PATH Documentation > WebObjects 4.5 > Creating a Java Client Application: A Tutorial

The Interface Controller

In a Java Client application an interface controller--an EOInterfaceController object--mediates between the applet interface and the model objects on the client. When you use Project Builder to create a Java Client project, it automatically generates code for a custom EOInterfaceController subclass and makes an object of this class the owner of the nib file. The class is named after the project and includes the package prefix of project.client.

In the Model-View-Controller design paradigm, the interface controller plays the role of (obviously) controller. It has four outlets:

To its component, which is preset to the window in the nib file and functions as the "view" (it can be set to something else)
To the client's editing context (editingContext), which serves as the "model"
To the controller display group (controllerDisplayGroup), a kind of general-purpose display group that contains the interface controller itself and nothing else; through it the applications can specify user-interface dependencies and can control the interface through associations
To the master display group (masterDisplayGroup) in master-detail interfaces