模块化设计模式

Question

I've started drawing plugs in Java, like connectors using bezier curves, but just the visual stuff.

Then I begin wondering about making some kind of modular thing, with inputs and outputs. However, I'm very confused on decisions about how to implement it. Let's say for example, a modular synthesizer, or Pure Data / MaxMSP concepts, in which you have modules, and any module has attributes, inputs and outputs.

I wonder if you know what keywords should I use to search something to read about. I need some basic examples or abstract ideas concerning this kind of interface. Is there any some design pattern that fits this idea?

Answer 1

Since you're asking for a keyword real-time design patterns , overly OOP is often a performance bottleneck to real-time applications, since all the objects (and I guess polymorphism to some extent) add overhead.

Why real-time application? The graph you provided looks very sophisticated, You process the incoming data multiple times in parallel, split it up, merge it and so on.

Every node in the graph adds different effects and makes different computations, where some computations may take longer than others - this leads to the conclusion, that in order to have uniform data (sound), you have to keep the data in sync. This is no trivial task.

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I guess some other keywords would be: sound processing, filter. Or you could ask companies that work in that area for literature.

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Leaving the time sensitivity aside, I constructed a little OOP example, maybe an approach like that is sufficient for less complex scenarios

public class ConnectionCable implements Runnable, Closeable {
    private final InputLine in;
    private final OutputLine out;

    public ConnectionCable(InputLine in, OutputLine out) {
        this.in = in;
        this.out = out;
        // cable connects open lines and closes them upon connection
        if (in.isOpen() && out.isOpen()) {
            in.close();
            out.close();
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void run() {
        byte[] data = new byte[1024];
        // cable connects output line to input line
        while (out.read(data) > 0)
            in.write(data);
    }

    @Override
    public void close() throws IOException {
        in.open();
        out.open();
    }
}

interface Line {
    void open();
    void close();
    boolean isOpen();
    boolean isClosed();
}

interface InputLine extends Line {
    int write(byte[] data);
}

interface OutputLine extends Line {
    int read(byte[] data);
}