[mcclim-devel] New version, based on ideas by Timonthy Moore (Has been: DEFINE-APPLCATION-STARTER and a modified Clim Launcher)

[Max-Gerd Retzlaff]

Hi,

I have not much time to write right now but there is a new version and
I want to inform you about it so that you do not spend thought on
things that are already changed.



I've had a discussion with Timothy Moore in #lisp. His idea has been:

<moore33> mgr: I mean that launch-application could be a generic
   function that does what the code generated by your macro does, with
   all the flexibility that implies. Not that I care very much, but
   these days I tend to think about protocols before I think about
   macros.

(The discussion is logged, here is a direct link:
 http://meme.b9.com/cview.html?channel=lisp&utime=3347129927#utime_requested )

Afterwards I have rewritten the stuff in clim-utilities.lisp; please,
have a look at the file in the attached archive or at:
   http://matroid.org/flux/clim-launcher/clim-utilities.lisp 

(The archive i is also in my public flux directory
http://matroid.org/flux/ as clim-launcher-20060125-01.tar.bzip2
(or newer).)



Now there is the generic function LAUNCH-APPLICATION, the most generic
method of it consists basically of the code the previous version of
the DEFINE-APPLICATION-STARTER macro has generated, only more general.

You can know just execute
   (climi::launch-application 'climacs-gui:climacs :new-process t)
to start Climacs, without the need to define a custom starter function.
In this case you have to announce your application manually with
something like:
   (clim-launcher:add-application "Climacs"               ;; (See [1].)
     (lambda () (climacs-gui::climacs :new-process t)))


To create a custum starter function nevertheless,
DEFINE-APPLICATION-STARTER does still exist, although it has been
changed to use LAUNCH-APPLICATION. (It will still announce the
application by default, of course.)



Using a generic method has the huge benefit that the starter can now
be modified for each application frame. Think of Beirc, which wants to
make a separate thread for the IRC connection on its start-up.

Another example is Clouseau that needs an object to inspect as an
argument. We can now modify LAUNCH-APPLICATION and put the argument
:object into the (also new) ARGUMENTS-FOR-APPLICATION-FRAME-CREATION
argument for the generic LAUNCH-APPLICATION method:

 -- zipp --

;;; Clouseau example                                                                                                                                      
(in-package :clouseau)

(climi::define-application-starter inspector
                                   :function-name inspector)

(in-package :climi)

(defmethod launch-application :around ((application-frame-name (eql 'clouseau::inspector))
                                       &rest rest
                                       &key arguments-for-application-frame-creation
                                       &allow-other-keys)
  "This method will put the :OBJECT argument into :ARGUMENTS-FOR-APPLICATION-FRAME-CREATION"
  (let ((object (getf rest :object)))
    (when object
      (setf (getf arguments-for-application-frame-creation :obj)
            object
            ;; ensure that its in the list:
            (getf rest :arguments-for-application-frame-creation)
            arguments-for-application-frame-creation)))
  ;; call the real thing
  (apply #'call-next-method application-frame-name rest))

 -- zapp --

We can now start Clouseau with
   (climi::launch-application 'clouseau:inspector :new-process t :object 'dudel) 
or via the custom generated function
    (clouseau:inspector :object 'tada :new-process t)



Comments are welcome. Bye,
Max		    


1) The name ADD-APPLICATION should be renamed as well. I like
   ANNOUNCE-APPLICATION, but how will DELETE-APPLICATION then
   be called? Perhaps we should take REGISTER-APPLICATION and
   DEREGISTER-APPLICATION, although I prefer "announce"..

-- 
Max-Gerd Retzlaff <m.retzlaff at gmx.net>         http://blog.matroid.org

For your amusement:
Once is happenstance,
Twice is coincidence,
Three times is enemy action.
		-- Auric Goldfinger
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