ConfDesigner

WebStart

The best way to get in touch with ConfDesigner is to check out its sources. It is located in $SPHINX_ROOT/tools/confdesigner.

Nevertheless, ConfDesigner can be used without any installation using Java Webstart. Although only Java5 or higher is required to run the application locally, Java6 or higher is required to run it via Webstart.

Component Categories

In order to add a Configurable to one or several arbitrary categories, it's just necessary to annotate the class (or one of its parent-classes, or one of its implementing interfaces, or one of the interfaces being implemented by one of its parent classes. E.g.

@ConfCategory(value = {"search", "parallel"})class ParallelSearchDecoder implements Configurable{...}

In ConfDesigner the categories are used to set up another component-selection-tree (beside the usual package-based one)

Planned

improved node-layout

snap2grid

level of details for nodes in order to speed up the application

distributed computing support

In Process (upcoming Beta3)

copy, cut, paste & delete for subgraphs

optional snap2grid

reimplementation of property panel (in order to support default properties and non-defined properties)

improved connection routing

better node-layout

Beta2

ConfDesigner can be started directly via "java -jar confdesigner.jar" (because of added jar-Manifest)

Command line interface

Automatic range checking for basic properties (int, double, string) based on the property-annotations

quick-search: find nodes within a system configuration graph

tab-support: edit several system configurations within on designer-instance

project-support: bundle sets of system configurations

User-defined component-categories (to use them, just annotate the class with the ConfCategory-annotation).

Image-exporting of configuration-graphs

Various usability improvements (improved key bindings, fit-to-view, linking this website into the help-menu)

Background Labels, which are intended to help to get some additional structure into a system graph

fixed: deletion of models and connections

fixed: rerouting of connections

Beta1

Supports all current Sphinx4 property types (including arbitrary large component lists)

Loads and saves Sphinx4-configuration files

In place editing of component names

Automatic graph layouting

Graph serialization

Automatic class path parsing in order to find all available Configurables

Completely instantiation free modeling

System instantiation and evaluation directly within the designer, including online configuration changes

Known Issues

The CTRL-key needs to be pressed for zooming and in order to connect nodes which is confusing and not necessary