NAME¶
CSolver - enforces connector semantics
SYNOPSIS¶
#include <Unidraw/csolver.h>
DESCRIPTION¶
A CSolver object defines and implements a model for specifying connectivity
semantics that connector subclasses can build upon to implement their
specialized semantics. Normally, only one CSolver instance is used per
application, and only connector subclasses need access it. The Unidraw class
constructor initializes the
csolver global to point to a CSolver
instance it creates. Thus applications should not instantiate CSolver
directly.
CSolver models a connection between two connectors (regardless of their
particular subclass or semantics) as a pair of generic connectors with a piece
of CGlue interposed. The CGlue characterizes the relationship between the
connectors' centers in terms of a natural size (which corresponds to the
distance between the centers), elasticity, and deformation limits. Connector
subclasses specify their connectivity behavior with a CGlue instance and
subsequently rely on the CSolver to reorient them to conform to that behavior.
For example, when a pin is told to connect itself to another pin, it registers
with the global csolver a connection containing the two connectors (the pins
themselves) and a piece of CGlue having zero natural size, elasticity, and
deformation limits. This specification effectively constrains the connectors'
centers to coincide. The connectivity semantics of other connector
combinations, including those involving application-specific connectors, must
be specified using CGlue.
PUBLIC OPERATIONS¶
- CSolver()
- Create a new instance. Application programs do not normally
instantiate CSolver explicitly.
- virtual void Connect(Connector*, Connector*, CGlue* =
nil)
- Specify a connection between two connectors, optionally
with a piece of CGlue interposed. Omitting the CGlue parameter is
equivalent to specifying a connection with CGlue having zero natural size,
elasticity, and deformation limits.
- void Disconnect(Connector*, Connector*)
- void Disconnect(Connector*)
- Destroy the connection(s) established between two
connectors (the two-parameter form), or destroy all connections to a given
connector (the one-parameter form).
- void Solve()
- Solve instructs the CSolver to reorient connected
connectors to conform to their connectivity semantics as reflected by its
connection specifications. Normally this function is called automatically
and only in response to Unidraw::Update.
- CSolverState* GetState(Connector*)
- void SetState(CSolverState*)
- CSolverState is a class that encapsulates all the
information about the connections in which a connector participates. Only
CSolver can create or do anything with a CSolverState instance. GetState
initializes and returns a CSolverState instance for the given connector,
and SetState establishes the connections that a CSolverState instance
specifies without disturbing existing connections. These operations are
useful when it is necessary to reestablish a connector's connections after
they have been lost, for example, by removing the connector from the
component hierarchy (as caused by a command to delete the component).
- void Read(istream&)
- void Write(ostream&)
- Explicitly read/write the csolver's contents from/to disk.
Normally only a catalog calls these operations.
SEE ALSO¶
Catalog(3U), GGlue(3U), Connector(3U), globals(3U)