValue
```
This interface is intended to represent a data structure to pass resolved Child elements to the parent element. This is of particular importance as this enable the programmer to reverse the direction of the recursion on the parse tree, hopefully reducing the impact on the heap and overall memory.

Author:

dzwiers www.refractions.net

Method Summary

All Methods Instance Methods Abstract Methods
Modifier and Type	Method	Description
`Element`	`getElement()`	Returns the type which generated the associated value.
`Object`	`getValue()`	This returns the realized value of an element which was associated with this type.

- Method Detail
  - getElement
```
Element getElement()
```
    Returns the type which generated the associated value. The type is important because it allows easy access to the xml element inheritance tree, allowing the user to test whether it is a valid data entry.
    
    Returns:
    
    Type
  - getValue
```
Object getValue()
```
    This returns the realized value of an element which was associated with this type. We recommend that this value be realized prior to the first request for the value (use this object to cache the result). If you do chose to implement this method lazily, consider caching the result as it may be called more than once, expecting the same result both times.
    
    Returns:
    
    Object (may be null)