windows-xp/Source/XPSP1/NT/sdktools/mtscript/docs/protocols.txt

Inter-machine protocols and object definitions for Build Console 1.0

UI-to-mtscript protocol:
------------------------

There are 3 rules that must be followed when communicating from the UI to
the mtscript engine, or from the master mtscript to slaves:

   1) All info in the PublicData property is read-only on the UI.

        -- It is technically possible for the UI to modify data in the
           PublicData property, and there is no way to prevent this.
           However, the UI should never take advantage of this. The reason
           is that it is too easy for the UI to set data into that object
           which is an interface remoted across the wire, and if the UI
           goes away or is disconnected the data will no longer be available.

   2) All commands and data sent from the UI to the mtscript engine are
      done using the Exec() method.

        -- This is an extension of rule #1.

   3) ScriptNotify events fired by the mtscript engine should always
      satisfy one or more of the following conditions:

       a) The event is a notification indicating an interesting change
          has been made to data in the PublicData property. The
          parameters to the event may indicate more specifically what
          data changed.

       b) The event is a notification that is only meaningful at the time
          of the event.

       * Essentially, the event should never contain information that
         cannot be recovered later if no client is connected at the time
         the event is fired. This allows clients to connect and disconnect
         at any point. Events are not queued if no client is connected.