1. Introduction

Welcome to the Cool Modes HOWTO. Cool Modes was built with the intention to allow other software developers to extend and thus enrich it with new applications. To do so, developers have to write a standardized form of plug-in which is called a reference frame.
After reading this document and taking a look at the example source files included in this package, you should be able to write your own custom reference frames for Cool Modes.

a. Prerequisites

This HOWTO can only be helpful for you if you meet the following requirements:

• You should be familiar with the JGraph, with nodes and edges. This HOWTO does not explain how to write your own nodes or edges but assumes you have written some nodes and edges without being sure how to use them with Cool Modes.
  One way to learn all this is to read the JGraph HOWTO which is also provided by the COLLIDE group.
• In order to use your application within Cool Modes collaboratively it has to provide certain methods that allow it to be synchronized. Consequently, it is necessary to know how to implement the Matchmaker technology in your nodes and edges. A Matchmaker HOWTO is also available from COLLIDE.

b. Overview

In this HOWTO, we will step by step develop a new example Cool Modes palette, a primitive graphical calculator. This graphical calculator needs two types of nodes and two types of edges (an InputNode and an OutputNode as well as an AdditionEdge and a SubtractionEdge). The nodes and edges are given and do not have to be changed any more. We will deal with what they are supposed to do in more detail later only where necessary for understanding the development of the palette. If you have read the JGraph HOWTO, you should already be familiar with the functionality of these nodes and edges.

c. Contact

If you want to make any comments on this HOWTO - be it to report a mistake or otherwise make propositions to improve it, feel free to send an e-mail to software@collide.info.