Aspen Framework

From Aspen Documentation

Each module contains an xml file that describes the module and controls which applications it interacts with.

The primary goal of this file is to provide vendor information about the module as well as information about which application it works with.

This registry file is required for all modules, but is created automatically when using modadmin to create your module.

Here is an example of the minimum information required for a module to operate:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<package>
	<type>Module</type>
	<guid>fc38b420-c645-77dc-95ff-0800200c9a66</guid>
	<classname>Demo</classname>
	<name>Demo</name>
</package>

A module is required to have the type value set to Module, and must have a unique ID to identify it. When using modadmin, a unique id is generated for you, but if building the module manually you need to provide the id. You may generate such an ID here.

The classname identifies the php class name (minus any application suffixes) and the name is the name of the module displayed throughout the user interface.

Here is a complete file with all currently recognized fields:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
 
<package>
 
	<type>Module</type>
	<guid>fc38b420-c645-77dc-95ff-0800200c9a66</guid>
	<classname>Demo</classname>
	<name>Demo</name>
	<version>1.0</version>
	<vendor>Trellis Development, LLC</vendor>
	<description>Sample.</description>
	<pressUrl>http://www.aspen-framework.org</pressUrl>
	<updateUrl>http://www.aspen-framework.org</updateUrl>
 
	<targetApplication>
		<name>Aspen Framework</name>
		<guid>8266f8e0-204d-11dd-bd0b-0800200c9a66</guid>
		<minVersion>1.0.0</minVersion>
		<maxVersion>1.0.0</maxVersion>
	</targetApplication>
 
	<prerequisites>
		<required type="module">
			<guid>ee832550-c6ac-11dc-95ff-0800200c9a66</guid>
		</required>
	</prerequisites>
 
</package>

targetApplication

A module by default will attempt to operate with any parent application. To restrict a module to be used by only one application, you must define a targetApplication.

The name element is only for UI display and does not need to match anything in the target app.

The guid must be the id number generated for the application the module must function with.

The minVersion defines the minimum version of the target application the module will work with.

The maxVersion defines the minimum version of the target application the module will work with.

The rest of the values are not used within the framework itself at this time, but plans are underway to utilize this information soon.