cs101.util
Class AnimateObject

java.lang.Object
  cs101.util.AnimateObject

All Implemented Interfaces:

Animate

Direct Known Subclasses:

StringTransformer

public abstract class AnimateObject

extends java.lang.Object

implements Animate

The generic self-animating (active) object. Extend it, overriding its act() method, to generate interesting behavior. Copyright 1999 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Version:

$Id: AnimateObject.java,v 1.1.1.1 2002/06/05 21:56:32 root Exp $

Author:

Lynn Andrea Stein, las@ai.mit.edu

See Also:

AnimatorThread, Animate

Field Summary

static boolean	DONT_START_YET These constants allow mnemonic access to AnimateObject's final constructor argument, i.e., should the object start running on construction or on (a subsequent) call to a separate start() method?
protected AnimatorThread	spirit The animacy that makes this object go.
static boolean	START_IMMEDIATELY These constants allow mnemonic access to AnimateObject's final constructor argument, i.e., should the object start running on construction or on (a subsequent) call to a separate start() method?

Constructor Summary

AnimateObject()
The most basic constructor creates the AnimateObject and starts its animacy going.

AnimateObject(boolean startImmediately)
This constructor allows you to create an AnimateObject without starting its animacy going.

Method Summary

abstract void	act() Override this method to give the AnimateObject behavior.
void	start() Invocation of this method begins this object's autonomous execution.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Field Detail

START_IMMEDIATELY

public static boolean START_IMMEDIATELY

These constants allow mnemonic access to AnimateObject's final constructor argument, i.e., should the object start running on construction or on (a subsequent) call to a separate start() method?

See Also:

AnimateObject( boolean )

DONT_START_YET

public static boolean DONT_START_YET

These constants allow mnemonic access to AnimateObject's final constructor argument, i.e., should the object start running on construction or on (a subsequent) call to a separate start() method?

See Also:

AnimateObject( boolean )

spirit

protected AnimatorThread spirit

The animacy that makes this object go.

See Also:

AnimatorThread

Constructor Detail

AnimateObject

public AnimateObject()

The most basic constructor creates the AnimateObject and starts its animacy going.

AnimateObject

public AnimateObject(boolean startImmediately)

This constructor allows you to create an AnimateObject without starting its animacy going. (You do this by calling this constructor with AnimateObject.DONT_START_YET, i.e., the boolean false. If you do this, the animacy will not actually begin execution until you call this AnimateObject's start() method.

Parameters:

startImmediately - If false, execution does not start until explicit invocation of this object's start() method.

See Also:

START_IMMEDIATELY, DONT_START_YET

Method Detail

start

public void start()

Invocation of this method begins this object's autonomous execution. (If execution has already begun, this method does nothing.)

See Also:

AnimateObject( boolean )

act

public abstract void act()

Override this method to give the AnimateObject behavior. The default behavior -- Thread.yield() -- simply gives other animacies a chance to run.

Specified by:

act in interface Animate