Conference azur::mcc

246.0. "Requirements for Adding New Entities to the Iconic Map" by MAVIC::D_MOORE () Thu Aug 09 1990 16:05

       Requirements for Adding New Entities to the Iconic Map

   The Iconic Map and the Domain FM operate in the plug-and-play DECmcc
   environment, as do any other management modules.  However, some
   requirements must be met and some steps taken to be able to place an icon
   for a new global entity in a map of a domain.  First, you must get a new
   management module for a new entity enrolled and working in DECmcc using
   FCL.  This will not be covered here.  It is assumed that enrollment,
   updating the dictionary and the parse tables has been completed and that
   everything is working from FCL.  What is dealt with here is what is
   needed beyond that to deal with icons for the new entity on the map.

   The Iconic Map is a domain-based presentation module.  A domain is
   opened in a map window and the map (if there is one) for that domain
   is brought into the window.  Global entity icons can then be placed
   on the map, moved around, connected by lines, annotated by text, etc.
   The icons that are placed on a domain map are for global entities,
   since domain can only contain global entities.  If you double-click
   on an icon in a domain, you look into that entity and see the first
   level of child entities.  This is displayed in a "map window", in that
   an instance can be selected and an operation can be chosen to act on
   that instance.  However, the instances in a child entity display are
   not icons.

   In order for the Iconic Map PM and Domain FM to use a new entity, a
   few requirements must be met by the management module.  These are:

    - Add operation (adding a global entity icon or a child entity):
	REGISTER directive
	CREATE directive (for child entities)

    - Delete operation (single slash in the toolbox):
	- delete of a global entity (domain member) require nothing.
	- delete of a child entity requires:
	    DEREGISTER directive
	    DELETE directive

    - Delete operation (double slash in the toolbox - global entity only):
	- delete of a global entity (domain member) require nothing.
	    DELETE directive
	    DEREGISTER directive

    - Lookinto operation requires:
	SHOW <class> * ALL IDENTIFIERS must be provided for all child
	entities.

   Assuming that you support these capabilities in your AM or FM, the
   next step is to define a global entity icon.  All icons for the Iconic
   Map PM are pointed to by the logical MCC_ICONS.  This is set up by the
   installation procedure to point to MCC_SYSTEM which is where the icons
   which we ship are placed.  If you want to use your entity from the map,
   you have to define an icon and have it pointed to by the MCC_ICONS
   logical.

   Icon files have a naming convention of MCC_<class>_ICON.DAT, where
   <class> is the name of the global entity as it appears in the MCC
   dictionary.  So, a bridge icon will be MCC_BRIDGE_ICON.DAT.  In order to
   define your own icon, I suggest copying an existing icon and changing it
   using DECwindows PAINT.  So, for a new entity class FOO, copy
   MCC_BRIDGE_ICON.DAT to MCC_FOO_ICON.DAT and open the new file from
   DECPaint, DECWrite, or the bitmap editor, decw$examples:bitmap.exe. If
   you use decpaint or decwrite, you must save the  file in X11 format. 
   DDIF files are not supported for icons. Once you have the icon that you
   want, save it in X11 format and point to the icon with the MCC_ICONS
   logical.  This can be done either by setting up the MCC_ICONS logical to
   be a search list pointing to where you have your new icon defined first,
   and then to MCC_SYSTEM, or you can simply move the icon to MCC_SYSTEM.

   This is all that has to be done.  You can then invoke the Iconic Map PM
   by saying MANAGE/ENTERPRISE/INTERFACE=DECWINDOWS.  Once it is up, select
   the "Toolbox" item from the Edit menu of the Map Window and you should
   see your new icon in the toolbox.

   If you want to have alternative icons appear in the add instance dialog
   box, you can create more icons using the naming convention:

		  MCC_ICONS:MCC_<CLASS>_*_ICON.DAT

   where <class> is the global entity class as before, and the "*" is the
   specific name of the new icon.  For example, the alternatives for the
   BRIDGE class as shipped with our kit are (in mcc_icons):

		MCC_BRIDGE_LANBRIDGE_100_ICON.DAT
		MCC_BRIDGE_LANBRIDGE_150_ICON.DAT
		MCC_BRIDGE_LANBRIDGE_200_ICON.DAT

   These icons will not appear in the toolbox; they appear only in the add
   instance dialog box where you can make a choice as you place each
   instance on the map.
   
   You should now be up and running in the map.
							- Dave