All classes in the Tao framework decend from tao::object.

Concepts

Back to tao

• taodb
• events
• options
• parser
• signals

Options

• trace - When true, enable tracing information to stdout

Properties

• options_strict - Default 0. When true, attempts to access an option through configure or cget, which was not declared by the option keyword, or inherited from another class, will fail.

Variables

• ActiveLocks - A list of active locks
• organs - A dict containing the mapping of stubs to objects

Methods

action::busy

Indicate to the user that the program is processing. (Empty method)

action::idle

Commands to run when the system releases the gui. (Empty method)

action::morph_enter

Commands to perform as an object enters this new class via the morph method. (Empty method)

action::morph_leave

Commands to perform as an object exits the current class via the morph method. (Empty method)

action::pipeline_busy

Commands to run when the system releases the locks. (Empty method)

** method cget field ?default?

Return the value for an option, or of the option is null return default. Dashes are stripped from the left of all fields.

** method code

Return [namespace code {self}]

method configure keyvaluelist|key value ?key value...

Modify options. The command accepts either a single argument (a key value list), or a series of keys. Dashes are stripped from the left of all fields.

Internally, configure normalizes the inputs, and passes them to config set and config set_triggers.

method config set keyvaluelist

Perform validation checks and modify the internal configuration of the object. This method will not trigger modification events.

method event cancel ?pattern?

Cancel a scheduled event. If pattern not specified, all scheduled tasks are cancelled. If pattern given, all task handles that match pattern are cancelled. Patterns are those used by array get.

(Note: this method is actually a forward to ::tao::event::cancel)

method event generate event args...

Generate an event of type event which will be passed to the notify method of all objects subscribed to event.

(Note: this method is actually a forward to ::tao::event::generate)

method event nextid

Return a unique name for an event.

method event Notification_list pattern

Called recursively to produce a list of who recieves notifications of pattern pattern.

(Note: this method is actually a forward to ::tao::event::Notification_list)

method event publish object_pattern event_pattern

Create a subscription for objects specified by object_pattern to events specified by event_pattern. Patterns should be any pattern suitiable for [string match]

method event schedule handle interval script

Arrange for script to be called after interval. Interval is any value acceptable to [after]. A successive call to handle will cancel the prior event and schedule a new one.

method event subscribe object_pattern event_pattern

Create a subscription for the current object to events emitted by objects specified by object_pattern to events specified by event_pattern. Patterns should be any pattern suitiable for [string match]

method event unpublish ?event_pattern?

Remove any subscriptions to this object's events that match event_pattern. If event_pattern not given, all subscriptions are removed.

method event unsubscribe ?event_pattern?

Remove any subscriptions this object has made to events that match event_pattern. If event_pattern not given, all subscriptions are removed.

method forward method ?args...?

Forward method to the command specified by args. Internally this is just a wrapper around [oo::objdefine forward]

method graft stub object ?stub object...?

Calles to <stub> for this object will now forward to the object (or ensemble) specified. A mapping of stub->object is stored internally as a dict in the organs variable.

method initialize

Called during the constructor to set up all local variables and data structures. It is a seperate method to ensure inheritence chains predictably and also to keep us from having to pass along the constructor's arguments.

method InitializePublic

Provide a default value for all options and publically declared variables, and locks the pipeline mutex to prevent signal processing while the contructor is still running. A call to this method is automatically injected into the constructor by the Tao preprocessor's constructor keyword.

Note, by default a Tao object will ignore signals until a later call to my lock_remove pipeline

method lock_active

Return a list of active locks.

method lock_create lock ?lock...?

Add all arguments as locks if they are not already in the list of locks.

method lock_peek lock ?lock...?

Returns true if any of the locks specified is active.

method lock_remove lock ?lock...?

Remove the locks specified. If the last lock has been removed, a call to lock remove_all is made.

method lockremoveall

Removes all locks and makes a call to Signal_schedule

method message_error error errorInfo

Process a background error

method morph newclass

Have this object transition to newclass (if it isn't already that class).

The following snippet describes the steps:

  # CALLED AS THE PRESENT CLASS
  my action morph_leave
  oo::objdefine [self] class ::${newclass}
  # CALLED AS THE NEW CLASS
  my variable config
  set savestate $config
  my InitializePublic
  my Config_set $savestate
  my action morph_enter

The InitializePublic call ensures that any internal variables and options that are declared in the new class, but not present in the current class, are initialized.

method mutex down flag

Remove mutex flag. Return 1 if the mutex was active, 0 otherwise.

method mutex peek flag

Return 1 if mutex flag is active, 0 otherwise.

method mutex up flag

Attempt to establish a mutex flag. If mutex is already active, return 1. If a new mutex was successfully established, return 0.

Ensemble notify eventtype info

Process an incoming notification of eventtime immediately.

Ensemble Option_set field newvalue

Called by config set_triggers

Process and incoming change to an option.

method OptionsMirrored stub

Return a list of options which should be mirrored to an object attached as <stub>.

method organ ?stub?

Return the path to the object attached as <stub>. If stub not given, return a key/value list of all stubs and objects.

method Prefs_Load

Load persistant preferences for this object. (Empty method)

method Prefs_Store dictargs

Store persistant preferences for this object. (Empty method)

method private method ?args...?

Invoke a normally private method publically.

method signal ?signal signal...?

Generate a signal, which will ultimately schedule a call to Signal_schedule. The call of one signal can trigger or suppress other signals. See signals