4 Using and extending the labAlive Toolbox

Working with the labAlive toolbox can be divided into three layers which have an increasing complexity:

1.

Lab Layer: The corresponding hardware metaphor is a lab technician who uses available wiring components and makes up a wiring. Analogously, the labAlive technician uses labAlive wiring components provided by the toolbox, connects up the wiring and additionally has to define, how the demonstration of systems should look like on the screen. This task is described in 4.1.

2.

Extension Layer: If a new system is needed or a system should be displayed in a special way that is not yet available, the package has to be extended (see 4.2).

3.

Development Layer: The labAlive toolbox provides a framework for tasks appearing in every system demonstration application, i.e. tasks concerning simulation, user interaction and display (see section 3). The objects performing these tasks are settled in the Development Layer and only need to be changed due to conceptual extensions. Examples are the mentioned objects WiringAdministrator and SystemContainer and the abstract classes WiringComponent and System.

Basis of all working layers is the classes' documentation (see 4.3), where the package usage is described in detail, like the parameters needed to construct, initialize and use a specific system.

• 4.1 Using the labAlive Toolbox: the labAlive technician
• 4.2 Extending the labAlive Toolbox
• 4.3 Classes' Documentation