Overview

# NetBeans Architecture Answers for View Model module

- Author: jjancura@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?
ViewModel | Exported | Official | .../overview-summary.html
OpenAPIs | Imported | Official | http://openide.netbeans.org
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.
NodesAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
ExplorerAPI | Imported | Official | .../overview-summary.html The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
WindowSystemAPI | Imported | Official | .../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: The debuggercore/ViewModel module (View Model) allows to share one TreeTableView among different modules.

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

Answer: Support for tree table view. The view is described via models - TreeModel, TableModel and NodeModel. Filters can be applied to each model - TreeModelFilter, TableModelFilter and NodeModelFilter. The view listens on changes in the models and filters and updates itself accordingly.

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: Used by debugger to display various information - threads, call stack, variables, etc.

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

Answer: 10/26/2003 - Basic Debugger Core API ready for integration 04/01/2004 - Final review of Debugger Core & Java Debugger API, merge to trunk.

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

Answer: We plan to use standard unit testing to prevent future regressions. We would like to test 100% of our APIs.

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

Answer:

The sources for the module are in NetBeans CVS in debuggercore/viewmodel directory.

## Project and platform dependencies

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

Answer: OpenAPIs

Default answer to this question is:

These modules are required in project.xml file:

- UtilitiesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- NodesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- ExplorerAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.2 is required.
- WindowSystemAPI - 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 dependency.

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

Answer: The module is 100% pure Java and runs on any platform.

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

Answer: Needs at least JRE 1.4.

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

Answer: Need JDK (dt.jar).

## Deployment

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

Answer: Just module JAR.

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: Module can be installed anywhere.

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

Answer: Yes.

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

Answer: OpenIDE-Module-Module-Dependencies: org.netbeans.spi.viewmodel/2

## 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: None defined or implemented.

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: Only one version of the module can be installed at a time. The settings are shared across different versions, stored and read by Java serialization and will be read in future as well.

## 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.

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: debuggercore/viewmodel does not use introspection. The cases when an object is tested on various types are quite common, but not documented.

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

Answer: We use standard Java features - synchronized blocks - to synchronize our code.

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: None.

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

Answer: None.

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 communication with clipboard.

## 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: None.

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

Answer: No explicit limits. Technically, the available memory size is the limit...

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

Answer: Rough numbers:

- debuggercore with Debugger Window opened: 2MB

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: We are not able to enforce performance of plugged in code.

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