[IDV #BDW-276057]: How to make dynamic *.xidv file

> Question 1: Which directory is for $islpath on Windows?
> 
Sorry. I thought that was documented in the userguide. We do describe it in the 
workshop:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/idv/docs/workshop/isl/Basic.html

The islpath is not a specific directory. Rather, it is the directory where the 
isl file resides.
  
> Question 2: Where is Test.java (edu/ucar/app/Test.java) which was
> mentioned with workshop/user guide?
The workshop uses the package  ucar/unidata/apps/example
Do the docs refer to that above file? If so that is wrong. Can you send  a link 
to the page?
 
> 
> Question 3: How to assign a existing or custom action/command to the
> menu (added by custom plugin)?
> 
> Question 4: How to interact with the menu and a Java class? How to
> invoke the method in Java from menu (added by custom plugin)?


Sorry, we need to document this better. The idea with plugins is that we look 
at the file name and match it with patterns associated with various resources. 
Run the IDV and under the Tools menu is a Resoure Viewer. At the bottom of that 
window there is a button "List Resources". This shows all of the  resources 
that can be loaded and that are loaded and the patterns we look for. 

Any file that ends with "defaultmenu.xml"  or "menubar.xml" is added to the 
menu bar.
As an example of this look at the file ucar/unidata/apps/simple/defaultmenu.xml
Or you an look at the default one:
ucar/unidata/idv/resources/defaultmenu.xml

See here:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/idv/docs/workshop/dev/ui/ExampleMenubar.html
For an example of how we call into Java from the menus.


> 
> Question 5: Why Field Selector was popped up instead of Data Source
> selector when Views & Displays were saved (but not Data Sources) on
> saving IDV bundle (xidv)?
> 
You an save a display or displays without data. When you load them back in each 
display will show the data chooser to select the data. I forgot that that is 
one way to save a bundle and allow the user to dynamically choose the data. A 
caveat though - you can run into problems if you choose some other type of 
field, e.g., the display was originally of temperature and then the user 
chooses pressure.


> Question 6: Only solution for the case (from Question 5) is using ISL
> with setfiles tags. is it correct?
> 

No. Saving a bundle without data should work. The setfiles allows you to change 
the actual data source. In that case the new data source should have the same 
parameters (e.g., temp) as the original data source

-Jeff


Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: BDW-276057
Department: Support IDV
Priority: Normal
Status: Closed