AssistantBase:

To use:

1. put AssistantBase.js into your app/models folder.
2. In sources.json, add: {"source": "app/models/AssistantBase.js"}
3. When adding an assistant, create your assistant class as follows:

var YourAssistant = Class.create(AssistantBase, {})

where the data in the hash is the class's functions and member variables. For more information on Prototype's Class.create() function, see http://www.prototypejs.org/api/class/create .

As a heads up, if you do want to override initialize, setup, cleanup, or deactivate, add $super as the first parameter for those functions, then call $super() as the first line.

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Preferences

To use:

1. put Preferences.js into your app/models folder.
2. In sources.json, add: {"source": "app/models/Preferences.js"}
3. set up the defaults. I personally have this as a global in stage-assistant.js. Defaults need to be a hash in the following form:

{ 1: { // version number preference1: 'default for pref1', preference2: 'default for pref2' }, 2: { // next version preference3: 'default for pref3' } }

4. Now, whenever you need to add a new preference option, you simply add a version number and that preference, and it's automatically handled!

Ways to use:

1. For every assistant, have a preferences member variable that is a new Preferences object(passing in the name and defaults, of course); call 'load' as necessary, which will usually be in your activate function.
2. Have a global Preferences object.