IBM Streams 4.2.1

Working with toolkits

SPL toolkits contain the elements that make up SPL applications. A toolkit is a container of related SPL elements and can include a set of composite operators, primitive operators, native functions, and primitive functions.

About this task

A toolkit organizes your SPL applications into reusable parts. To create an application, you first create a toolkit. A main composite operator is created in the toolkit. The main composite can reference SPL elements in other toolkits by indicating dependencies in its info.xml file. Toolkits are referenced by a toolkit ID (a name) and version. These toolkits are used by the compiler when you compile an SPL application. Streams Studio SPL projects are toolkits.

Streams Studio maintains an index of the toolkits that are defined to the Studio. The toolkits are either SPL projects that are open in the Project Explorer view, or they are toolkits that are in toolkit locations, which are defined to the Streams Explorer view. The index contains one of each toolkit ID and version. If there is more than one toolkit with the same ID and version in the workspace, the following ordering applies:
  1. An open SPL project.
  2. A toolkit added to Toolkit Locations in the Streams Explorer view.

If either of these places contain more than one toolkit with the same ID and version, one of them is selected. The order is not guaranteed.

You can explore the toolkit locations in the Streams Explorer view to see the elements that these toolkits contain.
Tip: Do not have more than one SPL project with the same toolkit ID and version open at the same time.
  • Loading toolkits in Streams Studio
    Streams Studio maintains an index of loaded SPL toolkits. This index is used by the SPL editor to provide advanced functions such as open declaration and content assist. The SPL builders use the index to resolve project dependencies and provide a list of toolkit URIs to the compiler during compilation. The toolkit IDs contain a name and version, and there is a single copy of each unique toolkit ID.
  • Adding toolkit locations
    You can add toolkit locations in Streams Studio.
  • Removing toolkit locations
    To remove a toolkit from the Streams Explorer view, you need to remove the toolkit location that contains the toolkit. You cannot remove a toolkit directly. Removing a toolkit location removes all the toolkits at that location from both the Streams Explorer view and the index.
  • Refreshing toolkit locations
    Refreshing toolkit locations clear the toolkit location contents and then reload the toolkits. This procedure is useful if the toolkits are changed or new toolkits are added to a location.
  • Searching for toolkit elements
    The Streams Explorer view maintains a set of toolkit locations. Each toolkit location references one or more toolkits. You can search for elements from this set of toolkits.
Parent topic: Using Streams Explorer