// Copyright (c) .NET Foundation. All rights reserved.
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See License.txt in the project root for license information.

using System.Collections.Generic;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Abstractions;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Routing;

namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Infrastructure
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Defines an interface for selecting an MVC action to invoke for the current request.
    /// </summary>
    public interface IActionSelector
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Selects a set of <see cref="ActionDescriptor"/> candidates for the current request associated with
        /// <paramref name="context"/>.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="context">The <see cref="RouteContext"/> associated with the current request.</param>
        /// <returns>A set of <see cref="ActionDescriptor"/> candidates or <c>null</c>.</returns>
        /// <remarks>
        /// <para>
        /// Used by conventional routing to select the set of actions that match the route values for the
        /// current request. Action constraints associated with the candidates are not invoked by this method
        /// </para>
        /// <para>
        /// Attribute routing does not call this method.
        /// </para>
        /// </remarks>
        IReadOnlyList<ActionDescriptor> SelectCandidates(RouteContext context);

        /// <summary>
        /// Selects the best <see cref="ActionDescriptor"/> candidate from <paramref name="candidates"/> for the 
        /// current request associated with <paramref name="context"/>.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="context">The <see cref="RouteContext"/> associated with the current request.</param>
        /// <param name="candidates">The set of <see cref="ActionDescriptor"/> candidates.</param>
        /// <returns>The best <see cref="ActionDescriptor"/> candidate for the current request or <c>null</c>.</returns>
        /// <exception cref="Internal.AmbiguousActionException">
        /// Thrown when action selection results in an ambiguity.
        /// </exception>
        /// <remarks>
        /// <para>
        /// Invokes action constraints associated with the candidates.
        /// </para>
        /// <para>
        /// Used by conventional routing after calling <see cref="SelectCandidates"/> to apply action constraints and
        /// disambiguate between multiple candidates.
        /// </para>
        /// <para>
        /// Used by attribute routing to apply action constraints and disambiguate between multiple candidates.
        /// </para>
        /// </remarks>
        ActionDescriptor SelectBestCandidate(RouteContext context, IReadOnlyList<ActionDescriptor> candidates);
    }
}
