Copyright ã1995 by NeXT Computer, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

11

NetInfo Kit

Library:	libni_s.a

Header File Directory:	/NextDeveloper/Headers/nikit

Introduction

The NetInfo Kit is a collection of classes and a single function used to provide a connection to and interface with NetInfo domains.  The NetInfo Kit provides classes for basic interface with a domain as well as specialized panels.

NetInfo Kit Classes

The NetInfo Kit provides five classesÐone for connecting to a domain, and four standard panels.

Domain

The NIDomain class is used to establish or terminate a connection to a NetInfo domain.  The connection can be made by specifying a domain name or a host name and domain tag. This class also provides a method for locating a list of specific subdirectories within a domain.  If your application will be accessing a NetInfo domain, you'll use this class to establish and maintain the connection.

Panels

The NILoginPanel class provides a mechanism for authenticating a user for access to a NetInfo domain.  The panel includes text fields for the user account name and password along with Login and Cancel buttons. This panel can be used to allow the user to authenticate as a user with permission to run an application, as with UserManager and HostManager, or to authenticate as a user with permission to modify a domain, as with NetInfoManager and NFSManager.

The NIDomainPanel class is used to provide the user with a means to select a specific domain from a hierarchy of NetInfo domains.  The panel includes a browser for the domain hierarchy, a text field, and OK and Cancel buttons.  The Open Domain panel in NetInfoManager is an example of an NIDomainPanel.

The NIOpenPanel class is used to allow the user to open a specific directory (item) within a specific domain.  The panel contains an upper browser for selecting the domain and a lower browser to select the item within the selected domain.  The Open panels of UserManager and HostManager are examples of NIOpenPanel.

The NISavePanel class is similar to NIOpenPanel, except that it's used to save information to a specific directory within a NetInfo domain.  The Save panels of UserManager and HostManager are examples of NISavePanel.

NetInfo Kit Functions

The single NetInfo Kit function is NIFillDomainHierarchy(), which fills a column of the domain structure for display in one of the panels.