IDLitOperation
Superclasses | Creation | Properties | Methods | Examples | Version History | See Also
The IDLitOperation class is the basis for all iTool operations. It defines how an operation is executed and how information about the operation is recorded for the command transaction (undo-redo) system.
An operation encapsulates a specific set of tasks that perform some atomic action on a target. Between executions of the operation, no state values other than properties of the operation itself are maintained by this object. Two major areas of functionality are provided: automated operation execution and undo-redo capabilities.
Once defined, the operation object exposes a set of properties whose values can affect how the operation executes. The properties that an operation exposes are valid across multiple executions; properties can be set interactively via the Operation browser or programmatically using the operation object's GetProperty and SetProperty methods.
Note
For operations that act directly on data items that underlie a visualization, consider basing your operation class on the IDLitDataOperation class. IDLitDataOperation is a subclass of IDLitOperation that automates many of the target-selection and undo-redo mechanisms that must be provided by operation classes based directly on this class.
For a detailed discussion of both the IDLitOperation and IDLitDataOperation classes, see Creating an Operation (iTool Developer's Guide).
This class is written in the IDL language. Its source code can be found in the file idlitoperation__define.pro in the lib/itools/framework subdirectory of the IDL distribution.
Superclasses
Note
See the iTools Object Model Diagram (iTool Developer's Guide) for a visual representation of the iTools object model hierarchy.
Creation
See IDLitOperation::Init.
Properties
Objects of this class have the following properties. See IDLitOperation Properties for details on individual properties.
In addition, objects of this class inherit the properties of all superclasses of this class.
Note
By default, for IDLitOperation and its subclasses, the NAME property is hidden and the DESCRIPTION property is desensitized. This prevents a user from changing the name of an operation via the property sheet, which could change the name of a menu item. If you wish to expose these properties for your own subclass of IDLitOperation, you will need to unhide and sensitize the NAME and DESCRIPTION properties in your Init method.
Methods
This class has the following methods:
In addition, this class inherits the methods of its superclasses.
Examples
See Creating an Operation (iTool Developer's Guide) for examples using this class and its methods.
Version History
