Unit Status (unitStatus)

Table of Contents

• Adding a New Panel
• How to Run the Example
  • Usage
• Classes
• Plugin Entry Points

The Unit Status example demonstrates the following:

• How to build a plugin module for the VR-Forces 3D Gui
• How to add a new panel to the main window
• How to work with map area selection
• How to draw an ellipse around the currently selected entity

Adding a New Panel

The Unit Status example demonstrates how to add a new panel to the application and to display information in that panel about an item that is selected on the terrain map.

The example supplies a .ui file that shows how to create a dialog box using Qt Designer and how that .ui file translates itself into a .cpp and .h file that can be subclassed and extended for use in the VR-Forces GUI.

Using the Qt connection call, the panel connects to functions that send out updates when an entity is updated. This shows how user interface objects can have their states change when some aspect of an entity changes.

This example also shows a very simple way to draw attached graphics based on the current selected object. Does not create or use a new model definition but instead just uses exisiting model definitions and showing how to manipulate the parameters of those models directly by accessing the agents associated with them. For this example those agents area DtOverlayEllipseArcModelAgent and DtEllipsoidArcModelAgent

How to Run the Example

Usage

In the Launcher, click the Plug-ins button to bring up the Plug-ins Selection dialog. Enable the plugin.

To view the new behavior:

1. Start VR-Forces GUI and SIM.
2. Create a new scenario - e.g. EntityLevel SMS on Ground_DB II terrain.
3. Create a M1A2 Abrams MBT tank.
4. Click on the M1A2 entity to select it.
5. The new 'Unit Status' panel added by the plugin, will display information about the currently selected entity.

Classes

DtUnitStatus	The toolbar widget that displays information about the currently selected unit.
DtUnitStatusLogic	The logic for setting the information into the widget.

Plugin Entry Points

/*******************************************************************************
** Copyright (c) 2011 MAK Technologies, Inc.
** All rights reserved.
*******************************************************************************/

//\file unitStatusPlugin.cxx
//\brief Contains plugin function

//This file defines the generic DT_DLL_VRF_PLUGIN_EXPORT_MACRO.  Use that macro when
//you want to export symbols.  Also, in your CMakeLists.txt file, make sure to
//define the VRFPLUGIN_EXPORTS define to tell the compiler to define the macro as an
//export
#include <vrfGuiCore/vrfGuiExportPlugin.h>
#include "DtUnitStatus.h"

//VR-Vantage includes
#include <vrfGuiCore/vrfGuiApplication.h>
#include <vrfGuiCore/layoutManager.h>
#include <vrvCoreQt/DtQtPageAssembler.h>
#include <vrvUtil/DtDeInitializer.h>
#include <vrfGuiCoreQt/vrfMainMenu.h>
#include <vrfGuiConstants/vrfMenuIds.h>

using namespace makVrf;

void preAssemble(makVrv::DtDe* de, makVrv::DtVrvApplicationConfiguration::UIConfiguration& configuration)
{
   //If the configuration for the panel already exists, this means that the
   //display configuration file was saved with this plugin active.  In this case,
   //leave the panel where the display configuration file says.  This will be
   //where the user had it when they closed the app.
   DtLayoutManager::instance(*de).addPageCollectionFromMaster("DtUnitStatusPanel");

   makVrv::DtPageConfiguration::PageCollectionState* state = configuration.myPageConfiguration.findPageCollectionState("DtUnitStatusPanel");

   state->myDockedGeometry.myTop = 1000;
}

bool initDeModule(makVrv::DtDe* de)
{
   //Register new widget with the system so that it can be created. 
   //NOTE: This does not actually display the widget anywhere.
   makVrv::DtQtPageAssembler& qtPageAssembler = makVrv::DtQtPageAssembler::instance(*de);
   qtPageAssembler.registerPageCreator(new makVrfUnitStatusExample::DtUnitStatusWidgetCreator(*de));

   //Add the widget to the display configuration so that it will be displayed.
   //Each page must be on a panel, so in this case we add a panel that will
   //contain only this page.
   makVrv::DtVrvApplication* igApp = makVrv::DtVrvApplication::findFromDe(*de);
   if(igApp)
   {
      //If the configuration for the panel already exists, this means that the
      //display configuration file was saved with this plugin active.  In this case,
      //leave the panel where the display configuration file says.  This will be
      //where the user had it when they closed the app.
      if (!igApp->masterModePageConfiguration().findPageCollectionTitle(
         "DtUnitStatusPanel"))
      {
         //If it was not in the configuration, make a new dockable panel, and start it on
         //the left side dock area.
         igApp->masterModePageConfiguration().addPageCollection("DtUnitStatusPanel",
            makVrv::DtUnicode::fromAscii("Unit Status"), makVrv::DtPageConfiguration::DockLeft, true, "DtUnitStatus");
         //Add the widget to that panel.
         igApp->masterModePageConfiguration().addPagePath(
            makVrv::DtPagePath::collection("DtUnitStatusPanel").page("DtUnitStatus"));
      }

      // Since we want this page to be shown for whatever configuration is made current, connect to the layout
      // manager's signal for a layout to be realized so this can be added to it
      // Connect to pre-assemble message to add this right before assembly (to be shown)
      DtLayoutManager::instance(*de).signal_layoutToBeRealized.connect(boost::bind(&preAssemble, de, _2));

      DtVrfMainMenu::instance(*de).menuConfiguration().addMenuPathAfter(
         makVrv::DtMenuPath::mainMenu(DtViewMenuId).item("DtUnitStatusPanel"),
         makVrv::DtMenuPath::mainMenu(DtViewMenuId).item("DtTerrainPanel"));
   }

   return true;
}

void DtPluginInformation(DtVrfPluginInformation& info)
{
   info.pluginName = "unitStatus";
   info.pluginDescription = "This example shows how to add a new panel";
   info.pluginVersion = "1.00";
   info.pluginCreator = "MAK Technologies";
   info.pluginCreatorEmail = "sales@mak.com";
   info.pluginContactWebPage = "www.mak.com";
   info.pluginContactMailingAddress = "10 Fawcett Street, Suite 204, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA";
   info.pluginContactPhone = "(617) 876 8085";
}