source: trunk/src/org/expeditee/agents/Agent.java@ 636

package org.expeditee.agents;

import org.expeditee.gui.Frame;
import org.expeditee.items.Item;

/**
 * The Interface that all Agents must implement. This interface allows the JAG
 * classes\ to be loaded dynamically at run-time.
 * 
 * @author jdm18
 * 
 */
public interface Agent extends Runnable {
        
        /**
         * This method should always be called before calling process(). The Frame
         * passed in should be scanned for any paramters that should be set before
         * process() is called. If this method returns false then process() should
         * not be called.
         * 
         * @param toInit
         *            The Frame that has any parameters that need to be set before
         *            processing begins. It is also the first frame for the agent.
         * @param launcher
         *            The item that was clicked on to launch this agent.
         * @return True if the initialisation executed correctly, False if an error
         *         occured.
         */
        public boolean initialise(Frame toInit, Item launcher);

        /**
         * Specifies whether this Agents produces a Frame of results to be shown to
         * the user after execution has completed, or if the program should return
         * to the Frame the user was on when they invoked this Agent.
         * 
         * @return True if this Agent produces a results Frame, false otherwise.
         */
        public boolean hasResultFrame();
        
        public boolean hasResultString();

        /**
         * Returns the results Frame produced by this Agent. This method is only
         * called if hasResultFrame() returns true. If hasResultFrame() returns
         * false, it is expected that this method returns null.
         * 
         * @return The result Frame produced by this Agent if there is one, or null
         *         otherwise.
         */
        public Frame getResultFrame();

        public abstract boolean isRunning();

        public abstract void stop();

        public abstract void interrupt();
}