change to simplefeature

• Motivation: We are tired of working with flat features.

• Contact: Jody Garnett, Justin Deoliveira, Gabriel Roldán

• Tracker: https://osgeo-org.atlassian.net/browse/GEOT-1191

• Tagline: Expected refactoring, performed during the FOSS4G code sprint

Description

We are tired of working with flat features:

• The GeoAPI project finally has a feature interface available that meets our needs
• org.opengis.feature.simple.SimpleFeature matches our current expectations - we can do a search and replace in order to switch over
• All code should be changed over to Use SimpleFeatureBuilder before this work proceeds

Status

This proposal was part of the FOSS4G code sprint; it was mostly approved as part
of the code sprint workplan.

Resources

There is a lot of ink split on this topic. If I gave you links you would only get confused.

If you would like to be confused:

• Community Schema Road Map

• Feature Model Preparation

      | :white_check_mark: | :no_entry: | :warning:               | :negative_squared_cross_mark: |
  

------------|--------------------|------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------| no progress | done | impeded | lack mandate/funds/time | volunteer needed |

The Strict Plan

We want to prevent a repeat of what happened with Filter, this plan breaks early and breaks often - and then relaxes things for client code right before we ship.

1. ✅ Use SimpleFeatureBuilder

2. ✅ Make org.geotools.feature.FeatureImpl implement SimpleFeature

3. ✅ Move org.geotools.feature.Feature to legacy and deprecate

4. ✅ Add any methods needed to DefaultFeature

5. ✅ Change imports and API as required in geotools modules

6. ✅ Test like mad

7. ✅ Confirm uDig and GeoServer are happy and can build

8. ✅ Confirm uDig and GeoServer are just using SimpleFeature

9. ✅ Update documentation where needed (most of the documentation was created w/ this in mind)

   • ✅ Feature Model Guide Code Example Page used during code sprint

10. ✅ Release milestone release 2.5-M2)

11. ✅ Revise based on experience (change to getDescriptor() and getId() )

12. ✅ Release 2.5-RC0

API Changes

BEFORE

org.geotools.feature.Feature

public interface Feature {
}

AFTER

org.geotools.feature.Feature

import org.opengis.feature.simple.SimpleFeature;

/**
 *
 * @deprecated Use simple feature
 */
public interface Feature implements SimpleFeature {
}

Documentation Changes

Website:

• Update Upgrade to 2.5 instructions