Implement the Step Settings Dialog Box

StepDialogInterface is the Java interface that implements the plugin settings dialog.

Maintain the Dialog for Step Settings

The dialog class is responsible for constructing and opening the settings dialog for the step. Whenever you open the step settings in Spoon, the system instantiates the dialog class passing in the StepMetaInterface object and calling open() on the dialog. SWT is the native windowing environment of Spoon and is the framework used for implementing step dialogs. 

public String open()

This method returns only after the dialog has been confirmed or cancelled. The method must conform to these rules. 

• If the dialog is confirmed
  • The StepMetaInterface object must be updated to reflect the new step settings
  • If you changed any step settings, the Changed flag of the StepMetaInterface object flag must be set to true
  • open() returns the name of the step
• If the dialog is cancelled
  • The StepMetaInterface object must not be changed
  • The Changed flag of the StepMetaInterface object must be set to the value it had at the time the dialog opened
  • open() must return null

The StepMetaInterface object has an internal Changed flag that is accessible using hasChanged() and setChanged(). Spoon decides whether the transformation has unsaved changes based on the Changed flag, so it is important for the dialog to set the flag appropriately. 

The sample step plugin project has an implementation of the dialog class that is consistent with these rules and is a good basis for creating your own dialog.