SoAction(3IV)

NAME
     SoAction - abstract base class for all actions

INHERITS FROM
     SoAction

SYNOPSIS
     #include <Inventor/actions/SoAction.h>

          Methods from class SoAction:

     virtual             ~SoAction()
     virtual void        apply(SoNode *node)
     virtual void        apply(SoPath *path)
     virtual void        apply(const SoPathList &pathList, SbBool obeysRules =
                              FALSE)
     static SoType       getClassTypeId()
     virtual SoType      getTypeId()
     virtual SbBool      isOfType(SoType type)
     virtual void        invalidateState()


DESCRIPTION
     SoAction is the abstract base class for all actions. Classes derived from
     SoAction define operations to be applied at each node encountered during
     traversal of a scene graph. The function that gets called to implement
     the action for a particular node type is determined by a lookup table in
     the global database.

METHODS
     virtual             ~SoAction()
          Destructor.

     virtual void        apply(SoNode *node)
     virtual void        apply(SoPath *path)
     virtual void        apply(const SoPathList &pathList, SbBool obeysRules =
                              FALSE)
          Initiates an action on the graph defined either by a node, path, or
          list of paths. TRUE can be passed for the obeysRules flag if the
          given path list has the following 4 properties:

               1 - All paths have the same head node
               2 - Paths are sorted in traversal order
               3 - If one path ends at node A, no other path
                   continues through A
               4 - No two paths are the same

          These rules will be obeyed by path lists returned by picking and by
          searches for non-group nodes.

     static SoType       getClassTypeId()
          Returns the type identifier for this class.
     virtual SoType      getTypeId()
          Returns the type identifier for a specific instance.

     virtual SbBool      isOfType(SoType type)
          Returns TRUE if this instance is of the type specified in type or is
          derived from that type. Otherwise, it returns FALSE. For example,

               actionPtr->isOfType(SoGetMatrixAction::getClassTypeId())


          returns TRUE if actionPtr is an instance of SoGetMatrixAction or one
          of its subclasses.

     virtual void        invalidateState()
          Invalidates the current traversal state in the action, forcing it to
          be recreated when the action is next applied. This is typically
          unnecessary in most applications.


SEE ALSO
     SoNode, SoPath, SoPathList, SoCallbackAction, SoGLRenderAction,
     SoGetBoundingBoxAction, SoGetMatrixAction, SoHandleEventAction,
     SoPickAction, SoRayPickAction, SoSearchAction, SoWriteAction