source: src/documentation/constructs/qt-gui.dox@ 50d49d

/*
 * Project: MoleCuilder
 * Description: creates and alters molecular systems
 * Copyright (C)  2010 University of Bonn. All rights reserved.
 * Please see the LICENSE file or "Copyright notice" in builder.cpp for details.
 */

/**
 * \file qt-gui.dox
 *
 * Created on: Jan 5, 2012
 *    Author: heber
 */

/**
 * \page qt-gui Qt GUI
 *
 * The Qt GUI is the most advanced interface and thus the most complex.
 *
 * In the following we want to explain some of the details that are involved.
 *
 * \section qt-gui-general General Concepts
 *
 * Let us first discuss about the general concepts.
 *
 * MoleCuilder is about atoms, bonds and the molecules made up by them. But
 * there is more: There are fragments, potentials, shapes, and so on.
 *
 * In the Qt GUI all of these are displayed in certain areas of the screen
 * and also in a certain manner:
 * -# the 3D view represents a three-dimensional representation of all atoms,
 *    and their bonds or possibly the molecules they form alone. Also the
 *    bounding box is shown and all selected shapes. Atoms or molecules can
 *    be selected by clicking. The view can be manipulated through rotation
 *    and translation.
 * -# an element list shows all available elements of the period table.
 * -# a molecule list shows all present molecules sorted by their formula.
 * -# a fragment list shows all fragments with their energies and contributions
 * -# a potential list shows all currently instantiated potentials and
 *    gives a 2D plot.
 * -# a shape list displays all currently available shapes, allows to select
 *    them and buttons allow to combine them via boolean operation.
 * -# an info box informs about the current atom/molecule the mouse pointer
 *    is hovering over.
 *
 * So, there are many objects that need to be filled with information and
 * they need to access the World and other singletons in order to obtain
 * this information.
 *
 * One major obstacle, or rather THE major obstacle, is that Qt is threaded,
 * i.e. the Actions are processed in one thread and the Gui does its event
 * processing in another one. Qt's Signal/Slot system is handled via this
 * event system, i.e. a signal launched by one thread may be handled by
 * the slot function in another thread. The Observer/Observable system
 * of the CodePatterns which we used internally/outside Qt's scope does
 * not do this.
 *
 * Also, signals may get delayed. This can happen either deliberately, e.g.
 * there is a QTimer that only updates an object in regular intervals, or
 * because of asynchronous threads. Elsewhen, the slot callback for a
 * certain signal is called directly. All of these cases we have to be
 * accommodated for. This is especially problematic with the instantiation and
 * destruction of objects that represent atoms and molecules in the World.
 *
 * A clarifying example: Imagine an atom is constructed, the AtomObserver
 * notifies about it, but the information is not processed immediately.
 * Shortly after, the atom is destroyed again before its representation is
 * instantiated in the GUI. Afterwards the GUI attempts to instantiate it
 * but can not longer access the atom for its position and element.
 *
 * The only possible way out is to duplicate information. This is the usual
 * way how to proceed in environments with multiple threads. I.e. all the
 * information that the GUI representants of information inside the World
 * needs to be doubled such that when the original information is destroyed
 * the representant can still be accessed as long as needed. Here, we use
 * the ObservedValue construct of CodePatterns.
 *
 * \subsection qt-gui-general-observedvalue Observed Value
 *
 * These representants are called \a ObservedValue in CodePatterns and they
 * are used everywhere in the Qt Gui.
 *
 * They contain an internal information, e.g. a boolean, a Vector or even
 * a complex structure such as a Tesselation. They require an updater
 * function to obtain the derived information from the original source. And
 * they signOn to the source in order to be notified either generally on
 * updates or for specific channels only.
 *
 * The ObservedValue will automatically and immediately update its internal
 * representation of the derived information by calling the updater function
 * as soon as it has been informed about the update. Hence, the internal
 * information is always up-to-date and lives beyond the scope of the
 * source of the information until its own destruction. As updates are
 * processed immediately, this pattern only makes sense for "small" pieces
 * of information, i.e. when the updater function is very light-weight and
 * does not do much in terms of using computing resources.
 *
 * Note that there is another concept that is opposite to the observed value,
 * namely the Cacheable. This pattern will update itself only when requested,
 * referred to as "lazy evaluation". Hence, this pattern is used for "large"
 * pieces of information that require more computing resources within the
 * updater. Also, the Cacheable's information can only be obtained as long
 * as the source of information is still alive. However, so far Cacheable's
 * content is marked invalid when an update signal has been received and
 * update itself only on request, which is no longer possible when the object
 * to represent is gone. Hence, after destruction the information is no longer
 * accessible, not even in the Cacheable, at the current moment.
 *
 * Both concepts can be used in threaded environments as mutexes are used to
 * protect read and write accesses.
 *
 * \subsection qt-gui-general-observedinstance The observed instance board
 *
 * The setup is then as follows: We have two distinct realms, the World (with
 * atoms and molecules) on the one side and the QtGUI (with visual
 * representations of atoms and molecules) on the other side.
 *
 * There is an interface between this world such that the destruction of an
 * atom does not directly invalidate its visual representation. This interface
 * between the two realms is contained in the class QtObservedInstanceBoard,
 * which is a singleton and is similar to the World instance in the World realm
 * for the QtGui realm.
 *
 * All properties, e.g. the position of an element, relevant to the QtGUI are
 * duplicated as ObservedValues. Properties associated to the same instance in
 * the World, e.g. the same atom, are combined into a QtObservedAtom instance,
 * and similarly QtObservedMolecule for molecule. All of these observed
 * instances are placed into ObservedValuesContainer which are contained in
 * the interface QtObservedInstanceBoard.
 *
 * The sequence of events is then as follows (here exemplified with an atom):
 * -# an atom is created (World::createAtom()), the World notifies about it
 *    via its World::AtomInserted channel.
 * -# QtObservedInstanceBoard is signOn()ed to this channel and instantiates
 *    a new QtObservedAtom which is placed into its respective
 *    ObservedValuesContainer.
 * -# on instantiation of QtObservedAtom a vector of specific ObservedValues is
 *    created, one for each property (position, element, bond count, ...).
 *    Each signOn()s to the respective atom's channel. Also the QtObservedAtom
 *    signOn()s to each of these channels as it converts these notifications
 *    into Qt signals (and the updated value can be accessed via getters from
 *    the QtObservedAtom instance). The QtObservedInstanceBoard is notified
 *    of this with the instance being marked as connected.
 * -# when the atom is destroyed (World::destroyAtom()), being an Observable
 *    it will call subjectKilled() on all its channels. The
 *    ObservedValue_wCallback announces this subjectKilled() via the callback
 *    function which notifies QtObservedAtom. Once all subjectKilled(), for
 *    each observed value and for QtObservedAtom itself, have been received,
 *    the QtObservedInstanceBoard is notified by the instance now being
 *    marked as disconnected and ready for erase.
 * -# then the QtObservedInstanceBoard removes the instance from its
 *    ObservedValuesContainer.
 *
 * Note however that the instance is a shared_ptr and will continue to exist
 * and therefore its getters will still deliver the last piece of information
 * before the atom was destroyed until all shared_ptrs are released. Hence,
 * the QtGui may safely continue using the pointer.
 *
 * As new observed instances may come in immediately having the same id and
 * as it is difficult to keep track who got its observed instance already
 * and who not, a soft fail is required. I.e. of the QtObservedInstanceBoard
 * returns an empty shared_ptr this means that the object -- despite any
 * received (and probably delayed) signal -- has been destroyed and should
 * not be displayed, updated by, ... whatsoever.
 *
 * \subsection qt-gui-general-signalslot Details on the slot connections
 *
 * Qt's event system does not guarantee that events are always processed in
 * the order they are emitted. This is because connections can be defined
 * as direct or queued (or both with auto). Direct connections will always
 * be executed as direct function calls, i.e. immediately. Queued connections
 * however are inserted into Qt's event queue and may even get processed by
 * a different thread.
 *
 * We have to take care of this.
 *
 * Basically what we do in QtObservedInstanceBoard and the observed instances
 * of type QtObservedAtom and QtObservedMolecule is that we translate between
 * the Observer/Observable (O/O) system of CodePatterns with its callback
 * functions and the event system of Qt with its Signal/Slot (S/S).
 *
 * That is in the recieveNotification() functions many "emit()"s can be found.
 *
 * Furthermore, signals are used in a specific way to ensure synchronicity.
 * This is only a problem with the visual representation as we there find a
 * a nested problem: First molecules are created, then atoms belonging to a
 * certain molecule. And on destruction it is the other way round. This
 * enforces a certain sequence of events and thus of signals.
 *
 * \subsubsection qt-gui-general-signalslot-glworldscene Details on GLWorldScene
 *
 * The central place for all events is the GLWorldScene instance. There
 * signals from QtObservedInstanceBoard for insertion and removal of both atoms
 * and molecules are caught. Insertion of molecules is dealt with directly,
 * we sign on to the inserted&removed channels for its atoms, then we emit
 * a queued signal to actually instantiate the GLMoleculeObject_molecule.
 *
 * Until its instantiation we store incoming signals in the
 * GLWorldScene::MoleculeMissedStateMap, protected by a mutex to enforce atomic
 * access. After it has been instantiated (and all stored signals have been
 * processed), they are relayed onto the specific instance. However, we do not
 * do this via emits but by directly using Qt's invokeMethod() which allows
 * to trigger queued events. This way it is done in a likewise manner whether
 * it has been a stored or live signal that was received.
 *
 * \subsubsection qt-gui-general-signalslot-other Details on other signals
 *
 * All other signals that only change the property of a visual representation,
 * e.g. the element of an atom, is directly processed by, in this case, the
 * GLMoleculeObject_atom connected to QtObservedAtom.
. *
 * \section qt-gui-qt3d Qt3D and the way to get atoms and bonds displayed
 *
 * By far the most difficult component of the Qt GUI is the 3D view. So,
 * let us explain it in detail.
 *
 * The general widget making up the view is called \a GLWorldView. It contains
 * the GLWorldScene (i.e. all atoms, bonds, molecules, and shapes). Also
 * the "dreibein" and the domain. It processes key presses and mouse events
 * to manipulate the view. And it also serves as the translator O/O to S/S
 * system.
 *
 * The GLWorldScene contains the actual nodes of the molecular system, i.e.
 * the atoms, bonds, molecules, and shapes. All of these are derived from
 * GLMoleculeObject and have their parent to the instance of the GLWorldScene
 * which goes through its list of children and to call draw() on them.
 *
 * The bottom-most structure is GLMoleculeObject_atom displaying a sphere
 * of an element-specific color at the atom's position. The atom relies
 * on its representants to be contain all required information but it
 * is also signOn() to the QtObservedAtom itself whose O/O are translated to
 * S/S for processing whenever desired.
 *
 * Next comes the GLMoleculeObject_bond which displays a cylinder between
 * two atoms. Actual, a true bond consists of two of these objects. If the
 * bond is between heterogeneous atoms each half will be displayed in the
 * color of the closer atom. These bond objects are not associated with
 * the atoms directly as the are linked to two atoms at the same time. They
 * rely on ObservedValues for position and element of either atom and for
 * the degree of the bond itself.
 *
 * Parallel to these are GLMoleculeObject_shape which display the surface
 * of a selected shape. A shape in general does not change after instantiation,
 * hence the shape lives with the information it gets on instantiation till
 * it dies.
 *
 * Finally, the GLMoleculeObject_molecule owns both atoms and bonds. This
 * allows for switching the view between the classical ball-and-stick model
 * and the tesselated surface of the molecule. The latter uses a lot less
 * triangles and thus is faster. Also, it is especially suited for large
 * molecules. The molecule also needs ObservedValues for its bounding box
 * (used to show when it's selected), the index, the selection status,
 * and the list of atom ids.
 *
 * \section qt-gui-cases Sample cases
 *
 * Let us discuss some cases and how the different instances interact.
 *
 * \section qt-gui-cases-start Start
 *
 * When molecuilder is started, several singletons such as the World and
 * others are instantiated. No atoms are yet present, no bonds, no molecules.
 * Hence, nothing to display yet.
 *
 * Before launching any Action the ActionQueue is forced to wait till the
 * GUI is finished instantiating. This is to ensure that GLWorldView and
 * others are in place to receive signals from the O/O system.
 *
 * When a molecule is loaded, the instantiation of a GLMoleculeObject_molecule
 * does not happen immediately. Hence, GLWorldView listens to the World's
 * MoleculeInserted. On receiving it, it also signOn()s to the molecule
 * to get its subjectKilled(). It translates then these and also all
 * AtomInserted and AtomRemoved to the S/S system as moleculeInserted,
 * moleculeRemoved and atomInserted/atomRemoved respectively, which are
 * processed by the GLWorldScene.
 *
 * The GLWorldScene records any atomInserted/atomRemoved until the molecule
 * has been instantiated. On instantiation all recorded events are played.
 * This is to ensure that there is no overlap in instantiation and signOn()
 * to the molecule. If we would simply get all atoms which are present
 * on processing the molecule's instantiation we might stumble over a signal
 * of a molecule of a just added atom. This occurs frequently as both
 * are very much correlated.
 *
 * GLWorldView keep track of all ObservedMolecules. And GLWorldScene keeps
 * track of all shapes and molecules in the scene. Each
 * GLMoleculeObject_molecule in turn keeps track of all atoms and bonds in
 * its part of the scene.
 *
 * \section QtElementList
 *
 * Lists for each element how often it occurs in the world. Selecting an entry
 * calls SelectionAtomByElementAction to select all atoms of that particular
 * element.
 *
 * Initially, it fills itself by looking at all elements in the World's
 * periodentafel. It also listens to AtomObserver's ElementChanged to know
 * when to update a certain element in its list. By using an internal list
 * for each atom's element, it can update each element's occurrence.
 *
 * \section QtMoleculeList
 *
 * Lists all the molecules currently in the world grouped by their formula.
 * Selecting an entry calls the SelectionMoleculeByIdAction.
 *
 * The QtMoleculeList is also a rather complex beast. It is a tree of
 * rows and each row consists of a number of elements. There are two
 * levels, the group level where the common formula for all molecules
 * is given, and the molecule level where are molecules of this specific
 * formula are summarized.
 *
 * The group items are QStandardItems. Sadly, they are not derived from
 * QObject and hence do not use the S/S system. The group items are
 * directly controlled by the QtMoleculeList.
 *
 * However, the molecule items are different. They are derived from
 * QtMoleculeList and use an ObservedValue internally to contain an always
 * valid copy of the required information. They inform the QtMoleculeList on
 * updates via a callback (as QStandardItem, from which they are also derived,
 * does not use the S/S system). The callback takes care of then also updating
 * the group items and possibly moving the molecule items around, e.g. if
 * their formula has changed they suddenly belong to another group.
 *
 * All items are instantiated by the QtMoleculeItemFactory.
 *
 * QtMoleculeList uses an internal QTimer to only update itself at regular
 * intervals. Hence, updates are processed rather lazily. We keep lists
 * of changes, separated for group and molecule items. And these are processed
 * one after the other at the intervals dictated by the QTimer in
 * updateItemStates().
 *
 * \section QtShapeController
 *
 * This is the interface for the ShapeRegistry. It lists all the shapes in the
 * registry and lets the user select them. It also features buttons to call
 * actions creating and manipulating the selected shapes.
 *
 * As an Observer it handles the following messages from ShapeRegistry:
 *  - ShapeRegistry::ShapeInserted
 *  - ShapeRegistry::ShapeRemoved
 *  - ShapeRegistry::SelectionChanged
 *
 * \section QtInfoBox
 *
 * Shows information about the atom and molecule the cursor is currently hovering
 * over inside the GLWorldView.
 *
 * GLWorldView emits hoverChanged signals (via QT's signal slot mechanism) which
 * the QtInfoBox receives. QtInfoBox then creates its info pages for the atom
 * being transmitted as the signal's parameter.
 *
 * The info pages are Observers for the atom/molecule. When recieving subjectKilled
 * they automatically clear the info box.
 *
 * \date 2016-02-13
 */