ConfigurableMainFrame

There is only a single ConfigurableMainFrame per plugin, instantiated by the plugin class itself. A ConfigurableMainFrame must assemble all ConfigurablePanels. The latter are automatically detected to extract all properties and parameters.

Methods to implement

ConfigurableMainFrame must implement three methods:

public class MyFrame extends ConfigurableMainFrame {
	public MyFrame(String title, SystemController controller, 
                   TreeMap<String, String> 	pluginSettings) {
		super(title, controller, pluginSettings);
	}

	@Override
	public HashMap<String, Setting> getDefaultPluginSettings() {
		HashMap<String, Setting> settgs = new HashMap<String, Setting>();
		// Here add Settings to sttgs if applicable.
		return settgs;
	}

	@Override
	protected void initComponents() {
		// Here add all ConfigurablePanels
	}

	@Override
	protected String getPluginInfo() {
		// Return an informative description of the plugin's aim.
		return "";
	}
}

It is important that all ConfigurablePanels are instantiated and added to the ConfigurableMainFrame in the initComponents() method. As ConfigurablePanels extend the Swing class JPanel, they are added to the ConfigurableMainFrame using the add() method.

Plugin Settings

A ConfigurableMainFrame may declared Settings that will appear in the configuration wizard under the “Plugin Settings” tab. Settings are a mechanism for saving parameters related to ConfigurableMainFrame in the configuration. These Settings are to be used as options, such as using or not a ConfigurablePanel. Plugin Settings are read from the configuration and used in the ConfigurableMainFrame constructor.

Plugin Settings are originally declared as a default HasMap in the getDefaultPluginSettings() method. If there are no plugin settings, then just return an empty HashMap. Here is an example of three different types of plugin Settings:

private final static String SETTING_USE_PANEL = "Use panel";
private final static String SETTING_NB_BUTTONS = "Number of buttons";
private final static String SETTING_TITLE_PANE = "Panel title";

@Override
public HashMap<String, Setting> getDefaultPluginSettings() {
	HashMap<String, Setting> defaultSettings = new HashMap<String, Setting>();

    String desc_use_panel = "Check to use the JPanel.";
    BoolSetting use_panel = new BoolSetting(SETTING_USE_TRIGGER, desc_use_panel, true);
    defaultSettings.put(SETTING_USE_PANEL, use_panel);

    String desc_nb_buttons = "Number of Buttons.";
    IntSetting number_buttons = new IntSetting(SETTING_NB_BUTTONS,desc_nb_buttons,4);
    defaultSettings.put(SETTING_NB_BUTTONS, number_buttons);

    String desc_title_pane = "Title of Panel.";
    StringSetting title_pane = new StringSetting(SETTING_TITLE_PANE,desc_title_pane
                                                 ,"Title");
    defaultSettings.put(SETTING_TITLE_PANE, title_pane);
    
	return defaultSettings;
}

Since the plugin Settings are passed as parameters to the constructor, they can be used during instantiation of the ConfigurablePanels. Their values are queried as follows:

// retrieves the plugin settings
HashMap<String, Setting> settings = this.getCurrentPluginSettings();

// get the setting value
boolean b = ((BoolSetting) settings.get(SETTING_USE_PANEL)).getValue();
int i = ((IntSetting) settings.get(SETTING_NB_BUTTONS)).getValue();
String s = ((StringSetting) settings.get(SETTING_TITLE_PANE)).getValue();

Useful methods

ConfigurableMainFrames expose the EMU SystemController and Micro-Manager core. Through the SystemController, a ConfigurableMainFrame and the necessary ConfigurablePanels can get a reference to the Micro-Manager Studio and therefore the whole Micro-Manager Java API.

Example

• GuideConfigurableMainFrame.java: a ConfigurableMainFrame declaring all types of plugin Settings

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