class ConsoleDialogueManager
extends java.lang.Object

The Console Dialogue Manager Class

As class: manages resources needed to maintain a console dialogue and executes transitions between console dialogue levels.
As instance: manages and executes the lifecycle of one level in a console dialogue.

First of the two parts that make up my ConsoleDialogueAPI, a lightweight programming interface for creating console dialogues.

Abbreviations you might encounter in this documentation:
CDM = ConsoleDialogueManager
CDE = ConsoleDialogueElement

Since:

2018-02-14

Version:

1.0

Author:

Daniel Giljam

Field Summary

Fields

Modifier and Type	Field	Description
private static List<CDE>	activeCDEs	List that hold all the active CDEs + the order they "check" in.
private static java.lang.String	activeHelpMessage	The message shown by the default help CDE.
private static java.lang.String	activeInitialMessage	The currently active initial message.
private List<CDE>	cdElements	This instance's CDEs + a variable for potentially backing up previously active CDEs.
private List<CDE>	cdElementsBackup	This instance's CDEs + a variable for potentially backing up previously active CDEs.
private static CDE	help	The default help CDE.
private static java.lang.String	HELP_PATTERN	The regex string defining the pattern used for matching by the default help CDE.
private java.lang.String	helpMessage	This instance's help message + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active help message.
private java.lang.String	helpMessageBackup	This instance's help message + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active help message.
private java.lang.String	initalMessage	Holds instance-specific "initial message" - a message shown at the creation of an CDM + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active inital message.
private java.lang.String	initialMessageBackup	Holds instance-specific "initial message" - a message shown at the creation of an CDM + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active inital message.
private static java.lang.String	input	String that holds what is in this documentation referred to as the user input.
private static java.util.Scanner	scanner	Scanner -object for fetching what the user types in the terminal.
private static java.lang.String	UNABLE_TO_INTERPRET_MESSAGE	The default message shown when user input didn't match any of the patterns defined in the CDEs.

Constructor Summary

Constructors

Constructor	Description
< class="memberNameLink">ConsoleDialogueManager(java.util.List<ConsoleDialogueElement> cdElements, java.lang.String initialMessage, java.lang.String helpMessage, boolean queue, boolean merge)	CDM Constructor

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
private void	CollapseCD()	CollapseCD
private void	ConsoleDialogue()	ConsoleDialogue
private void	InitializeCD(boolean queue, boolean merge)	InitializeCD

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Field Detail

activeCDEs

private static java.util.List<ConsoleDialogueElement> activeCDEs

List that hold all the active CDEs + the order they "check" in.

activeHelpMessage

private static java.lang.String activeHelpMessage

The message shown by the default help CDE.

activeInitialMessage

private static java.lang.String activeInitialMessage

The currently active initial message.

cdElements

private java.util.List<ConsoleDialogueElement> cdElements

This instance's CDEs + a variable for potentially backing up previously active CDEs.

cdElementsBackup

private java.util.List<ConsoleDialogueElement> cdElementsBackup

This instance's CDEs + a variable for potentially backing up previously active CDEs.

help

private static final ConsoleDialogueElement help

The default help CDE.

HELP_PATTERN

private static final java.lang.String HELP_PATTERN

The regex string defining the pattern used for matching by the default help CDE.

See Also:

Constant Field Values

helpMessage

private java.lang.String helpMessage

This instance's help message + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active help message.

helpMessageBackup

private java.lang.String helpMessageBackup

This instance's help message + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active help message.

initalMessage

private java.lang.String initalMessage

Holds instance-specific "initial message" - a message shown at the creation of an CDM + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active inital message.

initialMessageBackup

private java.lang.String initialMessageBackup

Holds instance-specific "initial message" - a message shown at the creation of an CDM + a variable for potentially backing up a previously active inital message.

input

private static java.lang.String input

String that holds what is in this documentation referred to as the user input.

scanner

private static final java.util.Scanner scanner

Scanner -object for fetching what the user types in the terminal. (The delimiter is set to "\n" so that the Scanner.next() -function delivers everything the user types on the terminal line as one whole string, whitespaces included.)

UNABLE_TO_INTERPRET_MESSAGE

private static final java.lang.String UNABLE_TO_INTERPRET_MESSAGE

The default message shown when user input didn't match any of the patterns defined in the CDEs.

See Also:

Constant Field Values

Constructor Detail

ConsoleDialogueManager

ConsoleDialogueManager(java.util.List<ConsoleDialogueElement> cdElements,
                       java.lang.String initialMessage,
                       java.lang.String helpMessage,
                       boolean queue,
                       boolean merge)

CDM Constructor

Saves parameters in their corresponding instance-specific variables, then sets off the InitializeCD() -method.

Parameters:

cdElements - a List containing the CDEs

initialMessage - a string that will be the CDM's initial message

helpMessage - a string that will be set as the CDM's help message

queue - boolean that, if set to true, tells the CDM to just queue up the CDEs and then move on with the code, rather than start the dialogue immediately

merge - boolean that if set to true, tells the CDM to not replace the "queue", but rather add on top of what was already there

Method Detail

CollapseCD

private void CollapseCD()

CollapseCD

Restores the backed up values of static variables.

ConsoleDialogue

private void ConsoleDialogue()

ConsoleDialogue

The essence of this class. Explained in greater detail in comments within the code.

InitializeCD

private void InitializeCD(boolean queue,
                          boolean merge)

InitializeCD

Method that:
1. Backs up static variables (if previously initialized)
2. Assigns the content of the instance-specific variables to the corresponding static "active" variables (if the merge boolean in the constructor was true, then - as the boolean says - the content of the instance-specific variables will be merged with any content pre-occupying the static "active" variables, else - if merge is false - any pre-occupying content will be overwritten in the static "active" variables)
3. Displays the initial message (if there is one)
4. Starts the ConsoleDialogue() -method (if the queue boolean in the constructor was true, then the ConsoleDialogue() -method won't start, which means this CDM has run it's course)

Parameters:

queue - boolean that, if set to true, tells the CDM to just queue up the CDEs and then move on with the code, rather than start the dialogue immediately (forwarded from constructor)

merge - boolean that if set to true, tells the CDM to not replace the "queue", but rather add on top of what was already there (forwarded from constructor)