Value.meaning() is deprecated

[eamonnmcmanus]

Value.meaning() is deprecated, which is surprising for a new API. The reason is that it exposes datastore functionality that is slated for deletion, but which people might want to use meanwhile. I suggest that the @deprecated tag should include text saying explicitly that this method will be deleted at some point, and if possible giving a planned date for the deletion.

[ajkannan]

Update: the ValueBuilder interface should contain getMeaning() and meaning(int meaning), since it's a field that gcloud-java should get and set if a value has that field set already. For example, if a user says something like valueLoadedFromServer.toBuilder().build();, meaning should not be unset. However, this necessitates the getter and setter in the Value builder be public. I've added @deprecated tags to those methods and also made the getter (Value.meaning()) package scope. Do you think that's sufficient to close this issue @eamonnmcmanus?

[eamonnmcmanus]

I think that the ValueBuilder methods that have the @Deprecated annotation should also have a javadoc comment with a @deprecated tag that explains why they are deprecated.

[ajkannan]

/cc @pcostell do you know of any links to public documentation that explain why meaning is deprecated? I'd like to add a link/some explanation on why it's deprecated so I can close out this issue.

[pcostell]

We never really deprecated the field because it was never public to begin with. It's solely for compatibility with existing App engine libraries.

If you need a message for the field, I think passing through the same one on the proto is probably fine:

The `meaning` field should only be populated for backwards compatibility.