[kepler-dev] Kepler parameters

[Paul Allen]

Thanks Chad, Edward.

It sounds like it would be useful for me to check out the Documentation 
utility that Edward  mentions. Is that in the ptII CVS tree? I don't see 
any likely candidates there.

Thanks,
-Paul

Edward A. Lee wrote:
> Paul,
>
> Parameters appear in the MoML file only if they are overridden.
> Actually, this is true not only of parameters, but actually of everything.
> If you define a composite actor class, and then have several instances of
> it, the contents of the instances do not appear in the MoML file unless
> they are overridden.
>
> There are two reasons for doing this:
>  - It is more object-oriented (i.e., inheritance actually works)
>  - MoML files are _much_ smaller than they would be.
>
> There is a paper describe the (rather deep) mechanism behind this:
>
> http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/publications/papers/07/classesandInheritance/index.htm
>
> It would be easy to create a utility that describes (in MoML or any
> other language) the full interface of an actor. In fact, the Documentation
> utility does this...
>
> Edward
>
> At 08:13 AM 5/29/2008, Paul Allen wrote:
>   
>> Could somebody clarify something about actor parameters/properties for me?
>>
>> It appears to me that just by looking at a MOML file I can't figure out 
>> the entire set of parameters/properties that can be set for an actor. 
>> E.g., I look at the "Timed Plotter" actor in the 
>> 02-LotkaVolterraPredatorPrey.xml example workflow. The "Timed Plotter" 
>> shows a "legend" parameter that can be set, but the MOML file doesn't 
>> mention it. It's not until I dynamically ingest/parse the MOML file, or 
>> manually look at the Java implementation of the actor that I get a clue 
>> that the "legend" parameter is available. So, in general, I've got to 
>> examine Java code or load/parse the actor/workflow in order to see the 
>> entire list of settable parameters for an actor. Is that true?
>>
>> I assume that is true. That leads me to wonder what determines when an 
>> actor parameter property is represented in a MOML file. Is it when a 
>> parameter has a definite value? How are defaults handled? Will a 
>> parameter with a non-null default value always appear in the MOML file? 
>> The "legend" parameter of the ptolemy.actor.lib.gui.TimedPlotter actor 
>> certainly shows that when there is no default and no value set, the 
>> parameter isn't mentioned in the MOML file.
>>
>> Thanks for the info.
>> - Paul
>>
>>
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>>     
>
> ------------ 
> Edward A. Lee
> Chair of EECS and Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor
> 231 Cory Hall, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1770
> phone: 510-642-0253, fax: 510-642-2845
> eal at eecs.Berkeley.EDU, http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Faculty/Homepages/lee.html  
>
>
>   
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