Room Controller

The room controller is a java application which provides the user with a centralised controller to open applications on machines in the workspace.

It contains 4 Panels explained below:

• Room display: Describes the current room configuration. Applications from "Applications/Documents" and "Project Scenarios" frames can be dragged onto icons in this frame. This opens up the application on the actual computer in the workspace represented by the icon. "Eheap Client" should be running on each of the workspace machines.
• GUI Frame: While the "Room display" describes the fixed room configuration, GUI Frame can be used to add new icons to represent other machines in the workspace. Drag the icons on the left side of the frame to the right side on the frame, to add a new machine in the workspace. User is prompted for the name and id of the machine in the workspace. This frame provides an ability to save configuration files and open up existing config files.
• Applications/ Documents: This contains a list of applications/ URL's that can be opened on machines in the workspace. Dragging from this panel to icons in "Room display" or "GUI Frame" opens the application on that machine. This frame takes its input from a XML file. The location of this XML file can be specified in the main roomController XML file. The file menu option allows to open a new applications list XML file.

  Example of XML file used for above frame

• Project scenarios: This frame contains a list of project files in the database. Select a scenario and then selecting the type of view to be generated, creates a string at the bottom of the frame (swome dialog boxes may come up to specify parameters to search the database). Drag and drop the string to the "GUI frame" or "Room display" frame and the corresponding view is opened on the machine.
  • Time controller: Opens up a dateslider with the start and end dates specified in the project
  • 4D view: Open invizn (4D viewer)
  • Tree view: Opens up a tree view of the projects elements specified. These elements could be Building components, construction activities or resources.
  • Table view: Opens up a table view of the projects elements specified. These elements could be Building components, construction activities or resources.
  • Document view: Opens up a document view of the projects elements specified. These elements could be only specification items for the present

The room controller can be invoked as follows:

java roomConfig [heapname] [server name] [location of room controller configuration XML file]

Example of XML configuration file for room controller

The structure of the file is as follows:

• Roomcontroller
  • Definitions (defines the RGB values of the colors that are used in the file)
    • Color
      • Name
      • Red
      • Green
      • Blue
  • Window (defines the windows that come up when room controller started)
    • X (x coordinate where the window comes up on screen)
    • Y (y coordinate where the window comes up on screen)
    • Name (Defines the type of window that comes up. See below for the type of windows in the current version of room controller)
    • Title (Title on the window that comes up)
    • Visible (Whether this window is visible or not. True/false value)
    • Width (width of window that comes up)
    • Height (height of window that comes up)

If window name = WINDOW_roomdisplay then this is the window which defines the current room configuration. It's elements / attributes besides the previous ones are:

• Window
  • Bgcolor (The background color of the room config window)
    
  • Panel (Each panel defines a iRoom machine)
  • X (x coordinate of the panel which describes the machine)
  • Y (y coordinate of the panel which describes the machine)
  • Width (width of the panel which describes the machine)
  • Height (height of the panel which describes the machine)
  • Name (name of the machine this panel describes in the iRoom space)
  • Deviceid (device id of the machine this panel describes in the iRoom space)
  • Fillcolor (color used to fill this panel on screen)
  • Tooltip (description which comes up when mouse moved to this panel)

If the window name = WINDOW_tree then this describes the applications that can be opened in the workspace (meeting agenda kind of thing). It's elements/ Attributes besides the previous ones are:

• Window
  • Tree (The applications tree that comes up)
    • Name
    • File (location of the XML file used to generate contents of this tree)

If the window name = WINDOW_guiframe then this is the window which allows dynamic addition of device icons in the room controller. Its attributes besides the previous ones are:

• Window
  • Icons (location of the directory where the icons for this window are stored)

If the window name = WINDOW_queryframe then this is the window which gives a view of the contents of the database and the ability to generate applications from data in the database. Its attributes besides the previous ones are:

• Window
  • Database (location of database to connect to. This is an excelon database with a web interface

Description of file used for Document/ Application frame

• Iwroom
  • Project
  • Category (Types of applications just a subcategory. Contains a sequence of applications)
    • Name (name of the category)
    • Item (Defines an application)
      • Name (name which is displayed in the tree)
      • Data (Actual executable associated with the application)
      • Executable (Currently need to be Explorer)
      • Type (Type of file that is opened with this application if any. Need to specify the extension)