connector.h

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/******************************************************************************
** Copyright (c) 2025 MAK Technologies
** All rights reserved.
******************************************************************************/
 
//! \file connector.h
//! \brief Defines the DtConnector base class for simulation protocol connections
//!
//! This file contains the base class for all connectors in VR-Engage. Connectors
//! handle communication between the application and external simulation protocols
//! like DIS and HLA. They provide a consistent interface for sending and receiving
//! simulation data regardless of the underlying protocol implementation.
 
#pragma once
 
#include "vrePlayerStation/export.h"
 
#include <string>
 
namespace makVre
{
//! \brief Base class for simulation protocol connectors
//!
//! DtConnector serves as the foundation for all connector classes that
//! interface with external simulation protocols. Connectors are responsible
//! for translating between internal VR-Engage messages and protocol-specific
//! data formats. Each supported protocol (DIS, HLA, etc.) has its own
//! connector implementation.
class PLAYERSTATION_DLL DtConnector
{
public:
   //! \brief Enumeration of supported connector types
   //!
   //! Defines the simulation protocols supported by VR-Engage.
   enum DtConnectorType
   {
      DIS,      //!< Distributed Interactive Simulation protocol
      HLA13,    //!< High Level Architecture 1.3 protocol
      HLA1516,  //!< High Level Architecture 1516 protocol
      HLA1516E, //!< High Level Architecture 1516e protocol
      HLA4      //!< High Level Architecture 4 (2025) protocol
   };
 
   //! \brief Constructor
   //!
   //! Creates a connector instance with default values.
   DtConnector();
 
   //! \brief Virtual destructor
   //!
   //! Ensures proper cleanup of derived connector classes.
   virtual ~DtConnector();
 
   //! \brief Gets the connector type
   //! \return The connector type (protocol) enumeration value
   //!
   //! Returns the protocol type this connector implements.
   virtual DtConnectorType type() { return myType; }
 
   //! \brief Gets the connector name
   //! \return String containing the connector name
   //!
   //! Returns the name of this connector instance.
   virtual std::string name() { return myName; }
 
 
   //! \brief Gets the file extension for a specific connector type
   //! \param type The connector type to get the extension for
   //! \return String containing the file extension
   //!
   //! Returns the standard file extension associated with the specified
   //! connector type (protocol). Used for identifying protocol-specific files.
   static std::string extension(DtConnectorType type);
 
protected:
   //! \brief Connector instance name
   std::string myName;
 
   //! \brief Connector type (protocol)
   DtConnectorType myType;
};
 
} // namespace makVre