API |
Application Programming Interface. A set of routines, protocols,
and tools for building software applications. (See
Javadoc.) |
Applet |
A program written in Java which embeds an application into a
web page and runs within a web browser. |
Area |
The directory within an option tree that
stores a set of homogeneous files.
(See Option Tree.) |
Atomic Results |
Results parameters with more than one numeric element. |
Atoms |
One or more scalars. |
AUX |
A data file directory (stored data files
become an auxiliary form of processed data). |
AUX List |
List of data file directories available to NeXtMidas; managed
by the AUXILIARY command.
|
AWT |
Abstract Window Toolkit. The original graphic toolset
for Java.(See Swing.)
|
Blue File |
The primary data file format used by NeXtMidas and X-Midas.
(See Gold File.) |
Data |
One or more elements. |
EEEI |
A notation indicating little-endian byte ordering
in Blue File data. This default representation is used on x86
Windows and Linux systems. (See IEEE,
Representation.) |
Elements |
One or more atoms. |
Extended Header |
An area of a Blue File that holds more information than is carried
in the standard header. |
FDOA |
Frequency Difference of Arrival. A common geodetic
measurement parameter. (See TDOA.) |
Format |
The type of stored data that specifies both Midas Type and
Mode. (See Type, Mode.) |
Global Switch |
(1) A command switch supported by the NeXtMidas Shell that is
common to all commands. Examples include
/BG and /ID= .
(2) A command switch common to all graphical primitives,
such as /THEME= . |
Gold File |
An older file format replaced by Blue Files. The CONVERT
command converts Gold Files into Blue Files.
(See Blue File.) |
GUI |
Graphical User Interface containing widgets, menus, and prompts.
(See Widget.)
|
Header |
Supplies essential descriptive information about signal data
within a Blue file. Defines the structure and content of an
output file. (See Blue File.) |
HOMEPATH |
The local working or "home" directory. Initially set to the login
directory, but can be changed using the HOMEPATH command.
NeXtMidas searches this directory for User
Macros. (See User Macro.) |
IEEE |
(1) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
IEEE frequently publishes computational standards followed by
Java programmers.
(2) A notation indicating big-endian byte ordering for
Blue File data. This default representation is used on
SPARC/Solaris systems. (See EEEI,
Representation.)
|
Installed Macro |
A macro command added to the command dictionary of an option tree. |
Interactive |
The shell is explicitly started, then commands are entered in
response to the shell prompt. (See One-Shot.) |
Intrinsics |
Run-to-completion commands that typically do not process signal data.
The primary processing section of an intrinsic executes only once.
Examples of intrinsics include CALCULATOR ,
STATUS , and TIMEX . |
Keyword |
(1) Part of a Blue File Header containing descriptive
information. (See Blue File,
Header.)
(2) A type of parameter passed to a command. Keyword parameters are
specified on the command line using a
<keyword>=<value> syntax. (See Parameter.) |
J2RE |
See JRE
|
J2SDK |
See JDK
|
J2SE |
Java 2 Platform Standard Edition. Also known as Java. |
JavaBeans |
Reusable software components written in Java (typically, graphical widgets),
designed to plug into a GUI or data container used by web
servers. |
Javadoc |
A tool for generating API documentation in HTML from doc comments
in source code. (See API.) |
JDK |
Java Development Kit. Compiles and runs Java programs. (Prior to 2004,
the term J2SDK was used.) |
JNI |
Java Native Interface. Interface that allows Java programs to use
native C/C++ code. |
JNLP |
Java Network Launching Protocol. Protocol used
by Java WebStart. (See WebStart.) |
JRE |
Java Runtime Environment. Enables Java programs to run, but not compile.
An integral part of the JDK. (Prior to
2004, the term J2RE was used.) (See JDK.) |
Macro |
A sequence of NeXtMidas commands stored in a text file with the
extension .mm . |
Messages |
Self-describing objects used to pass control instructions from one
running command to another. Unlike X-Midas, NeXtMidas messages use
names rather than numbers. |
Metacharacter |
A special character typed on a command line to invoke
unique functions. |
Mode |
(1) The method in which the NeXtMidas shell is invoked. (See
Interactive, One-Shot.)
(2) An identifier indicating a multi-valued data type. Data modes
include: Scalar, Complex, and Vector. (See Format.)
|
NMROOT |
Root directory where NeXtMidas is installed. |
One-Shot |
A command entered in response to an operating system prompt.
It starts a temporary shell to manage command exectution.
(See Interactive.)
|
Open Architecture |
A system whose command set is designed to be augmented by system
users. |
Option Tree |
A set of NeXtMidas commands bundled together by common
functionalities. For example, the MAP option
tree contains useful map-plotting commands. |
Parameter |
Specifies the arguments required by a command. Defines the action
and identifies the data to be acted on in a command. |
Primitives |
Commands written in Java to process data files. Contain a
processing loop (the process(..) method) to process a
single block of data; the loop repeats for each successive block of
data until it reaches the end. |
Qualifier |
Modifies the normal interpretation of the file. For example,
temp{FS=1} sets the frame size of the Blue File
temp to 1 . |
Representation |
Byte ordering of data. (See IEEE,
EEEI.) |
Results |
A list of available "results" parameters stored in <label>=<value>
pairs. Created and displayed using the RESULTS command.
Also called the Results List. (See Results Parameter.)
|
Results Parameter |
A named value (typically, the "results" of a computation) consisting
of a label (the name of the parameter) and a
value (usually Data with a given type). (See Results.)
|
RMI |
Remote Method Invocation. Makes objects at a remote site accessible
as if they were local objects. |
RMIF |
Remote Midas InterFace. A network protocol that
communicates with remote NeXtMidas/X-Midas sessions.
Provides a mechanism for run-time communication between NeXtMidas
commands running on different platforms. |
Scalar |
A single, real-valued number stored in an integer or floating-point
format. |
Swing |
The next generation of Java graphical toolkit following AWT; it is more
full-featured than AWT. Available as of JDK 1.2.(See AWT.) |
Switch |
Modifies the normal behavior of the command without changing
the calling sequence or number of parameters. It permits new versions
of commands to have additional command capability while still
preserving the backward compatibility of the command.
Frequently used to (i) modify the operating mode of a command, (ii)
specify an alternate data format for computation, and (iii)
specify an alternate data computation rate. |
TDOA |
Time Difference of Arrival. A common geodetic measurement
parameter. (See FDOA.) |
Type |
(1) How data is represented. Midas types include:
Double, Float, Long and Byte. Java types include: double ,
float , long , and byte . Note:
Although Midas and Java have identical type names, definitions may
vary. (See Format.)
(2) How data is structured within a Blue File. File types include:
Type 1000, Type 2000, and Type 3000. |
User Macro |
An uninstalled macro. Resides in the current HOMEPATH
directory, and is designated with a percent sign (% ) in front
of the macro name. It's typically a prototype before it is included in
an Option Tree. (See HOMEPATH,
Installed Macro.) |
Vectored Results |
Values stored in a Blue File that are interacted with using
Results-like syntax. Provides a simple mechanism to retrieve
or set a single entry in a Blue File. |
XBC |
X-Midas Backwards Compatibility. Using the XBC
option tree, X-Midas Host primitives run in NeXtMidas. |
X-Midas |
An older version of Midas based on Fortran/C that runs in X-Windows.
X-Midas is not as portable as NeXtMidas and lacks many Web and networking
features which are standard with NeXtMidas.
|
WebStart |
Starts Java applications via a web link, but downloads and
runs on the local system independent of a web browser. |
Widget |
The part of a GUI that allows a user to interface with an
application using graphical buttons, pop-up windows, pull-down
menus, scroll bars, etc. (See GUI.) |
The following terms are common to most Midas environments such as X-Midas
and NeXtMidas. They are frequently used inside NeXtMidas primitives.