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Roseman, M., Yitbarek, S. and Greenberg, S. (1993)
The GroupKit Infrastructure Manual / The GroupKit Reference Manual. Research reports, Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, April and December versions.
Type: Research report.
Updated periodically; Two versions of this manual are recorded here.
Earliest version: GroupKit Infrastructure Manual,April, 1993 (titled Groupkit Infrastructure Guide).
Later retitled version: GroupKit Reference Manual, December, 1993
Download periodically updated versions:
Abstract.
GroupKit is a toolkit for developing real-time groupware applications. Based on Berkeley’s public domain Tcl/Tk language, it provides the basis for building groupware applications. Tcl is an interpreted shell-type programming language, and Tk is an interface toolkit for the X11 window system. GroupKit also relies on Tcl-DP, a Tcl front-end to standard Unix sockets, for its communication needs. GroupKit programs therefore run on Unix machines.
This manual discusses GroupKit’s run-time architecture, its interprocess communication, and the flow of control through the program modules that form the groupware toolkit. It is more of a guide to understanding the GroupKit infrastructure, rather than a guide for learning how to use GroupKit. Those who want only to make GroupKit applications and not bother about the internals need only read the General GroupKit Organization, Application Level Conference Communication, and GroupKit Widgets sections. Those wishing to change parts of the GroupKit package, or make new GroupKit modules or new registrar clients should read the whole document, concentrating on the “Registration System Flow of Control” section.
This reference manual consists of the sections listed below:
- General GroupKit organization
- The Registrar
- Generic Registrar Client and Registrar/Registrar Client Protocol
- Registrar Clients
- Conferences Process Communication
- Registration System Flow of Control
- Application Level Conference Communication
- GroupKit Widgets and Errors Module
Keywords: Groupware toolkits for synchronous work