Overview

# NetBeans Architecture Answers for editor/settings module

- Author: mroskanin@netbeans.org
- Answers as of: Dec 7, 2006
- Answers for questions version: 1.25
- Latest available version of questions: 1.26

WARNING: answering questions version 1.25 rather than the current 1.26.

## Interfaces table

##### Group of java interfaces

Interface Name | In/Out | Stability | Specified in What Document?
EditorSettingsAPI | Exported | Official |
MimeLookupAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.0 is required.
FilesystemsAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
ModulesAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
UtilitiesAPI | Imported | Official | ../org-openide-util/overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.

## General Information

Question (arch-what): What is this project good for?

Answer: Now editor settings in editor module are maintained by complicated structures and their initialization processes. It is because of historical reasons and the presence of standalone editor, where standalone settings layer is supported via openide dependent editor module layer. Each editor that provides its own settings needs to depend on the whole editor module.

The main purpose of this project is to create editor/settings API, that will contain settings classes, which will be lookup-able via mimelookup. The aim is NOT to provide physical implementation of editor settings storage. The module will be just interface between the settings storage and the settings clients like <mime-type> editors, externaleditor, etc.

Question (arch-overall): Describe the overall architecture.

Answer:

It is a module located under /cvs/editor/settings directory.

It consists of

- API in org.netbeans.api.editor.settings

Editor Settings module defines EditorSettingsAPI.

API contains abstract classes, responsible for particular editor settings:

- FontColorSettings - Fonts and Colors settings are represented by map of key=<String>fonts and colors syntax name and value=AttributeSet.
- CodeTemplateSettings - Code templates settings are represented by map of key=<String>code template name and value=<String>code template string.
- KeyBindingSettings - Key bindings settings are represented by List of MultiKeyBindings.
- MacroSettings - Macros settings are represented by map of key=<String>macro-name and value=<String>macro-commands.
- SimpleValueSettings - SimpleValues settings represents simple properties like Integer, String, Boolean, etc.

The particular mime-type settings can be found for example using the following mimelookup search:
`FontColorSettings fcs = (FontColorSettings) MimeLookup.getMimeLookup("text/x-java").lookup(FontColorSettings.class);`

The Javadoc documentation can be generated by using

        cd /cvs/editor/settings
        ant javadoc

Question (arch-usecases): Describe the main use cases of the new API. Who will use it under what circumstances? What kind of code would typically need to be written to use the module?

Answer:

#### Per mime-type operation

The particular mime-type settings can be found for example using the following mimelookup search:

    FontColorSettings fcs  = (FontColorSettings) MimeLookup.getMimeLookup("text/x-java").lookup(FontColorSettings.class);
    AttributeSet fontColors = fcs.getFontColors(FontColorNames.SELECTION_COLORING);

This will resolve Fonts ant Colors settings of the coloring used for selection for the mime-type "text/x-java" in AttributeSet representation.

#### Listening on settings change

Settings clients often need to be able to listen on the settings change and handle this event. This can be done using mimelookup via `Lookup.Template` by registering LookupListener on the returned Lookup.Result.

    LookupResult fontsColors  = MimeLookup.getMimeLookup("text/x-java").lookup(
        new Lookup.Template(FontColorSettings.class));
    if (fontsColors !=null) {
        fontsColors.addLookupListener(new LookupListener(){
            public void resultChanged(LookupEvent ev) {
                Lookup.Result result = ((Lookup.Result)ev.getSource());
                //... settings client response on settings change
            }
        });
    }

FontColorSettings implementor is responsible of creation of new instance of FontColorSettings if some setting will change in the lookup, it provides.

Question (arch-time): What are the time estimates of the work?

Answer: The cvs/editor/settings module is currently maintained under editor_api branch of the editor module.

Question (arch-quality): How will the quality of your code be tested and how are future regressions going to be prevented?

Answer: The unit tests are already available in cvs/editor/settings/test under editor_api branch of the editor module.

Currently there is testing of MultiKeyBinding equals method.

Question (arch-where): Where one can find sources for your module?

WARNING: Question with id="arch-where" has not been answered!

## Project and platform dependencies

Question (dep-nb): What other NetBeans projects and modules does this one depend on?

Answer:

These modules are required in project.xml file:

- MimeLookupAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.0 is required.
- FilesystemsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- ModulesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- UtilitiesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.

Question (dep-non-nb): What other projects outside NetBeans does this one depend on?

Answer: No other projects.

Question (dep-platform): On which platforms does your module run? Does it run in the same way on each?

Answer: All platforms.

Question (dep-jre): Which version of JRE do you need (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, etc.)?

Answer: JDK1.4 and higher can be used.

Question (dep-jrejdk): Do you require the JDK or is the JRE enough?

Answer: JRE is sufficient.

## Deployment

Question (deploy-jar): Do you deploy just module JAR file(s) or other files as well?

Answer: No additional files.

Question (deploy-nbm): Can you deploy an NBM via the Update Center?

Answer: Yes.

Question (deploy-shared): Do you need to be installed in the shared location only, or in the user directory only, or can your module be installed anywhere?

Answer: Anywhere.

Question (deploy-packages): Are packages of your module made inaccessible by not declaring them public?

Answer: Yes, only the API is public. There is no implementation in the editor/settings module.

Question (deploy-dependencies): What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one?

Answer:

    OpenIDE-Module-Module-Dependencies: org.netbeans.modules.editor.settings/1 > 1.4.22

## Compatibility with environment

Question (compat-i18n): Is your module correctly internationalized?

Answer: Yes.

Question (compat-standards): Does the module implement or define any standards? Is the implementation exact or does it deviate somehow?

Answer: Compatible with standards.

Question (compat-version): Can your module coexist with earlier and future versions of itself? Can you correctly read all old settings? Will future versions be able to read your current settings? Can you read or politely ignore settings stored by a future version?

Answer: No persistance is used for editor/settings module.

## Access to resources

Question (resources-file): Does your module use `java.io.File` directly?

Answer: No.

Question (resources-layer): Does your module provide own layer? Does it create any files or folders in it? What it is trying to communicate by that and with which components?

Answer: No.

Question (resources-read): Does your module read any resources from layers? For what purpose?

Answer: No.

Question (resources-mask): Does your module mask/hide/override any resources provided by other modules in their layers?

Answer: No.

## Lookup of components

Question (lookup-lookup): Does your module use `org.openide.util.Lookup` or any similar technology to find any components to communicate with? Which ones?

Answer: No. It only defines the classes that can be looked up via MimeLookup.

Question (lookup-register): Do you register anything into lookup for other code to find?

Answer: No.

Question (lookup-remove): Do you remove entries of other modules from lookup?

Answer: No.

## Execution Environment

Question (exec-property): Is execution of your code influenced by any environment or Java system (`System.getProperty`) property?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-component): Is execution of your code influenced by any (string) property of any of your components?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-ant-tasks): Do you define or register any ant tasks that other can use?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-classloader): Does your code create its own class loader(s)?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-reflection): Does your code use Java Reflection to execute other code?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-privateaccess): Are you aware of any other parts of the system calling some of your methods by reflection?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-process): Do you execute an external process from your module? How do you ensure that the result is the same on different platforms? Do you parse output? Do you depend on result code?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-introspection): Does your module use any kind of runtime type information (`instanceof`, work with `java.lang.Class`, etc.)?

Answer: No.

Question (exec-threading): What threading models, if any, does your module adhere to?

Answer: No special threading models used.

Question (security-policy): Does your functionality require modifications to the standard policy file?

Answer: No.

Question (security-grant): Does your code grant additional rights to some other code?

Answer: No.

## Format of files and protocols

Question (format-types): Which protocols and file formats (if any) does your module read or write on disk, or transmit or receive over the network? Do you generate an ant build script? Can it be edited and modified?

Answer: No files read or written to the disk.

Question (format-dnd): Which protocols (if any) does your code understand during Drag & Drop?

Answer: No D&D.

Question (format-clipboard): Which data flavors (if any) does your code read from or insert to the clipboard (by access to clipboard on means calling methods on `java.awt.datatransfer.Transferable`?

Answer: No clipboard support.

## Performance and Scalability

Question (perf-startup): Does your module run any code on startup?

Answer: No.

Question (perf-exit): Does your module run any code on exit?

Answer: No.

Question (perf-scale): Which external criteria influence the performance of your program (size of file in editor, number of files in menu, in source directory, etc.) and how well your code scales?

Answer: There is no performance sensitive code in editor/settings module.

Question (perf-limit): Are there any hard-coded or practical limits in the number or size of elements your code can handle?

Answer: No limits.

Question (perf-mem): How much memory does your component consume? Estimate with a relation to the number of windows, etc.

Answer: No specific memory usage.

Question (perf-wakeup): Does any piece of your code wake up periodically and do something even when the system is otherwise idle (no user interaction)?

Answer: No.

Question (perf-progress): Does your module execute any long-running tasks?

Answer: No.

Question (perf-huge_dialogs): Does your module contain any dialogs or wizards with a large number of GUI controls such as combo boxes, lists, trees, or text areas?

Answer: No.

Question (perf-menus): Does your module use dynamically updated context menus, or context-sensitive actions with complicated and slow enablement logic?

Answer: No.

Question (perf-spi): How the performance of the plugged in code will be enforced?

Answer: No pluggins allowad.

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