Re: [FR-devel] Problem with RUNNING state

[Laurent Julliard]

Curt Hibbs wrote:
> See my response at the bottom...
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: address@hidden
> > [mailto:address@hidden Behalf Of Rich
> > Kilmer
> > Sent: Friday, June 28, 2002 9:03 AM
> > To: address@hidden
> > Subject: RE: [FR-devel] Problem with RUNNING state
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > <SNIP>
> > >
> > > The reason for that is because at that point and eventhough
> > > AppFrameRenderFox has already started none of the FOX resources have
> > > been properly initialized (there is no Main Window initialized)
> > > so the MenuPaneRenderFox does its job thinking that is everything is
> > > already running ok but what "RUNNING" says for now is only that we
> >
> > have
> >
> > > entered the start method note the initialization is finished.
> > >
> > > So I think there is something wrong in the design here. I see several
> > > expelnations:
> > >
> > > a) the semantic of the "RUNNING" state is not good in the sense that
> > > this is not because a plugin is in a running state that it is ready to
> > > work. may be we should introduce another transient state like
> > > "INITIALIZING" that woudl eventually become "RUNNING" once the
> > > initialization has completed
> > >
> > > b) Another problem is that the RUNNING state is associated with the
> > > **Class** method start and what we care about is the state of the
> > > instances of that plugin.
> > >
> > > c) we could ask the plugin to the running state later in the process.
> > > Instead of transitioning in the start method we could transition at
> >
> > the
> >
> > > end of the initialize method. But then it becomes an action that we do
> > > in an instance method and I don;t know what are the implications of
> >
> > this.
> >
> > > I'm open to discussion here because I really think that something is
> > > flawed in the way we use the state transitions in the plugin but I
> >
> > don;t
> >
> > > yet see how to fix it in the proper way.
> > >
> > > laurent
> > >
> > > --
> > > Laurent JULLIARD - Xerox R&T/SSTC/XPA - Open Source team
> > > >> Host your Xerox Software project on CodeX: http://codex.xerox.com
> > > >> address@hidden community: http://xww.linux.world.xerox.com
> >
> > Well, the point of transitions is to identify the state of a plugin to
> > other plugins.  If you plugin in not in the RUNNING state after .start
> > is called, then you SHOULD NOT say it is.  If it's after your class gets
> > initialized, then that is when you should transition your plugin.
> > Remember, the plugin is passed into the constructor to allow the class
> > instance to do necessary things to the plugin instance.  The fact that
> > we (normally) transition immediately does not mean this is the correct
> > behavior for all plugins.
> >
> > So, I would say to move the transition code to the point where the
> > actual state of the plugin IS in the state you are reporting (in this
> > instance...RUNNING).
>
>
> Laurent, you are correct that there is a design flaw, and Rich is correct
> that the source of the design flaw is the plugins are entering the RUNNING
> state when they are not really running. This problem is probably in all of
> my plugins because each one was created (initially) as a clone of one of the
> others (which started off as a clone of one of the test plugins).
>
> I can provide some assistance and guidance in making the needed changes but,
> unfortunately, I cannot make them myself because I cannot yet run the
> current FreeRIDE  on Windows.
>
> Fixing the fox renderer plugins should be pretty easy because they are all
> structured pretty much the same. Looking at MenuPaneRenderFox.rb, you would
> do this:
>
> - from the method MenuPaneRenderFox.start, cut the second code line:
>             plugin.transition(FreeBASE::RUNNING)
>
> - paste the cut line of code as the very last line of the initialize method
> in the Listener class.
>
> Repeat this for each of the renderer plugins. I think that should do it for
> the renderers. Then for the System_GuiCore plugins, they all look ok except
> for GuiSetup.rb, which needs to have its
> "plugin.transition(FreeBASE::RUNNING)" line moved to the very end of the
> GuiSetup.start method.
>
> Sorry to have to put this off on you. Please let me know how it goes.

No problem at all. In fact I was already in the middle of doing the 
exact same modifications you described above when I received your email.

I'll keep you psoted on my progress...


Laurent