Customizing a RAM API using the CAF

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The Custom Action Framework (CAF) is used by RAM developers to describe to CARMA clients how their RAM APIs differ from the standard RAM API. The CAF allows a RAM API to define the following differences between its API and the standard RAM API:

  • Additional ("custom") actions
  • Disabled standard actions
  • Additional ("custom") parameters to standard actions
  • Additional ("custom") return values to standard actions
  • Fields describing metadata that should be displayed on the client

These differences are defined using CAF information. CAF information can be thought of as a contract between a RAM and the CARMA clients using that RAM; the RAM is guaranteed to run properly as long as CARMA clients follow the RAM's CAF information. Before attempting to define a RAM's CAF information, you may want to create a conceptual model of your RAM's CAF information. This will help you plan how you will define your RAMs CAF information in the CARMA VSAM clusters. This chapter provides a practical example of how to create such a model for a RAM and how to then define the CAF information for the RAM using that model.

Before you can follow the example, you should first understand the basic CAF object types. The example RAM model is designed using these objects.