Package org.ka2ddo.yaac.pluginapi

This package provides service classes for creating plugin extensions to YAAC.

See:
Description

Interface Summary

AbstractMenuActionPropertyListener	This interface defines an object associated with an AbstractMenuAction that wants to know about changes to the AbstractMenuAction's properties.
AddToPopupMapMenuIfc	This interface defines a decision interface identifying AbstractMenuActions that should not go on the main window menu bar, but instead on a popup menu displayed because someone right-clicked on the map.

Class Summary

AbstractMenuAction	This abstract class functions more or less the same as the javax.swing.AbstractAction class, but is not subclassed from that class, so that it can be used in non-Swing environments (such as Android).
AbstractPopupMenuAction	This class defines the general contract for a popup menu action, using the same rules as for a menu bar action.
AbstractQueryHandler	This class defines some infrastructure for convenient creation of pluggable query handlers for YAAC.
Provider	This class defines the structure of a plugin extension's definition.
Provider.PortEntry	This class describes the name and implementing Class of an interface port driver.

Package org.ka2ddo.yaac.pluginapi Description

This package provides service classes for creating plugin extensions to YAAC.

A plugin consists of a JAR file containing:

1. a class that is a subclass of the abstract Provider class in this package.
2. a manifest file with the line:
   YAAC-Provider: fully.qualified.provider.subclass.name
3. whatever other class files and resources are needed to implement the services defined by the Provider subclass.

This JAR file should be placed in the YAAC installation directory's plugins subdirectory.

The Provider subclass can define the following extensions to be added to YAAC:

• code to be executed prior to loading the next plugin.
• classnames defining new panels to add to the expert-mode configuration dialog (should the extensions in the plugin require user configuration).
• new drivers for different types of I/O devices (subclassing the abstract PortConnector class).
• new menu actions to be inserted into the YAAC GUI menu hierarchy (subclassing the AbstractMenuAction class).
• new contextually-conditional menu actions to be inserted into the map right-click popup menu (subclassing the AbstractPopupMenuAction class).
• new automated query handlers for query-format messages (with body text "?xxxx") (subclassing the AbstractQueryHandler class).
• new JavaHelp help sets to be merged into the online help.
• new locales of ResourceBundles for the YAAC display strings.
• credits and attributions to be displayed in the About dialog.
• code to be executed after all plugins have been loaded.

If any extension is a duplicate of an extension defined by an earlier plugin (or the YAAC core software itself), such as an identically-named menu item, it will replace the earlier defined extension.

Plugin JAR files will be scanned in file modification date order.

See Also:

Provider, AbstractMenuAction, AbstractPopupMenuAction, AbstractQueryHandler, PortConnector