updating developer documentation

doc/source/developer.rst

@@ -3,34 +3,101 @@ Developer Documentation
 =======================
 
 Contributions to Pype9 are most welcome! To contribute simply fork
-Pype9 on Github_ and create a Pull request when you are ready to merge
+Pype9 on Github_ and create a pull request when you are ready to merge
 your code.
 
 Contributions are required to:
-
 * Strictly adhere to Pep8_ (PyLint_ is useful for checking this)
-* Not decrease the code coverage (meaning that you will probably need
-  to add a unittest or two)
+* Not significantly decrease the `code coverage`_. Meaning that you
+will probably need to add a unittest or two.
 
 
 Additional Simulator Backends
 -----------------------------
 
+An area in which Pype9 can be extended is by adding support for
+additional simulator backends (e.g. Brian2_, GeNN_), including any
+that you may be developing.
+
+One of the key benefits of clearly separating the model description
+language (i.e. NineML_), and the associated `Python library`_, from
+simulator-specific code is that provides a clearly defined interface
+for adding support for additional simulators. Therefore, extending
+Pype9 is definitely not a requirement for adding NineML_ support for
+your simulator (and from a language perspective a diversity of
+independent tools is desirable).  However, since Pype9 has already
+implemented many of the menial tasks involved in working with NineML_
+models, such as managing the build process and file IO, you may find it
+convenient to extend Pype9's base classes.
+
+In order to extend Pype9's base classes you will need to override the
+following abstract methods.
+
+Single Cell Simulations
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+CodeGenerator
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+* generate_source_files
+* configure_build_files
+* compile_source_files
+* clean_src_dir
+* clean_compile_dir
+* load_libraries
+
+Cell
+^^^^
+
+* _get
+* _set
+* _set_regime
+* record
+* record_regime
+* recording
+* _regime_recording
+* reset_recordings
+* play
+* connect
+
+Network Simulations
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+At this stage Pype9's network simulations are handled by PyNN_ so it
+is probably only practical to add support for simulators that are
+supported by PyNN. Future versions of Pype9 will likely introduce
+base classes for network objects, which can be extended though. 
+
+
 Additional Pipelines
 --------------------
 
+In addition to running simulations, pipelines that perform other
+actions on NineML_ models are planned to be included under the Pype9
+umbrella.  
+
 Import Simulator-Specific Models
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
+High on the list of useful additional pipelines are importer pipelines
+that take models, or part thereof, written in simulator specific code
+and translate them into NineML_.
+
+For example, a prototype NMODL_ importer exists
+
 Graphical User Interface
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Visualisations
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
-Full NineML support
--------------------
-
+.. _NineML: http://nineml.net
+.. _GitHub: https://github.com/NeuralEnsemble/pype9
+.. _PyNN: http://neuralensemble.org/PyNN/
+.. _GeNN: http://genn-team.github.io/genn/
+.. _Brian2: https://brian2.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
 .. _Pep8: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/
-.. _PyLint: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pylint
+.. _PyLint: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pylint
+.. _`Python library`: http://nineml-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
+.. _`code coverage`: https://coveralls.io/github/NeuralEnsemble/pype9?branch=master

doc/source/index.rst

@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-
 Pype9
 =====