Plastic Messages currently in use

PLASTIC is designed to be extensible - a tool need only implement the perform method of the PlasticListener interface the set of messages it acts on is entirely up to the tool writer.

However, to ensure maximum interoperability new messages should be proposed and discussed through the Plastic mailing list.

The following messages are currently known to be in use.

Since there is no (official) NULL xml-rpc type, void in the following is taken to mean an empty array for input arguments, or an empty String for return values.

Core messages

Message Id	Params	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/test/echo	text: String	response: String	Echos text (used for troubleshooting and pinging an application).
ivo://votech.org/info/getIVORN	void	id: String	Returns the tool's registerable ID e.g. ivo://starlink.uk/topcat
ivo://votech.org/info/getName	void	name: String	A human-readable name e.g. Topcat
ivo://votech.org/info/getDescription	void	name: String	A human-readable description of the application.
ivo://votech.org/info/getVersion	void	version: String	The version of PLASTIC supported.
ivo://votech.org/info/getIconURL	void	url: String	A URL to an icon for the application. The icon can be of any size, and any of png, jpg and gif. It's up the client to resize it if necessary.
ivo://votech.org/hub/event/ApplicationRegistered	applicationId: String	void	Sent by the hub when an application registers
ivo://votech.org/hub/event/ApplicationUnregistered	applicationId: String	void	Sent by the hub when an application unregisters
ivo://votech.org/hub/event/HubStopping	void	void	Sent by the hub before it shuts down

VOTable related messages

Message Id	Params	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/votable/load	votable: String, id: String	success: boolean	Load the supplied VOTable, give it the id to identify it later.
ivo://votech.org/votable/loadFromURL	url: String, id: String (optional, but strongly recommended. In many cases the id will be the same as the url so that clients who receive the file by different routes will be able to reason that they are the same)	success: boolean	Load a VOTable from the supplied URL. If the id is absent, the string form of the url is used instead.
ivo://votech.org/votable/showObjects	id: String , rows: int[]	success: boolean	Highlight the selected VOTable objects in the table with that id. Returns false if the application doesn't have that table loaded
ivo://votech.org/votable/highlightObject	id: String, row: int	success: boolean	Highlight the indicated row in the table with the given id. Returns false if the application doesn't have that table loaded

Image related messages

Message ID	Params	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/fits/image/loadFromURL	url : String, id: String (optional, but strongly recommended. In many cases the id will be the same as the url so that clients who receive the file by different routes will be able to reason that they are the same)	success: boolean	loads a FITs image from the supplied url. If the id is absent, the string form of the url is used instead.
ivo://votech.org/sky/pointAtCoords	ra2000 :double, dec2000:double	true/false on success/failure	If any sky position is currently highlighted, dehighlight it. See note 1.
ivo://votech.org/sky/ensureVisible	ra2000 :double, dec2000:double, radius:double	true/false on success/failure	If the sky region defined by (ra2000,dec2000,radius) is not covered by the visible range, attempt to modify the visible range such that it is. Note that radius may be zero. See Note 2
ivo://votech.org/sky/getImages	ra2000 :double[], dec2000[]:double, radius:double[]	succes: boolean[] (array)	as ensureVisible, but for multiple images
ivo://votech.org/fits/line/loadFromURL	url: String, id: String	success: boolean	Load a 1-d FITS array
ivo://votech.org/fits/cube/loadFromURL	url: String, id: String	success: boolean	Load a multidimensional (d>2) FITS array

Note 1

If the position (ra2000,dec2000) is currently covered within the visible range, highlight it (thus, only one position can be pointedAt at any one time). For Aladin this means if he point is covered in a loaded image, move the reticle to that point, otherwise hide the reticle. Maybe ensure that the given point is currently visible in the GUI (i.e. not scrolled off screen) too if necessary/possible.

Note 2

For Aladin this means if the sky region centred at (ra2000,dec2000) with a radius of radius is currently covered by loaded images, do nothing (except maybe ensure that the given range is not scrolled off screen). If it's not covered by loaded images, load an image that does cover this region.

For TOPCAT it probably means do something like adjust the axes of any RA,Dec plots that it's currently displaying so that the range is covered.

Spectrum related messages

Message ID	Arguments	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/spectrum/loadFromURL	url: String, id: String, meta: Map	success: boolean	Loads a spectrum or SED. id is an identifier as for the VOTable load message - use the URL if there's no reason to do otherwise. The meta argument is a map/struct containing additional information about the type of data found at url which encodes the spectrum. The entries of this map take the form of key->value pairs, where the keys are either utypes as defined in the SSAP specification (e.g. "Access.Format" for MIME type) or UCDs. As many or few of these entries as are known may be filled in.

Registry resource related messages

This is just a suggestion at the moment - details to be agreed. See RegistryResourcePlasticMessagingDiscussion

Message ID	Arguments	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/voresource/load	uri: string (uri format)	success: boolean	Load the registry resource named id into the receiving application
ivo://votech.org/voresource/loadList	uris: string[]	success: boolean	Load a list of registry resources into the receiving application

Bibcode related messages.

Message ID	Arguments	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/bibcode	bibcode: string (bibcode format)	success: boolean	Display data associated with this bibcode (paper)

Document related messages.

Message ID	Arguments	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/document/loadFromURL	url: string	void	Open and process the given document

Messages believed to be obsolete

Message ID	Arguments	Returns	Description
ivo://votech.org/hub/Exception	exceptionId: String, message: String	void	A general "something bad happened" message, with a payload of an id and a human-readable message
ivo://votech.org/votable/event/tableLoaded	void	void	Sent when a tool has completed loading a VOTable. still needed?

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-- JohnTaylor - 05 Jun 2007

See PlasticWhyIVOAIdentifiers ?