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PCA/Docs/Intro

This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.

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Plug In Compliant Application protocol
======================================

For latest information on the PCA protocol visit our Web site at

http://www.stcoll.ac.uk/clares/support/


Introduction
============


The Clares Plug In Compliant Application (PCA) specification provides an
easy to implement way of allowing multiple applications to share common
objects residing in shared memory areas. A program written to the PCA
specification will work with any other which supports the standard and uses
the same type of objects.

What does PCA do for me as a user ? 

The PCA standard works at two levels. In each case a document in a common
memory area can be 'shared' between two or more applications. This is not
like the versions of OLE implemented on the Acorn platform. There is a major
difference in that OLE copies the document for the second application to
work on, thus your data takes up twice as much RAM. With PCA all
applications work on the same document thus incurring no RAM overheads.

The controlling application is called the Local application and the slave
application is called the  Remote application.

When a document is edited in a Remote application the object in the Local
application is automatically updated.

What we have up to now is a more efficient way of doing OLE. However, PCA
does not stop there. Take an application like Composition which provides a
page make up environment for bit image and vector images - all of which can
be moved and edited - a bit like Draw for bit images but with a LOT of
extras. Composition does not provide 'painting' tools but ProArtisan 24
does. If both applications are PCA compliant then a Utilities menu in Compo
will show ProArt 24 as a 'tool'. Clicking on this menu entry opens a PA24
window showing the selected Compo object. PA24 can paint into this object or
indeed perform any of its functions on the object. All changes are reflected
immediately in Compo.

This means that an application can have other applications as 'tools'. Small
'applets' can be written to provide specific functions to a PCA application
and they will be usable by any other PCA compliant application.

Imagine a simple application that does nothing else except display a
sprite and conform to the PCA standard. Another application could provide
paint tools, yet another could provide filters, another might provide
warping tools - you get the picture I'm sure. From this range of applets you
can construct the tool that you require to get the job done.

What's more, more than one remote applet can work on the same object at the
same time and changes made in any one of these will be immediately reflected
in all of them.

This is an awful lot better than OLE but there's still more.

Instead of each applet opening its own window we can use 'In-place' editing.
This means that only the  Local application displays the document. When you
click on a 'tool' entry in the Utilities menu the new tool's Toolbar opens
over the Local application's window. All tools then work on the image in the
Local's window.

Now you are really able to construct an application from a range of applets.
All you will see is one window displaying the document.

Take this a little further and imagine a DTP package supporting the PCA
standard. It could have a frame containing a graphic image and you could
link this to PA24, Compo or any other PCA application, which could
manipulate the image. The changes would be reflected immediately in the DTP
window. However, if In-place editing is used, the Toolbars would appear in
the DTP window and allow you to edit the graphic directly in the DTP window.
  
What we now have is a system whereby an application can have an infinite
number of additional tools and all applications conforming to PCA can be
used with and by all other PCA applications. An example of this could be an
image in a DTP frame linked to Compo which used this image as a 'canvas' for
a composite picture. From Compo one of the images in the composite picture
could also be linked to ProArt24 and any changes would immediately be
reflected in Compo and the DTP package.

Things may become clearer if you take a look at the example applications and
documentation provided. The main document to read is 'ToTest'.


A more technical explanation
============================


There are two 'sides' to PCA support. Applications may support either or
both as it suits them. 

Local
-----

A Local application creates and maintains an area of shared memory (on the
RiscPC this is most likely to be a dynamic area, older hardware must use RMA
or something like the Dynamite memory manager). Objects in this area may be
edited by any PCA 'remote' application which is running, provided that it
knows about the type of object concerned. It is the local application's
responsibility to create and maintain pointers to objects and to take the
correct action when an object moves or changes size.
 
Remote 
------

A Remote application modifies an object in some way when requested to do so
by a Local application. Remote applications can be small 'applets' or major
programs in their own right. The PCA specification sets no limits on the
changes which may be made to an object.

In practice, the two sides blur considerably. For example, it is possible
for more than one 'Remote' task to work on the same object at the same time
in which case the 'Remote' tasks must respond to some messages in a similar
way to the 'Local' task.

In addition, an optional extension to the standard provides support for
'In-place' editing of objects directly in another application's window. 

Limitations, assumptions and philosophy 
=======================================

The PCA standard requires the following:
 
Objects are stored in an area of memory available to all tasks. (eg. Dynamic
areas). Beyond that the PCA is designed to be as transparent as possible to
the memory management system used by a program. See below for some notes on
memory management related issues.

Objects are either entirely paged into RAM during any PCA exchange, or a
virtual memory system which is transparent to the program accessing memory
is used (Eg. Clares Virtualise).

Objects are stored in a cross-program standard format for which there is a
method of rendering readily available to other programmers. Examples are
RISC OS Sprites, Drawfiles, ArtWorks files, Plain text etc.

If you are writing or have written a program which produces data objects
that may be desirable for other programs to render, you should consider
providing a rendering module (or some code) which other applications can use
to display your object types. You should also consider placing the details
(if not the rendering code itself) in the public domain.

No well written RISC OS application is an island. By supporting the PCA
standard programs can take advantage of each other's good features and
minimise their weaknesses while providing the user with a far richer and
more productive working environment. 

Memory management issues 
========================

For backwards compatability programs that wish to use PCA on pre RiscPC
hardware can fall back to using the RMA or something like the Dynamite
memory manager. We do not however believe that Dynamite is the best solution
for a PCA task on the RiscPC. This is because Dynamite uses one dynamic area
to store all of its data rather than one dynamic area for each task. This
practice means that, in the event of a PCA remote task going wrong and
writing beyond the end of the object being edited, *all* tasks using
Dynamite could crash rather than just the one local task in question. Also,
Dynamite will not work with Virtualise which provides a PCA compatible
virtual memory system. 
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*
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00001a00  68 6f 75 6c 64 20 61 6c  73 6f 20 63 6f 6e 73 69  |hould also consi|
00001a10  64 65 72 20 70 6c 61 63  69 6e 67 20 74 68 65 20  |der placing the |
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00001a30  74 68 65 20 72 65 6e 64  65 72 69 6e 67 20 63 6f  |the rendering co|
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00001a50  65 20 70 75 62 6c 69 63  20 64 6f 6d 61 69 6e 2e  |e public domain.|
00001a60  0a 0a 4e 6f 20 77 65 6c  6c 20 77 72 69 74 74 65  |..No well writte|
00001a70  6e 20 52 49 53 43 20 4f  53 20 61 70 70 6c 69 63  |n RISC OS applic|
00001a80  61 74 69 6f 6e 20 69 73  20 61 6e 20 69 73 6c 61  |ation is an isla|
00001a90  6e 64 2e 20 42 79 20 73  75 70 70 6f 72 74 69 6e  |nd. By supportin|
00001aa0  67 20 74 68 65 20 50 43  41 0a 73 74 61 6e 64 61  |g the PCA.standa|
00001ab0  72 64 20 70 72 6f 67 72  61 6d 73 20 63 61 6e 20  |rd programs can |
00001ac0  74 61 6b 65 20 61 64 76  61 6e 74 61 67 65 20 6f  |take advantage o|
00001ad0  66 20 65 61 63 68 20 6f  74 68 65 72 27 73 20 67  |f each other's g|
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00001b00  77 65 61 6b 6e 65 73 73  65 73 20 77 68 69 6c 65  |weaknesses while|
00001b10  20 70 72 6f 76 69 64 69  6e 67 20 74 68 65 20 75  | providing the u|
00001b20  73 65 72 20 77 69 74 68  20 61 20 66 61 72 20 72  |ser with a far r|
00001b30  69 63 68 65 72 20 61 6e  64 0a 6d 6f 72 65 20 70  |icher and.more p|
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00001b50  67 20 65 6e 76 69 72 6f  6e 6d 65 6e 74 2e 20 0a  |g environment. .|
00001b60  0a 4d 65 6d 6f 72 79 20  6d 61 6e 61 67 65 6d 65  |.Memory manageme|
00001b70  6e 74 20 69 73 73 75 65  73 20 0a 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d  |nt issues .=====|
00001b80  3d 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d  3d 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d 3d  |================|
00001b90  3d 3d 3d 0a 0a 46 6f 72  20 62 61 63 6b 77 61 72  |===..For backwar|
00001ba0  64 73 20 63 6f 6d 70 61  74 61 62 69 6c 69 74 79  |ds compatability|
00001bb0  20 70 72 6f 67 72 61 6d  73 20 74 68 61 74 20 77  | programs that w|
00001bc0  69 73 68 20 74 6f 20 75  73 65 20 50 43 41 20 6f  |ish to use PCA o|
00001bd0  6e 20 70 72 65 20 52 69  73 63 50 43 0a 68 61 72  |n pre RiscPC.har|
00001be0  64 77 61 72 65 20 63 61  6e 20 66 61 6c 6c 20 62  |dware can fall b|
00001bf0  61 63 6b 20 74 6f 20 75  73 69 6e 67 20 74 68 65  |ack to using the|
00001c00  20 52 4d 41 20 6f 72 20  73 6f 6d 65 74 68 69 6e  | RMA or somethin|
00001c10  67 20 6c 69 6b 65 20 74  68 65 20 44 79 6e 61 6d  |g like the Dynam|
00001c20  69 74 65 0a 6d 65 6d 6f  72 79 20 6d 61 6e 61 67  |ite.memory manag|
00001c30  65 72 2e 20 57 65 20 64  6f 20 6e 6f 74 20 68 6f  |er. We do not ho|
00001c40  77 65 76 65 72 20 62 65  6c 69 65 76 65 20 74 68  |wever believe th|
00001c50  61 74 20 44 79 6e 61 6d  69 74 65 20 69 73 20 74  |at Dynamite is t|
00001c60  68 65 20 62 65 73 74 20  73 6f 6c 75 74 69 6f 6e  |he best solution|
00001c70  0a 66 6f 72 20 61 20 50  43 41 20 74 61 73 6b 20  |.for a PCA task |
00001c80  6f 6e 20 74 68 65 20 52  69 73 63 50 43 2e 20 54  |on the RiscPC. T|
00001c90  68 69 73 20 69 73 20 62  65 63 61 75 73 65 20 44  |his is because D|
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00001cc0  20 73 74 6f 72 65 20 61  6c 6c 20 6f 66 20 69 74  | store all of it|
00001cd0  73 20 64 61 74 61 20 72  61 74 68 65 72 20 74 68  |s data rather th|
00001ce0  61 6e 20 6f 6e 65 20 64  79 6e 61 6d 69 63 20 61  |an one dynamic a|
00001cf0  72 65 61 20 66 6f 72 20  65 61 63 68 20 74 61 73  |rea for each tas|
00001d00  6b 2e 20 54 68 69 73 0a  70 72 61 63 74 69 63 65  |k. This.practice|
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00001d30  43 41 20 72 65 6d 6f 74  65 20 74 61 73 6b 20 67  |CA remote task g|
00001d40  6f 69 6e 67 20 77 72 6f  6e 67 20 61 6e 64 0a 77  |oing wrong and.w|
00001d50  72 69 74 69 6e 67 20 62  65 79 6f 6e 64 20 74 68  |riting beyond th|
00001d60  65 20 65 6e 64 20 6f 66  20 74 68 65 20 6f 62 6a  |e end of the obj|
00001d70  65 63 74 20 62 65 69 6e  67 20 65 64 69 74 65 64  |ect being edited|
00001d80  2c 20 2a 61 6c 6c 2a 20  74 61 73 6b 73 20 75 73  |, *all* tasks us|
00001d90  69 6e 67 0a 44 79 6e 61  6d 69 74 65 20 63 6f 75  |ing.Dynamite cou|
00001da0  6c 64 20 63 72 61 73 68  20 72 61 74 68 65 72 20  |ld crash rather |
00001db0  74 68 61 6e 20 6a 75 73  74 20 74 68 65 20 6f 6e  |than just the on|
00001dc0  65 20 6c 6f 63 61 6c 20  74 61 73 6b 20 69 6e 20  |e local task in |
00001dd0  71 75 65 73 74 69 6f 6e  2e 20 41 6c 73 6f 2c 0a  |question. Also,.|
00001de0  44 79 6e 61 6d 69 74 65  20 77 69 6c 6c 20 6e 6f  |Dynamite will no|
00001df0  74 20 77 6f 72 6b 20 77  69 74 68 20 56 69 72 74  |t work with Virt|
00001e00  75 61 6c 69 73 65 20 77  68 69 63 68 20 70 72 6f  |ualise which pro|
00001e10  76 69 64 65 73 20 61 20  50 43 41 20 63 6f 6d 70  |vides a PCA comp|
00001e20  61 74 69 62 6c 65 0a 76  69 72 74 75 61 6c 20 6d  |atible.virtual m|
00001e30  65 6d 6f 72 79 20 73 79  73 74 65 6d 2e 20        |emory system. |
00001e3e