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Inside Macintosh: OpenDoc Programmer's Guide / Part 1 - Basics


Chapter 2 - Development Overview

Creating OpenDoc software is not difficult, but it represents a shift in approach from conventional application development. OpenDoc part editors are in general smaller than applications, they do not have direct access to some operating-system services such as event dispatching, they do not own their documents, and they must work in close cooperation with other part editors. The cross-platform design of OpenDoc means that some aspects of part development may seem foreign, but it also means that writing part editors for multiple platforms is far easier than doing so for conventional applications.

OpenDoc is an object-oriented system, but a part editor can be written easily in procedural code and still fit into the OpenDoc class structure. Existing applications can also be retrofitted easily to work in the OpenDoc environment. OpenDoc is extensible, and many of its components are replaceable, allowing for innovation by developers at both the system and application levels.

This chapter introduces the OpenDoc class library and presents a high-level summary of several approaches to developing an OpenDoc part editor.
For additional discussions of general development-related issues, see also Chapter 11, "OpenDoc Runtime Features."


Chapter Contents
The OpenDoc Class Library
A Set of Classes, Not a Framework
Classes You Must Subclass
The Class ODPart
Classes for Extending OpenDoc
Classes You Can Use
Abstract Superclasses
Implemented Classes
Service Classes
Writing OpenDoc Software
Developing With SOMobjects and IDL
OpenDoc Protocols
Which Protocols to Participate In
Overriding the Methods of ODPart
Development Scenarios
Writing an Editor for Noncontainer Parts
Writing an Editor for Container Parts
Converting a Conventional Application to a Part Editor
Converting a Conventional Application to a Container Application
Writing Other Types of Component Software

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© Apple Computer, Inc.
16 JUL 1996




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