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[[File:Abacus.jpg]]
[[File:Abacus.jpg]]
[[File:Abacus-activity.png]]
== Where to get Abacus ==
== Where to get Abacus ==
File:Abacus-fractions.png|20 + 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6 = 22
File:Abacus-fractions.png|20 + 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6 = 22
</gallery>
</gallery>
=== The toolbars ===
=== The toolbars ===
* Abacus also supports copy, so you can take a sum calculated on an abacus and export it into SimpleGraph or some other data-visualization Activities.
* Abacus also supports copy, so you can take a sum calculated on an abacus and export it into SimpleGraph or some other data-visualization Activities.
== Modifying Abacus ==
Abacus is under GPL license. You are free to use it and learn with it. You are also encouraged to modify it to suit your needs or just for a further opportunity to learn.
Most changes can be confined to three modules: <code>AbacusActivity.py</code>, <code>abacus.py</code> and <code>abacus_window.py</code>. The former define the Sugar and GNOME toolbars; the latter defines what code is executed by each type of abacus.
'''Note: since a recent refactoring, these instructions are deprecated'''
For instance, to add a menu item such as 'Reset' you would do the following in <code>abacus.py</code>:
* Add these lines to the menu items list:
menu_items = gtk.MenuItem(_("Reset"))
menu.append(menu_items)
menu_items.connect("activate", self._reset)
* The _reset() method is trivial:
def _reset(self, event, data=None):
""" Reset """
self.abacus.mode.reset_abacus()
Similarly, you can add another button to the Sugar toolbar in <code>AbacusActivity.py</code>:
* Add these lines to the toolbar block:
# Reset the beads on the abacus to the initial cleared position
self.reset_button = ToolButton( "reset" )
self.reset_button.set_tooltip(_('Reset'))
self.reset_button.props.sensitive = True
self.reset_button.connect('clicked', self._reset_button_cb)
toolbar_box.toolbar.insert(self.reset_button, -1)
self.reset_button.show()
* The _reset_button_cb() method is trivial:
def _reset_button_cb(self, event, data=None):
""" Reset the beads on the abacus to the initial cleared position """
self.abacus.mode.reset_abacus()
* You'll have to create an icon for the button (<code>reset.svg</code>) and put it into the <code>icon</code> subdirectory of the bundle.
This will complete the changes in the <code>abacus.py</code>. The method <code>reset_abacus()</code> will have to be defined for each abacus in the <code>abacus_window.py</code>. This can be done by creating that method in the <code>AbacusGeneric</code> class used by all the varieties of abacus. The method may have to be overridden in some abacus subclasses for customization reasons. For instance, <code>reset_abacus()</code> was defined in <code>AbacusGeneric</code> class and then overridden in <code>Schety</code>.
If the changes involve modifying the graphics, then other methods may need to be modified as well. For instance, in order to introduce a reset button that can be clicked to reset the bead positions to the beginning, the following methods had to be modified – all in <code>abacus_window.py</code>:
# in the <code>class Abacus</code>, method <code>_button_press_cb()</code> to activate reset button;
# in the <code>class AbacusGeneric</code>, method <code>create()</code> to create the graphics for reset button;
# methods <code>hide()</code> and <code>show()</code> to make the button visible.
== Reporting problems ==
== Reporting problems ==