Tabax Plugin API

Plugin API is supported by Tabax from version 0.3

goals

Provide users of tabax some methods to modify it without changing it's source code.

what is plugin

Plugin is a class with name starting with the 'TabaxPlugin_' prefix and which has a 'tabax' property

Tabax enumerates such classes and sets the 'tabax' property to itself (see 'attachPlugins' method of the 'Tabax' form)

what plugin can do

When Tabax sets the 'tabax' property of plugin it can modify it behaviour by:

• subscribing to events
• using methods of tabax

For ease of use available events and utility methods are in the TabaxPluginBase class. Tabax service methods are in the Tabax abstract class.

example

Tabax plugin SDK contains an example of plugin, which modifys default behaviour of Tabax input box the following way: if you input a string like "hello <some word>" it outputs to the infolog Hello, <some word>

Source code: <xpp> /// Hello world plugin for tabax class TabaxPlugin_Hello extends TabaxPluginBase { } /// method 'connected' is defined in the TabaxPluginBase /// it is called after tabax have loaded the plugin and after setting /// the 'tabax' property of the plugin void connected() {

   // the utility macro #subscribe is defined in the TabaxPluginBase
   // when plugin is compiles, this code is substitutes by:
   // tabax.subscribe(methodStr(TabaxPluginBase, beforeStringInput), this);
   #subscribe(beforeStringInput)

} /// This method will be called when user inputs a string in the edit control of /// Tabax. String inputed is in the _string parameter /// If plugin wants tabax not to perform the standard behavoiur, this method /// should return true boolean beforeStringInput(Tabax _tabax, str _string) {

   #define.prefix("hello ")
   // if _string starts with "hello "
   if (substr(_string, 1, strLen(#prefix))==#prefix)
   {
       // show greeting
       info("Hello, "+subStr(_string, strLen(#prefix)+1,
           strLen(_string) - strLen(#prefix)));
       // skip standard behavour 
       return true;
   }
   // otherwise: pervorm standard behavour
   return false;

} </xpp>