Flowgraph Base Module

Base class factory for flowgraph modules. Modules are manager-level components that provide shared state and services to flowgraph nodes (e.g., button management, camera paths, file I/O).

Public Functions

Function	Signature	Returns	Description
`createBase`	`createBase(...)`	module instance	Creates a new base module instance. Sets up the metatable, calls `init(mgr)` with the provided arguments.
`use`	`use(mgr, derivedClass)`	module instance	Creates a base instance, then overlays all fields from `derivedClass` onto it. If the derived class defines its own `init`, calls it after merging. This is the standard factory for creating concrete modules.

Base Class (`C`) Methods

Method	Signature	Description
`init`	`init(mgr)`	Stores the manager reference as `self.mgr`. Called during construction.
`clear`	`clear()`	No-op placeholder for module cleanup. Override in derived modules.
`onUpdate`	`onUpdate(dtReal, dtSim, dtRaw)`	Per-frame update hook. Override for continuous logic.
`executionStopped`	`executionStopped()`	Called when flowgraph execution stops. Override for teardown.
`executionStarted`	`executionStarted()`	Called when flowgraph execution begins. Override for setup.
`onClear`	`onClear()`	Delegates to `executionStopped()`.

Base Class Properties

Property	Type	Description
`moduleOrder`	number	Sorting priority (lower runs first). Default: `0`.
`hooks`	table	Empty table; derived modules list hook names they want to receive.

Usage Pattern

All concrete flowgraph modules use _flowgraph_createModule(C) which calls M.use() internally:

-- Defining a custom module (e.g., modules/myModule.lua)
local C = {}
C.moduleOrder = 100

function C:init()
  self:clear()
end

function C:clear()
  self.myState = {}
end

function C:onUpdate(dtReal, dtSim, dtRaw)
  -- per-frame logic
end

function C:executionStopped()
  self:clear()
end

return _flowgraph_createModule(C)

Factory Internals

-- createBase: raw construction
function M.createBase(...)
  local o = {}
  setmetatable(o, C)
  C.__index = C
  o:init(...)
  return o
end

-- use: construction + derived class mixin
function M.use(mgr, derivedClass)
  local o = M.createBase(mgr)
  local baseInit = o.init
  for k, v in pairs(derivedClass) do
    o[k] = v  -- overlay derived methods/properties
  end
  if o.init ~= baseInit then
    o:init()  -- call derived init if overridden
  end
  return o
end

Public Functions

Function	Signature	Returns	Description
`createBase`	`createBase(...)`	module instance	Creates a new base module instance. Sets up the metatable, calls `init(mgr)` with the provided arguments.
`use`	`use(mgr, derivedClass)`	module instance	Creates a base instance, then overlays all fields from `derivedClass` onto it. If the derived class defines its own `init`, calls it after merging. This is the standard factory for creating concrete modules.

Base Class (`C`) Methods

Method	Signature	Description
`init`	`init(mgr)`	Stores the manager reference as `self.mgr`. Called during construction.
`clear`	`clear()`	No-op placeholder for module cleanup. Override in derived modules.
`onUpdate`	`onUpdate(dtReal, dtSim, dtRaw)`	Per-frame update hook. Override for continuous logic.
`executionStopped`	`executionStopped()`	Called when flowgraph execution stops. Override for teardown.
`executionStarted`	`executionStarted()`	Called when flowgraph execution begins. Override for setup.
`onClear`	`onClear()`	Delegates to `executionStopped()`.

Base Class Properties

Property	Type	Description
`moduleOrder`	number	Sorting priority (lower runs first). Default: `0`.
`hooks`	table	Empty table; derived modules list hook names they want to receive.

Usage Pattern

All concrete flowgraph modules use _flowgraph_createModule(C) which calls M.use() internally:

-- Defining a custom module (e.g., modules/myModule.lua)
local C = {}
C.moduleOrder = 100

function C:init()
  self:clear()
end

function C:clear()
  self.myState = {}
end

function C:onUpdate(dtReal, dtSim, dtRaw)
  -- per-frame logic
end

function C:executionStopped()
  self:clear()
end

return _flowgraph_createModule(C)

Factory Internals

-- createBase: raw construction
function M.createBase(...)
  local o = {}
  setmetatable(o, C)
  C.__index = C
  o:init(...)
  return o
end

-- use: construction + derived class mixin
function M.use(mgr, derivedClass)
  local o = M.createBase(mgr)
  local baseInit = o.init
  for k, v in pairs(derivedClass) do
    o[k] = v  -- overlay derived methods/properties
  end
  if o.init ~= baseInit then
    o:init()  -- call derived init if overridden
  end
  return o
end

Flowgraph Base Module

Public Functions

Base Class (`C`) Methods

Base Class Properties

Usage Pattern

Factory Internals

See Also

On this page

Flowgraph Base Module

Public Functions

Base Class (`C`) Methods

Base Class Properties

Usage Pattern

Factory Internals

See Also

On this page