/*
 *   This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 *   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
 *   the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
 *   (at your option) any later version.
 *
 *   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
 *   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 *   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
 *   GNU General Public License for more details.
 *
 *   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 *   along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 */

/*
 *    ConverterUtils.java
 *    Copyright (C) 2000-2012 University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
 *
 */

package weka.core.converters;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.io.Serializable;
import java.io.StreamTokenizer;
import java.net.URL;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.Enumeration;
import java.util.Hashtable;
import java.util.Properties;
import java.util.Vector;

import weka.core.ClassDiscovery;
import weka.core.Instance;
import weka.core.Instances;
import weka.core.RevisionHandler;
import weka.core.RevisionUtils;

/**
 * Utility routines for the converter package.
 *
 * @author Mark Hall (mhall@cs.waikato.ac.nz)
 * @author FracPete (fracpete at waikato dot ac dot nz)
 * @version $Revision: 9285 $
 * @see Serializable
 */
public class ConverterUtils
  implements Serializable, RevisionHandler {

  /** for serialization. */
  static final long serialVersionUID = -2460855349276148760L;

  /**
   * Helper class for loading data from files and URLs. Via the ConverterUtils
   * class it determines which converter to use for loading the data into 
   * memory. If the chosen converter is an incremental one, then the data
   * will be loaded incrementally, otherwise as batch. In both cases the 
   * same interface will be used (<code>hasMoreElements</code>, 
   * <code>nextElement</code>). Before the
   * data can be read again, one has to call the <code>reset</code> method.
   * The data source can also be initialized with an Instances object, in 
   * order to provide a unified interface to files and already loaded datasets.
   * 
   * @author FracPete (fracpete at waikato dot ac dot nz)
   * @version $Revision: 9285 $
   * @see #hasMoreElements(Instances)
   * @see #nextElement(Instances)
   * @see #reset()
   * @see DataSink
   */
  public static class DataSource
    implements Serializable, RevisionHandler {
    
    /** for serialization. */
    private static final long serialVersionUID = -613122395928757332L;

    /** the file to load. */
    protected File m_File;
    
    /** the URL to load. */
    protected URL m_URL;
    
    /** the loader.*/
    protected Loader m_Loader;
    
    /** whether the loader is incremental. */
    protected boolean m_Incremental;
    
    /** the instance counter for the batch case. */
    protected int m_BatchCounter;

    /** the last internally read instance. */
    protected Instance m_IncrementalBuffer;
    
    /** the batch buffer. */
    protected Instances m_BatchBuffer;
    
    /**
     * Tries to load the data from the file. Can be either a regular file or
     * a web location (http://, https://, ftp:// or file://).
     * 
     * @param location		the name of the file to load
     * @throws Exception	if initialization fails
     */
    public DataSource(String location) throws Exception {
      super();
      
      // file or URL?
      if (    location.startsWith("http://")
	   || location.startsWith("https://")
	   || location.startsWith("ftp://")
	   || location.startsWith("file://") )
	m_URL = new URL(location);
      else
	m_File = new File(location);
      
      // quick check: is it ARFF?
      if (isArff(location)) {
	m_Loader = new ArffLoader();
      }
      else {
	if (m_File != null)
	  m_Loader = ConverterUtils.getLoaderForFile(location);
	else
	  m_Loader = ConverterUtils.getURLLoaderForFile(location);
	
	// do we have a converter?
	if (m_Loader == null)
	  throw new IllegalArgumentException("No suitable converter found for '" + location + "'!");
      }
      
      // incremental loader?
      m_Incremental = (m_Loader instanceof IncrementalConverter);
      
      reset();
    }
    
    /**
     * Initializes the datasource with the given dataset.
     * 
     * @param inst		the dataset to use
     */
    public DataSource(Instances inst) {
      super();
      
      m_BatchBuffer = inst;
      m_Loader      = null;
      m_File        = null;
      m_URL         = null;
      m_Incremental = false;
    }
    
    /**
     * Initializes the datasource with the given Loader.
     * 
     * @param loader		the Loader to use
     */
    public DataSource(Loader loader) {
      super();

      m_BatchBuffer = null;
      m_Loader      = loader;
      m_File        = null;
      m_URL         = null;
      m_Incremental = (m_Loader instanceof IncrementalConverter);
      
      initBatchBuffer();
    }

    /**
     * Initializes the datasource with the given input stream. This stream
     * is always interpreted as ARFF.
     * 
     * @param stream		the stream to use
     */
    public DataSource(InputStream stream) {
      super();
      
      m_BatchBuffer = null;
      m_Loader      = new ArffLoader();
      try {
	m_Loader.setSource(stream);
      }
      catch (Exception e) {
	m_Loader = null;
      }
      m_File        = null;
      m_URL         = null;
      m_Incremental = (m_Loader instanceof IncrementalConverter);
      
      initBatchBuffer();
    }

    /**
     * initializes the batch buffer if necessary, i.e., for non-incremental
     * loaders.
     */
    protected void initBatchBuffer() {
      try {
	if (!isIncremental())
	  m_BatchBuffer = m_Loader.getDataSet();
	else
	  m_BatchBuffer = null;
      }
      catch (Exception e) {
	e.printStackTrace();
      }
    }
    
    /**
     * returns whether the extension of the location is likely to be of ARFF
     * format, i.e., ending in ".arff" or ".arff.gz" (case-insensitive).
     * 
     * @param location		the file location to check
     * @return			true if the location seems to be of ARFF format
     */
    public static boolean isArff(String location) {
      if (    location.toLowerCase().endsWith(ArffLoader.FILE_EXTENSION.toLowerCase())
	   || location.toLowerCase().endsWith(ArffLoader.FILE_EXTENSION_COMPRESSED.toLowerCase()) )
	return true;
      else
	return false;
    }
    
    /**
     * returns whether the loader is an incremental one.
     * 
     * @return		true if the loader is a true incremental one
     */
    public boolean isIncremental() {
      return m_Incremental;
    }
    
    /**
     * returns the determined loader, null if the DataSource was initialized
     * with data alone and not a file/URL.
     * 
     * @return		the loader used for retrieving the data
     */
    public Loader getLoader() {
      return m_Loader;
    }
    
    /**
     * returns the full dataset, can be null in case of an error.
     * 
     * @return			the full dataset
     * @throws Exception 	if resetting of loader fails
     */
    public Instances getDataSet() throws Exception {
      Instances		result;
      
      result = null;
      
      // reset the loader
      reset();
      
      try {
	if (m_BatchBuffer == null)
	  result = m_Loader.getDataSet();
	else
	  result = m_BatchBuffer;
      }
      catch (Exception e) {
	e.printStackTrace();
	result = null;
      }

      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * returns the full dataset with the specified class index set, 
     * can be null in case of an error.
     * 
     * @param classIndex	the class index for the dataset
     * @return			the full dataset
     * @throws Exception 	if resetting of loader fails
     */
    public Instances getDataSet(int classIndex) throws Exception {
      Instances		result;
      
      result = getDataSet();
      if (result != null)
	result.setClassIndex(classIndex);
      
      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * resets the loader.
     * 
     * @throws Exception	if resetting fails
     */
    public void reset() throws Exception {
      if (m_File != null)
	((AbstractFileLoader) m_Loader).setFile(m_File);
      else if (m_URL != null)
	((URLSourcedLoader) m_Loader).setURL(m_URL.toString());
      else if (m_Loader != null)
	m_Loader.reset();
      
      m_BatchCounter      = 0;
      m_IncrementalBuffer = null;

      if (m_Loader != null) {
	if (!isIncremental())
	  m_BatchBuffer = m_Loader.getDataSet();
	else
	  m_BatchBuffer = null;
      }
    }

    /**
     * returns the structure of the data.
     * 
     * @return			the structure of the data
     * @throws Exception	if something goes wrong
     */
    public Instances getStructure() throws Exception {
      if (m_BatchBuffer == null)
	return m_Loader.getStructure();
      else
	return new Instances(m_BatchBuffer, 0);
    }

    /**
     * returns the structure of the data, with the defined class index.
     * 
     * @param classIndex	the class index for the dataset
     * @return			the structure of the data
     * @throws Exception	if something goes wrong
     */
    public Instances getStructure(int classIndex) throws Exception {
      Instances		result;
      
      result = getStructure();
      if (result != null)
	result.setClassIndex(classIndex);
      
      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * returns whether there are more Instance objects in the data.
     * 
     * @param structure	the structure of the dataset
     * @return		true if there are more Instance objects 
     * 			available
     * @see		#nextElement(Instances)
     */
    public boolean hasMoreElements(Instances structure) {
      boolean	result;
      
      result = false;
      
      if (isIncremental()) {
	// user still hasn't collected the last one?
	if (m_IncrementalBuffer != null) {
	  result = true;
	}
	else {
	  try {
	    m_IncrementalBuffer = m_Loader.getNextInstance(structure);
	    result              = (m_IncrementalBuffer != null);
	  }
	  catch (Exception e) {
	    e.printStackTrace();
	    result = false;
	  }
	}
      }
      else {
	result = (m_BatchCounter < m_BatchBuffer.numInstances());
      }
      
      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * returns the next element and sets the specified dataset, null if 
     * none available.
     * 
     * @param dataset	the dataset to set for the instance
     * @return		the next Instance
     */
    public Instance nextElement(Instances dataset) {
      Instance	result;
      
      result = null;
      
      if (isIncremental()) {
	// is there still an instance in the buffer?
	if (m_IncrementalBuffer != null) {
	  result              = m_IncrementalBuffer;
	  m_IncrementalBuffer = null;
	}
	else {
	  try {
	    result = m_Loader.getNextInstance(dataset);
	  }
	  catch (Exception e) {
	    e.printStackTrace();
	    result = null;
	  }
	}
      }
      else {
	if (m_BatchCounter < m_BatchBuffer.numInstances()) {
	  result = m_BatchBuffer.instance(m_BatchCounter);
	  m_BatchCounter++;
	}
      }

      if (result != null) {
        result.setDataset(dataset);
      }
      
      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * convencience method for loading a dataset in batch mode.
     * 
     * @param location		the dataset to load
     * @return			the dataset
     * @throws Exception	if loading fails
     */
    public static Instances read(String location) throws Exception {
      DataSource	source;
      Instances		result;
      
      source = new DataSource(location);
      result = source.getDataSet();
      
      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * convencience method for loading a dataset in batch mode from a stream.
     * 
     * @param stream		the stream to load the dataset from
     * @return			the dataset
     * @throws Exception	if loading fails
     */
    public static Instances read(InputStream stream) throws Exception {
      DataSource	source;
      Instances		result;
      
      source = new DataSource(stream);
      result = source.getDataSet();
      
      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * convencience method for loading a dataset in batch mode.
     * 
     * @param loader		the loader to get the dataset from
     * @return			the dataset
     * @throws Exception	if loading fails
     */
    public static Instances read(Loader loader) throws Exception {
      DataSource	source;
      Instances		result;
      
      source = new DataSource(loader);
      result = source.getDataSet();
      
      return result;
    }
    
    /**
     * for testing only - takes a data file as input.
     * 
     * @param args		the commandline arguments
     * @throws Exception 	if something goes wrong
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
      if (args.length != 1) {
	System.out.println("\nUsage: " + DataSource.class.getName() + " <file>\n");
	System.exit(1);
      }
      
      DataSource loader = new DataSource(args[0]);
      
      System.out.println("Incremental? " + loader.isIncremental());
      System.out.println("Loader: " + loader.getLoader().getClass().getName());
      System.out.println("Data:\n");
      Instances structure = loader.getStructure();
      System.out.println(structure);
      while (loader.hasMoreElements(structure))
	System.out.println(loader.nextElement(structure));
      
      Instances inst = loader.getDataSet();
      loader = new DataSource(inst);
      System.out.println("\n\nProxy-Data:\n");
      System.out.println(loader.getStructure());
      while (loader.hasMoreElements(structure))
	System.out.println(loader.nextElement(inst));
    }
    
    /**
     * Returns the revision string.
     * 
     * @return		the revision
     */
    public String getRevision() {
      return RevisionUtils.extract("$Revision: 9285 $");
    }
  }

  /**
   * Helper class for saving data to files. Via the ConverterUtils
   * class it determines which converter to use for saving the data.
   * It is the logical counterpart to <code>DataSource</code>.
   * 
   * @author FracPete (fracpete at waikato dot ac dot nz)
   * @version $Revision: 9285 $
   * @see DataSource
   */
  public static class DataSink
    implements Serializable, RevisionHandler {

    /** for serialization. */
    private static final long serialVersionUID = -1504966891136411204L;

    /** the saver to use for storing the data. */
    protected Saver m_Saver = null;
    
    /** the stream to store the data in (always in ARFF format). */
    protected OutputStream m_Stream = null;
    
    /**
     * initializes the sink to save the data to the given file.
     * 
     * @param filename		the file to save data to
     * @throws Exception	if set of saver fails
     */
    public DataSink(String filename) throws Exception {
      m_Stream = null;
      
      if (DataSource.isArff(filename))
	m_Saver = new ArffSaver();
      else
	m_Saver = getSaverForFile(filename);
      
      ((AbstractFileSaver) m_Saver).setFile(new File(filename));
    }
    
    /**
     * initializes the sink to save the data to the given Saver (expected to be 
     * fully configured).
     * 
     * @param saver	the saver to use for saving the data
     */
    public DataSink(Saver saver) {
      m_Saver  = saver;
      m_Stream = null;
    }
    
    /**
     * initializes the sink to save the data in the stream (always in ARFF 
     * format).
     * 
     * @param stream	the output stream to use for storing the data in ARFF
     * 			format
     */
    public DataSink(OutputStream stream) {
      m_Saver  = null;
      m_Stream = stream;
    }

    /**
     * writes the given data either via the saver or to the defined 
     * output stream (depending on the constructor). In case of the stream, 
     * the stream is only flushed, but not closed.
     * 
     * @param data		the data to save
     * @throws Exception	if saving fails
     */
    public void write(Instances data) throws Exception {
      if (m_Saver != null) {
	m_Saver.setInstances(data);
	m_Saver.writeBatch();
      }
      else {
	m_Stream.write(data.toString().getBytes());
	m_Stream.flush();
      }
    }
    
    /**
     * writes the data to the given file.
     * 
     * @param filename		the file to write the data to
     * @param data		the data to store
     * @throws Exception	if writing fails
     */
    public static void write(String filename, Instances data) throws Exception {
      DataSink	sink;
      
      sink = new DataSink(filename);
      sink.write(data);
    }
    
    /**
     * writes the data via the given saver.
     * 
     * @param saver		the saver to use for writing the data
     * @param data		the data to store
     * @throws Exception	if writing fails
     */
    public static void write(Saver saver, Instances data) throws Exception {
      DataSink	sink;
      
      sink = new DataSink(saver);
      sink.write(data);
    }
    
    /**
     * writes the data to the given stream (always in ARFF format).
     * 
     * @param stream		the stream to write the data to (ARFF format)
     * @param data		the data to store
     * @throws Exception	if writing fails
     */
    public static void write(OutputStream stream, Instances data) throws Exception {
      DataSink	sink;
      
      sink = new DataSink(stream);
      sink.write(data);
    }
    
    /**
     * for testing only - takes a data file as input and a data file for the
     * output.
     * 
     * @param args		the commandline arguments
     * @throws Exception 	if something goes wrong
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
      if (args.length != 2) {
	System.out.println(
	    "\nUsage: " + DataSource.class.getName() + " <input-file> <output-file>\n");
	System.exit(1);
      }

      // load data
      Instances data = DataSource.read(args[0]);
      
      // save data
      DataSink.write(args[1], data);
    }
    
    /**
     * Returns the revision string.
     * 
     * @return		the revision
     */
    public String getRevision() {
      return RevisionUtils.extract("$Revision: 9285 $");
    }
  }
  
  /** the core loaders - hardcoded list necessary for RMI/Remote Experiments 
   * (comma-separated list). */
  public final static String CORE_FILE_LOADERS = 
      weka.core.converters.ArffLoader.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.C45Loader.class.getName() + ","
    + weka.core.converters.CSVLoader.class.getName() + ","
//    + weka.core.converters.DatabaseConverter.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.LibSVMLoader.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.MatlabLoader.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.SVMLightLoader.class.getName() + ","
    + weka.core.converters.SerializedInstancesLoader.class.getName() + ","
    + weka.core.converters.TextDirectoryLoader.class.getName() + ","
    + weka.core.converters.XRFFLoader.class.getName();

  /** the core savers - hardcoded list necessary for RMI/Remote Experiments 
   * (comma-separated list). */
  public final static String CORE_FILE_SAVERS =
      weka.core.converters.ArffSaver.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.C45Saver.class.getName() + ","
    + weka.core.converters.CSVSaver.class.getName() + ","
//    + weka.core.converters.DatabaseConverter.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.LibSVMSaver.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.MatlabSaver.class.getName() + ","
    //    + weka.core.converters.SVMLightSaver.class.getName() + ","
    + weka.core.converters.SerializedInstancesSaver.class.getName() + ","
    + weka.core.converters.XRFFSaver.class.getName();
  
  /** all available loaders (extension &lt;-&gt; classname). */
  protected static Hashtable<String,String> m_FileLoaders;
  
  /** all available URL loaders (extension &lt;-&gt; classname). */
  protected static Hashtable<String,String> m_URLFileLoaders;

  /** all available savers (extension &lt;-&gt; classname). */
  protected static Hashtable<String,String> m_FileSavers;
  
  // determine all loaders/savers  
  static {
    initialize();
  }
  
  public static void initialize() {
    Vector classnames;
/*    
    try {
      // init
      m_FileLoaders    = new Hashtable<String,String>();
      m_URLFileLoaders = new Hashtable<String,String>();
      m_FileSavers     = new Hashtable<String,String>();
      
      // generate properties 
      // Note: does NOT work with RMI, hence m_FileLoadersCore/m_FileSaversCore
/*      
      Properties props = GenericPropertiesCreator.getGlobalOutputProperties();
      if (props == null) {
        GenericPropertiesCreator creator = new GenericPropertiesCreator();
        
        creator.execute(false);
        props = creator.getOutputProperties();
      }
      
      // loaders
      m_FileLoaders = getFileConverters(
                        props.getProperty(Loader.class.getName(), CORE_FILE_LOADERS),
                        new String[]{FileSourcedConverter.class.getName()});
      
      // URL loaders
      m_URLFileLoaders = getFileConverters(
                           props.getProperty(Loader.class.getName(), CORE_FILE_LOADERS),
                           new String[]{
                             FileSourcedConverter.class.getName(), 
                             URLSourcedLoader.class.getName()});

      // savers
      m_FileSavers = getFileConverters(
                        props.getProperty(Saver.class.getName(), CORE_FILE_SAVERS),
                        new String[]{FileSourcedConverter.class.getName()});
    }
    catch (Exception e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
      // ignore
    }
*/      
  }
  
  /**
   * returns a hashtable with the association 
   * "file extension &lt;-&gt; converter classname" for the comma-separated list
   * of converter classnames.
   * 
   * @param classnames	comma-separated list of converter classnames
   * @param intf	interfaces the converters have to implement
   * @return		hashtable with ExtensionFileFilters
   */
  protected static Hashtable<String,String> getFileConverters(String classnames, String[] intf) {
    Vector<String>	list;
    String[]	names;
    int		i;
    
    list  = new Vector<String>();
    names = classnames.split(",");
    for (i = 0; i < names.length; i++)
      list.add(names[i]);
    
    return getFileConverters(list, intf);
  }
  
  /**
   * returns a hashtable with the association 
   * "file extension &lt;-&gt; converter classname" for the list of converter 
   * classnames.
   * 
   * @param classnames	list of converter classnames
   * @param intf	interfaces the converters have to implement
   * @return		hashtable with ExtensionFileFilters
   */
  protected static Hashtable<String,String> getFileConverters(Vector classnames, String[] intf) {
    Hashtable<String,String>	result;
    String 			classname;
    Class 			cls;
    String[] 			ext;
    FileSourcedConverter 	converter;
    int 			i;
    int				n;
    
    result = new Hashtable<String,String>();
    
    for (i = 0; i < classnames.size(); i++) {
      classname = (String) classnames.get(i);

      // all necessary interfaces implemented?
      for (n = 0; n < intf.length; n++) {
	if (!ClassDiscovery.hasInterface(intf[n], classname))
	  continue;
      }
      
      // get data from converter
      try {
	cls       = Class.forName(classname);
	converter = (FileSourcedConverter) cls.newInstance();
	ext       = converter.getFileExtensions();
      }
      catch (Exception e) {
	cls       = null;
	converter = null;
	ext       = new String[0];
      }
      
      if (converter == null)
	continue;

      for (n = 0; n < ext.length; n++)
	result.put(ext[n], classname);
    }
    
    return result;
  }

  /**
   * Gets token, skipping empty lines.
   *
   * @param tokenizer 		the stream tokenizer
   * @throws IOException 	if reading the next token fails
   */
  public static void getFirstToken(StreamTokenizer tokenizer) 
    throws IOException {
    StreamTokenizerUtils.getFirstToken(tokenizer);
  }

  /**
   * Gets token.
   *
   * @param tokenizer 		the stream tokenizer
   * @throws IOException 	if reading the next token fails
   */
  public static void getToken(StreamTokenizer tokenizer) throws IOException {    
    StreamTokenizerUtils.getToken(tokenizer);
  }

  /**
   * Throws error message with line number and last token read.
   *
   * @param theMsg 		the error message to be thrown
   * @param tokenizer 		the stream tokenizer
   * @throws IOException 	containing the error message
   */
  public static void errms(StreamTokenizer tokenizer, String theMsg) 
    throws IOException {
    
    throw new IOException(theMsg + ", read " + tokenizer.toString());
  }

  /**
   * returns a vector with the classnames of all the loaders from the 
   * given hashtable.
   * 
   * @param ht		the hashtable with the extension/converter relation
   * @return		the classnames of the loaders
   */
  protected static Vector<String> getConverters(Hashtable<String,String> ht) {
    Vector<String>	result;
    Enumeration<String>	enm;
    String		converter;
    
    result = new Vector<String>();
    
    // get all classnames
    enm = ht.elements();
    while (enm.hasMoreElements()) {
      converter = enm.nextElement();
      if (!result.contains(converter))
	result.add(converter);
    }
    
    // sort names
    Collections.sort(result);
    
    return result;
  }
  
  /**
   * tries to determine the converter to use for this kind of file, returns
   * null if none can be found in the given hashtable.
   * 
   * @param filename	the file to return a converter for
   * @param ht		the hashtable with the relation extension/converter
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  protected static Object getConverterForFile(String filename, Hashtable<String,String> ht) {
    Object	result;
    String	extension;
    int		index;
    
    result = null;
    
    index = filename.lastIndexOf('.');
    if (index > -1) {
      extension = filename.substring(index).toLowerCase();
      result    = getConverterForExtension(extension, ht);
      // is it a compressed format?
      if (extension.equals(".gz") && result == null) {
	index     = filename.lastIndexOf('.', index - 1);
	extension = filename.substring(index).toLowerCase();
	result    = getConverterForExtension(extension, ht);
      }
    }
    
    return result;
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the loader to use for this kind of extension, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param extension	the file extension to return a converter for
   * @param ht		the hashtable with the relation extension/converter
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  protected static Object getConverterForExtension(String extension, Hashtable<String,String> ht) {
    Object	result;
    String	classname;
    
    result    = null;
    classname = (String) ht.get(extension);
    if (classname != null) {
      try {
	result = Class.forName(classname).newInstance();
      }
      catch (Exception e) {
	result = null;
	e.printStackTrace();
      }
    }
    
    return result;
  }
  
  /**
   * checks whether the given class is one of the hardcoded core file loaders.
   * 
   * @param classname	the class to check
   * @return		true if the class is one of the core loaders
   * @see		#CORE_FILE_LOADERS
   */
  public static boolean isCoreFileLoader(String classname) {
    boolean	result;
    String[]	classnames;
    
    classnames = CORE_FILE_LOADERS.split(",");
    result     = (Arrays.binarySearch(classnames, classname) >= 0);
    
    return result;
  }
  
  /**
   * returns a vector with the classnames of all the file loaders.
   * 
   * @return		the classnames of the loaders
   */
  public static Vector<String> getFileLoaders() {
    return getConverters(m_FileLoaders);
  }
  
  /**
   * tries to determine the loader to use for this kind of file, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param filename	the file to return a converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileLoader getLoaderForFile(String filename) {
    return (AbstractFileLoader) getConverterForFile(filename, m_FileLoaders);
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the loader to use for this kind of file, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param file	the file to return a converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileLoader getLoaderForFile(File file) {
    return getLoaderForFile(file.getAbsolutePath());
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the loader to use for this kind of extension, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param extension	the file extension to return a converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileLoader getLoaderForExtension(String extension) {
    return (AbstractFileLoader) getConverterForExtension(extension, m_FileLoaders);
  }

  /**
   * returns a vector with the classnames of all the URL file loaders.
   * 
   * @return		the classnames of the loaders
   */
  public static Vector<String> getURLFileLoaders() {
    return getConverters(m_URLFileLoaders);
  }
  
  /**
   * tries to determine the URL loader to use for this kind of file, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param filename	the file to return a URL converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileLoader getURLLoaderForFile(String filename) {
    return (AbstractFileLoader) getConverterForFile(filename, m_URLFileLoaders);
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the URL loader to use for this kind of file, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param file	the file to return a URL converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileLoader getURLLoaderForFile(File file) {
    return getURLLoaderForFile(file.getAbsolutePath());
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the URL loader to use for this kind of extension, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param extension	the file extension to return a URL converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileLoader getURLLoaderForExtension(String extension) {
    return (AbstractFileLoader) getConverterForExtension(extension, m_URLFileLoaders);
  }
  
  /**
   * checks whether the given class is one of the hardcoded core file savers.
   * 
   * @param classname	the class to check
   * @return		true if the class is one of the core savers
   * @see		#CORE_FILE_SAVERS
   */
  public static boolean isCoreFileSaver(String classname) {
    boolean	result;
    String[]	classnames;
    
    classnames = CORE_FILE_SAVERS.split(",");
    result     = (Arrays.binarySearch(classnames, classname) >= 0);
    
    return result;
  }

  /**
   * returns a vector with the classnames of all the file savers.
   * 
   * @return		the classnames of the savers
   */
  public static Vector<String> getFileSavers() {
    return getConverters(m_FileSavers);
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the saver to use for this kind of file, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param filename	the file to return a converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileSaver getSaverForFile(String filename) {
    return (AbstractFileSaver) getConverterForFile(filename, m_FileSavers);
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the saver to use for this kind of file, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param file	the file to return a converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileSaver getSaverForFile(File file) {
    return getSaverForFile(file.getAbsolutePath());
  }

  /**
   * tries to determine the saver to use for this kind of extension, returns
   * null if none can be found.
   * 
   * @param extension	the file extension to return a converter for
   * @return		the converter if one was found, null otherwise
   */
  public static AbstractFileSaver getSaverForExtension(String extension) {
    return (AbstractFileSaver) getConverterForExtension(extension, m_FileSavers);
  }
  
  /**
   * Returns the revision string.
   * 
   * @return		the revision
   */
  public String getRevision() {
    return RevisionUtils.extract("$Revision: 9285 $");
  }
}
