Registering a File Reader
Before a file reader can be used by an iTool to read in a file, the file reader's class definition must be registered as being available to the iTool. Registering a file reader with the iTool links the class definition file that contains the actual IDL code that defines the file reader with a simple string that names the reader. Code that calls a file reader in an iTool uses the name string to specify which reader should be created.
Using IDLitTool::RegisterFileReader
In most cases, you will register a file reader with the iTool in the iTool's class Init method. Registration ensures that the file reader is available when the iTool attempts to use it to read a file. (See Creating a New iTool Class for details on the iTool class Init method.)
To register a file reader, call the IDLitTool::RegisterFileReader method:
where Reader_Type is the string you will use when referring to the file reader, ReaderType_Class_Name is a string that specifies the name of the class file that contains the file reader's definition, and icon is a string containing the name of a bitmap file to be used in the preferences browser.
Note
The file ReaderType_Class_Name__define.pro must exist somewhere in IDL's path for the file reader to be successfully registered.
See "IDLitTool::RegisterFileReader" (IDL Reference Guide) for details.
Specifying Useful Properties
You can set any property of the IDLitReader and IDLitComponent classes when registering a file reader. The following properties may be of particular interest:
ICON
A string value giving the name of an icon to be associated with this object. Typically, this property is the name of a bitmap file to be used when displaying the object in a tree view. See Icon Bitmaps for details on where bitmap icon files are located.
