/interpreter/tags/at2-build060407/src/edu/vub/at/actors/ATActorMirror.java

http://ambienttalk.googlecode.com/ · 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. package edu.vub.at.actors;
  29. import edu.vub.at.exceptions.InterpreterException;
  30. import edu.vub.at.objects.ATBoolean;
  31. import edu.vub.at.objects.ATClosure;
  32. import edu.vub.at.objects.ATObject;
  33. import edu.vub.at.objects.ATStripe;
  34. import edu.vub.at.objects.ATTable;
  35. import edu.vub.at.objects.grammar.ATSymbol;
  36. import edu.vub.at.objects.natives.grammar.AGSymbol;
  37. /**
  38. *
  39. */
  40. public interface ATActorMirror extends ATObject {
  41. public static final ATSymbol _IN_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("inbox");
  42. public static final ATSymbol _OUT_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("outbox");
  43. public static final ATSymbol _REQUIRED_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("required");
  44. public static final ATSymbol _PROVIDED_ = AGSymbol.jAlloc("provided");
  45. /**
  46. * Accept an incoming asynchronous message. By default, such messages are scheduled
  47. * in an inbox.
  48. * @param message - the async base-level message to accept
  49. */
  50. //public ATObject base_accept(ATAsyncMessage message) throws InterpreterException;
  51. /**
  52. * Processes a message from the base-level inbox if it is non-empty.
  53. */
  54. //public ATObject base_process() throws InterpreterException;
  55. /* ---------------------------------------------------
  56. * -- Language Construct to NATActorMirror Protocol --
  57. * --------------------------------------------------- */
  58. /**
  59. * Creates a first-class message in the language. Note that upon creation the
  60. * message does not have a receiver yet. This field will be set once the message
  61. * is actually being sent, a fact which can be intercepted by overriding the sendTo
  62. * base-level method.
  63. *
  64. * @param selector the name of the method to trigger remotely
  65. * @param arguments the actual arguments of the message
  66. * @param stripes the stripes with which the message will be born
  67. */
  68. public ATAsyncMessage base_createMessage(ATSymbol selector, ATTable arguments, ATTable stripes) throws InterpreterException;
  69. /**
  70. * Creates a mirror on the given object. This method serves as the 'mirror factory'
  71. * for the current actor.
  72. */
  73. public ATObject base_createMirror(ATObject onObject) throws InterpreterException;
  74. /**
  75. * This method implements the default asynchronous message sending semantics for
  76. * this particular actor. In addition to the ability to override the send meta-
  77. * operation on a single object to have specific adaptions, this hook allows the
  78. * programmer to modify the message sending semantics for all objects inside an
  79. * actor. The default implementation ensures the correct passing of messages when
  80. * they transgress the boundaries of the sending actor.
  81. * @throws InterpreterException
  82. */
  83. public ATObject base_send(ATAsyncMessage message) throws InterpreterException;
  84. /**
  85. * This mechanism is the most basic mechanism to provide a service. It requires
  86. * a separate service description and an object offering the service. The return
  87. * value is a publication object which allows cancelling the service offer.
  88. */
  89. public ATObject base_provide(ATStripe topic, ATObject service) throws InterpreterException;
  90. /**
  91. * This mechanism is the most basic mechanism to require a service. The return
  92. * value is a subscription object which allows cancelling the service offer.
  93. * @param bool - if true, the subscription is permanent, if false, once the subscription
  94. * has been satisfied, it is automatically cancelled.
  95. */
  96. public ATObject base_require(ATStripe topic, ATClosure handler, ATBoolean bool) throws InterpreterException;
  97. /**
  98. * def oldprotocol := actor.install: newprotocol
  99. *
  100. * Installs a new meta-object protocol into this actor.
  101. *
  102. * @param code meta-level code that overrides an actor's MOP methods
  103. * @return an the previously installed meta-object protocol
  104. */
  105. public ATObject base_install_(ATActorMirror protocol) throws InterpreterException;
  106. /* -------------------------------------
  107. * -- Object Passing Protocol Support --
  108. * ------------------------------------- */
  109. /**
  110. * This mechanism interacts with the built-in receptionists set of the actor to
  111. * produce a new far object reference to a local object. The created far object
  112. * is by no means unique within the actor that created it.
  113. *
  114. * Creating such far references is performed when passing objects by reference
  115. * in the meta_pass method of scoped objects such as closures, objects and fields.
  116. *
  117. * @param object the local object to be given a reference to
  118. * @return a newly created far object reference
  119. *
  120. * @see edu.vub.at.objects.ATObject#meta_pass(ATFarReference)
  121. */
  122. //public ATFarReference base_export(ATObject object) throws InterpreterException;
  123. /**
  124. * This mechanism interacts with the built-in receptionists set of the actor to
  125. * resolve far references (which were received as part of an async message). The
  126. * method returns a local object whenever the far object denotes an object
  127. * hosted by this actor.
  128. *
  129. * If the denoted object is not hosted by this actor, a far object (possibly but
  130. * not necessarily the passed one) is returned which is the local and unique
  131. * representative of the remote object. This object will contain the queue of
  132. * messages to be transmitted to the remote object.
  133. *
  134. * @param farReference the far reference to be resolved
  135. * @return a local object | a unique far reference for this actor
  136. */
  137. //public ATObject base_resolve(ATFarReference farReference) throws InterpreterException;
  138. }