Class Controller
- All Implemented Interfaces:
Computable
,InputObject
,ActionListener
,AdjustmentListener
,ItemListener
,TextListener
,Serializable
,EventListener
InputObjects and Computables have to be added to a Controller to be processed, using the Controller's add method. (If you build your inteface out of JCMPanels, then this is done automatically.) (Note that an InputObject is added to a Controller to have its value checked -- This is separate from registering the Controller to listen for changes in the InputObject. Often, you have to do both.) The gatherInputs() method in class JCMPanel can be used to do most of this registration automaticaly.
A Tie that synchronizes two or more Values, to be effective, has to be added to a Controller. See the Tie class for inforamtion about what Ties are and how they are used.
A Controller can have an associated ErrorReporter, which is used to report any errors that occur during the processing. Currently, an ErrorReporter is either a DisplayCanvas or a MessagePopup.
A Controller can be added to another Controller, which then becomes a sub-controller. Whenever the main Controller hears some action, it also notifies all its sub-controllers about the action. Furthermore, it can report errors that occur in the sub-controllers, if they don't have their own error reporters. (Usually, you will just set an error reporter for the top-level Controller.)
- See Also:
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Field Summary
FieldsModifier and TypeFieldDescriptionprotected Vector
Computable objects controlled by this controller.protected String
If non-null, this is an error message that has been reported and not yet cleared.protected ErrorReporter
Used for reporting errors that occur in the compute() method of this controller.protected Vector
InputObjects controlled by this controller.protected Controller
The parent of this controller, if any.protected Vector
Ties that have been added to this controller. -
Constructor Summary
Constructors -
Method Summary
Modifier and TypeMethodDescriptionvoid
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears an ActionEvent.void
Add an object to be controlled by this controller.void
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears an AdjustmantEvent.void
Call checkInput() of each InputObject.protected void
Clear the error message.void
compute()
When an contoller computes, it first calls checkInput() for any InputOjects that it controls (including those in sub-controllers).protected void
Compute the Computables in this controller and its sub-controllers.protected void
doTies()
Check the Ties in this controller and its sub-controllers.void
Should be called by the ErrorReporter if the ErrorReporter clears the error itself.void
Calles notifyControllerOnChange(this).Get the ErrorReporter for this Controller.void
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears an ItemEvent.void
Method required by InputObject interface; in this class, calls the same method recursively on any input objects controlled by this controller.void
Remove the object from the controller (if present).void
If this controller has a parent, remove it from its parent.void
reportError
(String message) Report the specified error message.void
Set the ErrorReporter used to report errors that occur when the compute() method of this Controller is executed.void
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears a TextEvent.
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Field Details
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computables
Computable objects controlled by this controller. Note that Controllers are Computables, so this list can include sub-controllers. -
inputs
InputObjects controlled by this controller. Note that Controllers are InputObjects, so this list can include sub-controllers. -
ties
Ties that have been added to this controller. -
errorReporter
Used for reporting errors that occur in the compute() method of this controller. If the errorReporter is null and if this controller has a parent, then the parent will report the error. If no ancestor has an errorReporter, the error message is written to standard output. -
parent
The parent of this controller, if any. This is set automatically when one controller is added to another. -
errorMessage
If non-null, this is an error message that has been reported and not yet cleared.
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Constructor Details
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Controller
public Controller()Create a Controller.
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Method Details
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setErrorReporter
Set the ErrorReporter used to report errors that occur when the compute() method of this Controller is executed. -
getErrorReporter
Get the ErrorReporter for this Controller. Return null if there is none. -
add
Add an object to be controlled by this controller. It should be of one or more of the types InputObject, Computable, Tie. If it is a Controller, then this Controller becomes its parent. -
remove
Remove the object from the controller (if present). -
removeFromParent
public void removeFromParent()If this controller has a parent, remove it from its parent. (Then, a call to the former parent's compute() method will not call this controller's compute().) -
actionPerformed
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears an ActionEvent. This is not meant to be called directly.- Specified by:
actionPerformed
in interfaceActionListener
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textValueChanged
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears a TextEvent. This is not meant to be called directly.- Specified by:
textValueChanged
in interfaceTextListener
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adjustmentValueChanged
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears an AdjustmantEvent. This is not meant to be called directly.- Specified by:
adjustmentValueChanged
in interfaceAdjustmentListener
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itemStateChanged
Simply calls compute when the Controller hears an ItemEvent. This is not meant to be called directly.- Specified by:
itemStateChanged
in interfaceItemListener
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compute
public void compute()When an contoller computes, it first calls checkInput() for any InputOjects that it controls (including those in sub-controllers). It then handles any Ties. Finally, it calls the compute() method of any Computables. If an error occurs, it reports it. JCMErrors (which should represent errors on the part of the user) will generally only occur during the checkInput() phase. Internal, programmer errors can occur at any time and might leave the sytem in an unhappy state. They are reported as debugging aids for the programmer. When one occurs, a stack trace is printed to standard output.- Specified by:
compute
in interfaceComputable
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checkInput
public void checkInput()Call checkInput() of each InputObject. Can throw a JCMError. This is mostly meant to be called by Controller.compute(). Note that this will recurse though any sub-controllers of this controller, so that when comput() is called, all the InputObjects in the sub-controllers are processed before ANY Tie or Computable is processed. Similarly, the Ties and Computables in the sub-controllers are processed in separate passes.- Specified by:
checkInput
in interfaceInputObject
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doTies
protected void doTies()Check the Ties in this controller and its sub-controllers. -
doCompute
protected void doCompute()Compute the Computables in this controller and its sub-controllers. -
reportError
Report the specified error message. -
clearErrorMessage
protected void clearErrorMessage()Clear the error message. -
errorCleared
public void errorCleared()Should be called by the ErrorReporter if the ErrorReporter clears the error itself. (This is only used to avoid repeatedly setting the same error message, during an animation for example.) -
notifyControllerOnChange
Method required by InputObject interface; in this class, calls the same method recursively on any input objects controlled by this controller. This is meant to be called by JCMPanel.gatherInputs().- Specified by:
notifyControllerOnChange
in interfaceInputObject
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gatherInputs
public void gatherInputs()Calles notifyControllerOnChange(this). That is, it sets all the InputObjects in this Controller, and in subcontrollers, to notify this Controller when they change.
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