/interpreter/tags/at2-build060407/src/edu/vub/at/actors/ATActorMirror.java
Java | 158 lines | 21 code | 20 blank | 117 comment | 0 complexity | 7f319567b2f1cd6ab1fa6ceac631b91f MD5 | raw file
1/** 2 * AmbientTalk/2 Project 3 * ATActorMirror.java created on Aug 21, 2006 4 * (c) Programming Technology Lab, 2006 - 2007 5 * Authors: Tom Van Cutsem & Stijn Mostinckx 6 * 7 * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person 8 * obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation 9 * files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without 10 * restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, 11 * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or 12 * sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the 13 * Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following 14 * conditions: 15 * 16 * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be 17 * included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. 18 * 19 * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, 20 * EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES 21 * OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND 22 * NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT 23 * HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, 24 * WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING 25 * FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR 26 * OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. 27 */ 28 29package edu.vub.at.actors; 30 31import edu.vub.at.exceptions.InterpreterException; 32import edu.vub.at.objects.ATBoolean; 33import edu.vub.at.objects.ATClosure; 34import edu.vub.at.objects.ATObject; 35import edu.vub.at.objects.ATStripe; 36import edu.vub.at.objects.ATTable; 37import edu.vub.at.objects.grammar.ATSymbol; 38import edu.vub.at.objects.natives.grammar.AGSymbol; 39 40/** 41 * 42 */ 43public interface ATActorMirror extends ATObject { 44 45 public static final ATSymbol _IN_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("inbox"); 46 47 public static final ATSymbol _OUT_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("outbox"); 48 49 public static final ATSymbol _REQUIRED_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("required"); 50 51 public static final ATSymbol _PROVIDED_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("provided"); 52 53 /** 54 * Accept an incoming asynchronous message. By default, such messages are scheduled 55 * in an inbox. 56 * @param message - the async base-level message to accept 57 */ 58 //public ATObject base_accept(ATAsyncMessage message) throws InterpreterException; 59 60 /** 61 * Processes a message from the base-level inbox if it is non-empty. 62 */ 63 //public ATObject base_process() throws InterpreterException; 64 65 /* --------------------------------------------------- 66 * -- Language Construct to NATActorMirror Protocol -- 67 * --------------------------------------------------- */ 68 69 /** 70 * Creates a first-class message in the language. Note that upon creation the 71 * message does not have a receiver yet. This field will be set once the message 72 * is actually being sent, a fact which can be intercepted by overriding the sendTo 73 * base-level method. 74 * 75 * @param selector the name of the method to trigger remotely 76 * @param arguments the actual arguments of the message 77 * @param stripes the stripes with which the message will be born 78 */ 79 public ATAsyncMessage base_createMessage(ATSymbol selector, ATTable arguments, ATTable stripes) throws InterpreterException; 80 81 /** 82 * Creates a mirror on the given object. This method serves as the 'mirror factory' 83 * for the current actor. 84 */ 85 public ATObject base_createMirror(ATObject onObject) throws InterpreterException; 86 87 /** 88 * This method implements the default asynchronous message sending semantics for 89 * this particular actor. In addition to the ability to override the send meta- 90 * operation on a single object to have specific adaptions, this hook allows the 91 * programmer to modify the message sending semantics for all objects inside an 92 * actor. The default implementation ensures the correct passing of messages when 93 * they transgress the boundaries of the sending actor. 94 * @throws InterpreterException 95 */ 96 public ATObject base_send(ATAsyncMessage message) throws InterpreterException; 97 98 /** 99 * This mechanism is the most basic mechanism to provide a service. It requires 100 * a separate service description and an object offering the service. The return 101 * value is a publication object which allows cancelling the service offer. 102 */ 103 public ATObject base_provide(ATStripe topic, ATObject service) throws InterpreterException; 104 105 /** 106 * This mechanism is the most basic mechanism to require a service. The return 107 * value is a subscription object which allows cancelling the service offer. 108 * @param bool - if true, the subscription is permanent, if false, once the subscription 109 * has been satisfied, it is automatically cancelled. 110 */ 111 public ATObject base_require(ATStripe topic, ATClosure handler, ATBoolean bool) throws InterpreterException; 112 113 /** 114 * def oldprotocol := actor.install: newprotocol 115 * 116 * Installs a new meta-object protocol into this actor. 117 * 118 * @param code meta-level code that overrides an actor's MOP methods 119 * @return an the previously installed meta-object protocol 120 */ 121 public ATObject base_install_(ATActorMirror protocol) throws InterpreterException; 122 123 /* ------------------------------------- 124 * -- Object Passing Protocol Support -- 125 * ------------------------------------- */ 126 127 /** 128 * This mechanism interacts with the built-in receptionists set of the actor to 129 * produce a new far object reference to a local object. The created far object 130 * is by no means unique within the actor that created it. 131 * 132 * Creating such far references is performed when passing objects by reference 133 * in the meta_pass method of scoped objects such as closures, objects and fields. 134 * 135 * @param object the local object to be given a reference to 136 * @return a newly created far object reference 137 * 138 * @see edu.vub.at.objects.ATObject#meta_pass(ATFarReference) 139 */ 140 //public ATFarReference base_export(ATObject object) throws InterpreterException; 141 142 /** 143 * This mechanism interacts with the built-in receptionists set of the actor to 144 * resolve far references (which were received as part of an async message). The 145 * method returns a local object whenever the far object denotes an object 146 * hosted by this actor. 147 * 148 * If the denoted object is not hosted by this actor, a far object (possibly but 149 * not necessarily the passed one) is returned which is the local and unique 150 * representative of the remote object. This object will contain the queue of 151 * messages to be transmitted to the remote object. 152 * 153 * @param farReference the far reference to be resolved 154 * @return a local object | a unique far reference for this actor 155 */ 156 //public ATObject base_resolve(ATFarReference farReference) throws InterpreterException; 157 158}