In this tutorial, we are going to present how to use the Framework to assist the development of Java Educational Applets. The Framework for Java Educational Applets is a reusable design for the applet program in the Semiconductor and Microelectronocs Simulation Domain. It helps the applet's programmers in their software development processes in terms of improving the productivity, reducing the programmer's effort, increasing program's consistency and uniformity.
This Framework consists of a set of Java classes and provides a reusable context for software components and the way their instances interact. The Framework is divided into four functionality module: the Controller module, the AppletLogic module, the Algorithm/Execution Modes module and the Graphical Redenring module. In each module, we have some superclasses, which compose the Framework and handle the interactions among the program components. The following figure gives the top-level reviw of the Framework:
The AppletLogic module serves as a central logic in a given applet. It contains all the core data and key states in the applet. The Controller module receives the user input and contacts with the AppletLogic module to update the data and states correspondinly. When the applet screen is updated, the Graphical Redering module will update itself according to the status of the AppletLogic module. In a simple, simulation applet program, we can put all the methimetical and phisical equetions into the AppletLogic module. These equations are used to compute the data and states in the applet. In a complicated simulation program, however, we may need more than one different Algorithms or Applet Execution Modes to assist the simulation process. Different algorithms are appropriate at different time and the end user should be able to switch among these Algorithms or Execution modes on the fly.
The fuctionality layer of the Framework is shown in the figure below:
