IBM Visualization Data Explorer Programmer's Reference

3.2 Creating a Module with the Module Builder: A Summary

To begin a Module Builder session, enter: dx -builder. The dialog box (Figure 4) consists of a menu bar and two major sections:

• A Overall Module Description section for defining the module, and
• An Individual Parameter section for defining the individual input and output parameters.

Figure 4. Module Builder Dialog Box. In the Individual Parameter Information section, the Input or Output? button specifies the kind of parameter being defined, and the associated Number setting specifies its ordinal ranking (i.e., first, second, etc.). Use the Number stepper buttons to proceed from one parameter description to the next.

When all the necessary information has been entered, save it. For new modules, use the Save as... option in the File pull-down menu (or Save, if the specified module name is already known to the system). The saved file has the name of the module and the extension .mb.

You can now use the options in the Build pull-down menu to create a module description file (.mdf), a C-code module framework (.c), a makefile (.make), or all three together. You can incorporate your own application code in the C-code framework file and reference additional files in the makefile.

Compile the program as follows:
make -f filename.make
This command creates a customized version of the Data Explorer executive that can use the new module. To run this version in your working directory, enter the following command:

For an inboard module:

dx .mdf -exec dxexec

dx .mdf

To create a version of the Data Explorer executive with more than one customized module, you must:

1. concatenate in a single mdf file the module descriptions you want to use;
2. create a makefile that references the combined mdf file as well as all the individual .c framework files.
3. compile the program as above.

You can now run the new version with the new mdf file.

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