Write your own Einstein@home screensaver

I explained it and gave some reasons for posting here, but I will try to be more simple:
I´m affraid, there´s a bug error hidden in the code used for the profile webpage on E@H.
Why? Well, in S@H I do not have this problem (the characters, fonts and links used for my profile in S@H are the same as for E@H: I just copied + pasted them).
I thought maybe someone skilled on screensavers development and with a proficient level of encoding languages should be able to understand my issue.
If the profile webpage, which can be edited with the simplest and basic elements by just common members, shows some bugs like these,
I might wonder how complex it might be to write your own screensaver with E@H tools.
Thank you.

I'm having another run at the screensaver. Again. :-)

I'm looking hard at this factory paradigm in the framework. May I summarise to check if I'm thinking right?

- the GraphicsEngineFactory class can instantiate objects which create AbstractGraphicsEngine's. That is GraphicsEngineFactory::createInstance() returns a pointer to an AbstractGraphicsEngine.

- the AbstractGraphicsEngine class is, obviously, abstract or virtual so you have to subclass to get concrete instances. There are currently two subclasses : StarsphereS5R3 and StarsphereRadio. I select which one when I call GraphicsEngineFactory::createInstance() by indicating in it's parameter list one element from each of the enumerations GraphicsEngineFactory::Engines and GraphicsEngineFactory::Applications ( sensible combination thereof ).

- Starsphere class is derived from AbstractGraphicsEngine, but is still virtual.

- now StarsphereS5R3 class and StarsphereRadio class each multiply inherit ( subclass ) from both Starsphere and m_EinsteinAdapter classes?

[aside]Where does m_EinsteinAdapter get defined - in the BOINC library or somesuch?[/aside]

- thus StarsphereS5R3 and StarsphereRadio can be returned from a GraphicsEngineFactory::createInstance() call as they ( amongst other things like being an m_EinsteinAdapter ) can be considered of type AbstractGraphicsEngine.

- presumably one could/would/should add an enumeration constant to the GraphicsEngineFactory::Engines enum within GraphicsEngineFactory.h to indicate a new type - that I will write, call it the HewsonSphere class for this discussion.

- HewsonSphere need not derive from Starsphere, as my design for a screensaver may have no interest in the particular interface that Starsphere offers.

- HewsonSphere class could remain virtual, but probably doesn't need to be ( unlike Starsphere ). But it, or a concrete class derived from it if I leave it virtual, also needs to inherit from m_EinsteinAdapter too.

- ( assuming all of the above ) I would leave alone the GraphicsEngineFactory::Applications enumeration as it's none of my business, as I don't write science applications.

- but I need to chose an application within that GraphicsEngineFactory::Applications enumeration so that my HewsonSphere, being of type derived from m_EinsteinAdapter, can respond to do the BOINC communication thingy via.

Cheers, Mike.

Yeah, whoops my brainfade. Saw

StarsphereS5R3::StarsphereS5R3() :
	Starsphere(EinsteinS5R3Adapter::SharedMemoryIdentifier),
	m_EinsteinAdapter(&m_BoincAdapter)
{
	m_CurrentTime = "";
}

and thought "multiple inheritance". But that would be :

class StarsphereS5R3 : public Starsphere, public m_EinsteinAdapter
{
// stuff
}

When I did C++ they told me never to multiply inherit. Course failure, voodoo, nasal daemons etc .... :-)

So I never learnt it.

Cheers, Mike.

Hi Mike,

That's right. This is how you conveniently instantiate member objects that are not kept on the stack - otherwise you could/would use the "new" operator to do that but then you'd need to "delete" them manually in the destructor. I wanted to avoid that because it just adds complexity (without guarded pointers) while it doesn't get you anything.

I agree what you said about multiple inheritance, but sometime it just comes in handy when "unexpected needs" arise :-)

Oliver

PS: I'll comment on your previous questions soon!