edit

Author: usfalami

src/main/java/org/usf/jquery/web/RequestEntryChain.java

@@ -158,32 +158,57 @@ public ViewJoin[] evalJoin(ViewDecorator vd) {
 					.orElseThrow(()-> noSuchResourceException(VIEW, value));
 			e = requireNoArgs().next; //check args only if view exists
 		}
-		var join = vd.joiner(e.value);
+		var join = vd.join(e.value);
 		if(nonNull(join)) {
 			e.requireNoArgs().requireNoNext(); //check args & next only if joiner exists
-			return requireNonNull(join.build(), "view.joiner: " + e);
+			return requireNonNull(join.build(), vd.identity() + ".join: " + e);
 		}
-		throw noSuchResourceException(vd.identity() + ".joiner", e.value);
+		throw noSuchResourceException(vd.identity() + ".join", e.value);
 	}
 
 	//[partition.order]*
-	public Partition evalPartition(ViewDecorator td) {
+	public Partition evalPartition(ViewDecorator vd) {
+		var e = this;
+		if(hasNext()) {
+			var res = currentContext().lookupRegisteredView(value);
+			if(res.isPresent()) {
+				vd = res.get();
+				e = requireNoArgs().next; //check args only if view exists
+			}
+		}
+		var par = vd.partition(e.value);
+		if(nonNull(par)) {
+			e.requireNoArgs().requireNoNext();
+			return requireNonNull(par.build(), vd.identity() + ".partition: " + e);
+		}
+		if(e == this) { // not view
+			var res = evalPartition2(vd);
+			if(res.isPresent()) {
+				return res.get();
+			}
+		}
+		throw noSuchResourceException(vd.identity() + ".partition", e.value);
+	}
+	
+	private Optional<Partition> evalPartition2(ViewDecorator vd) {
 		List<DBColumn> cols = new ArrayList<>();
 		List<DBOrder> ords = new ArrayList<>();
 		var e = this;
 		do {
 			switch (e.value) {
-			case PARTITION: addAll(cols, columnVarargs(td)); break;
-			case ORDER: addAll(ords, e.oderVarargs(td)); break;
-			default: throw e==this
-				? cannotParseEntryException(PARTITION, e) //first entry
-				: badEntrySyntaxException(joinArray("|", PARTITION, ORDER), e.value);
+			case PARTITION: addAll(cols, columnVarargs(vd)); break;
+			case ORDER: addAll(ords, e.oderVarargs(vd)); break;
+			default: 
+				if(e == this) {
+					return empty(); //cannotParseEntryException(PARTITION, e) //first entry
+				}
+				throw badEntrySyntaxException(joinArray("|", PARTITION, ORDER), e.value);
 			}
 			e = e.next;
 		} while(nonNull(e));
-		return new Partition(
+		return Optional.of(new Partition(
 				cols.toArray(DBColumn[]::new), 
-				ords.toArray(DBOrder[]::new));
+				ords.toArray(DBOrder[]::new)));
 	}
 
 	//[view.]column[.operator]*

src/main/java/org/usf/jquery/web/ViewDecorator.java

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public interface ViewDecorator {
 
 	String identity(); //URL
 
-	String columnName(ColumnDecorator cd);
+	String columnName(ColumnDecorator cd); 
 
 	default ViewBuilder builder() {
 		return this::buildView;
@@ -57,10 +57,14 @@ default CriteriaBuilder<DBFilter> criteria(String name) { //!aggregation
 		return null; //no criteria by default
 	}
 
-	default JoinBuilder joiner(String name) {
-		return null; //no builder by default
+	default JoinBuilder join(String name) {
+		return null; //no join by default
 	}
-
+	
+	default PartitionBuilder partition(String name) {
+		return null; //no partition by default
+	}
+	
 	default DBView view() {
 		return metadata().getView();
 	}
@@ -90,9 +94,8 @@ private TableView buildView() {
 	}
 
 	default ViewMetadata metadata() {
-		var view = requireNonNull(builder(), identity() + ".builder").build();
 		return currentContext().computeTableMetadata(this, cols-> 
-			new ViewMetadata(view, declaredColumns(this, cols)));
+			new ViewMetadata(requireNonNull(builder(), identity() + ".builder").build(), declaredColumns(this, cols)));
 	}
 
 	static Map<String, ColumnMetadata> declaredColumns(ViewDecorator vd, Collection<ColumnDecorator> cols){

src/main/java/org/usf/jquery/web/ViewDecoratorWrapper.java

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public CriteriaBuilder<DBFilter> criteria(String name) {
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public JoinBuilder joiner(String name) {
-		return view.joiner(name);
+	public JoinBuilder join(String name) {
+		return view.join(name);
 	}
 }

src/main/java/org/usf/jquery/web/YearViewDecorator.java

@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 package org.usf.jquery.web;
 
-import static java.lang.String.join;
 import static java.time.Month.DECEMBER;
 import static java.time.YearMonth.now;
 import static java.util.Objects.nonNull;
@@ -74,7 +73,7 @@ default void parseFilters(RequestQueryBuilder query, Map<String, String[]> param
 	default YearMonth[] parseRevisions(Map<String, String[]> parameterMap) {
 		var arr = parameterMap.remove(REVISION_MODE);
 		if(nonNull(arr) && arr.length > 1) {
-			throw new IllegalArgumentException("too many " + REVISION_MODE + " " + join(", ", arr)); //multiple values
+			throw new IllegalArgumentException("too many " + REVISION_MODE + " " + String.join(", ", arr)); //multiple values
 		}
 		var mod = revisionMode(isEmpty(arr) || isBlank(arr[0]) ? defaultRevisionMode() : arr[0]);
 		var values = parameterMap.containsKey(REVISION)