Common Desktop Environment: ToolTalk Messaging Overview

General Description of the ToolTalk Messaging Toolkit

Interoperability is an important theme if independently developed applications are to work together. The messages in the toolkit have been agreed upon by developers of interoperating applications; the protocols form a small, well-defined interface that maximizes application autonomy.

The ToolTalk Messaging Toolkit plays a key role in application inter-operability and offers complete support for messaging. The message protocol specification includes the set of messages and how applications should behave when they receive the messages. These messages can be retrofitted to any existing application to leverage the functionality of the application. You can easily add these messages to existing applications to send, receive, and use shared information.

Tools that follow the ToolTalk messaging conventions will not use the same ToolTalk syntax for different semantics, nor will tools fail to talk to each other because they use different ToolTalk syntax for identical semantics. If these protocols are observed, cooperating applications can be modified, even replaced, without affecting one another.

Most of the messages in the Messaging Toolkit are the messages in the standard ToolTalk message sets. For detailed descriptions of the standard ToolTalk message sets, see the ToolTalk Reference Manual. Table A-1 lists the functions described in this chapter that partly comprise the ToolTalk Messaging Toolkit.

Table A-1 ToolTalk Messaging Toolkit Functions


Function	Description
`ttdt_close ()`	Destroys a ToolTalk communication endpoint
`ttdt_file_event()`	Announces an event about a file
`ttdt_file_join()`	Registers to observe ToolTalk events about a file
`ttdt_file_notice()`	Creates and sends a standard ToolTalk notice about a file
`ttdt_file_quit()`	Unregisters interest in ToolTalk events about a file
`ttdt_file_request()`	Creates and sends a standard ToolTalk request about a file
`ttdt_Get_Modified()`	Asks if any ToolTalk client has changes pending on a file
`ttdt_message_accept()`	Accepts the responsibility for handling a ToolTalk request
`ttdt_open()`	Creates a ToolTalk communication endpoint
`ttdt_Revert ()`	Requests that a ToolTalk client revert to the last saved version of a file
`ttdt_Save()`	Requests that a ToolTalk client save a file
`ttdt_sender_imprint_on()`	Causes a tool to emulate the behavior and characteristics of the specified ToolTalk tool
`ttdt_session_join()`	Joins a ToolTalk session and registers patterns and default callbacks for many standard desktop messages
`ttdt_session_quit()`	Unregisters any patterns and default callbacks registered when session joined, and quits the ToolTalk session
`ttdt_subcontract_manage()`	Manages outstanding requests
`ttmedia_Deposit()`	Sends a Deposit request to checkpoint a document
`ttmedia_load()`	Creates and sends a Media Exchange request to display, edit, or compose a document
`ttmedia_load_reply()`	Replies to a Display, Edit, or Compose request
`ttmedia_ptype_declare()`	Declares the ptype of a Media Exchange media editor
`tttk_block_while()`	Blocks the program while awaiting a condition such as a reply
`tttk_message_abandon()`	Fails or rejects a message, then destroys it
`tttk_message_create()`	Creates a message that conforms to messaging conventions
`tttk_message_fail()`	Fails a message
`tttk_message_receive()`	Retrieves next ToolTalk message
`tttk_message_reject()`	Rejects a message
`tttk_op_string()`	Returns a string for the operation
`tttk_string_op()`	Returns the operation for the string
`tttk_Xt_input_handler ()`	Processes ToolTalk events for Xt clients