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API.md

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+# Open MCT API
+
+The Open MCT framework public api can be utilized by building the application
+(`gulp install`) and then copying the file from `dist/main.js` to your
+directory of choice.
+
+Open MCT supports AMD, CommonJS, and loading via a script tag; it's easy to use
+in your project. The [`openmct`]{@link module:openmct} module is exported
+via AMD and CommonJS, and is also exposed as `openmct` in the global scope
+if loaded via a script tag.
+
+## Overview
+
+Open MCT's goal is to allow you to browse, create, edit, and visualize all of
+the domain knowledge you need on a daily basis.
+
+To do this, the main building block provided by Open MCT is the _domain object_.
+The temperature sensor on the starboard solar panel,
+an overlay plot comparing the results of all temperature sensor,
+the command dictionary for a spacecraft,
+the individual commands in that dictionary, your "my documents" folder:
+All of these things are domain objects.
+
+Domain objects have Types, so a specific instrument temperature sensor is a
+"Telemetry Point," and turning on a drill for a certain duration of time is
+an "Activity".  Types allow you to form an ontology of knowledge and provide
+an abstraction for grouping, visualizing, and interpreting data.
+
+And then we have Views. Views allow you to visualize domain objects. Views can
+apply to specific domain objects; they may also apply to certain types of
+domain objects, or they may apply to everything.  Views are simply a method
+of visualizing domain objects.
+
+Regions allow you to specify what views are displayed for specific types of
+domain objects in response to different user actions. For instance, you may
+want to display a different view while editing, or you may want to update the
+toolbar display when objects are selected.  Regions allow you to map views to
+specific user actions.
+
+Domain objects can be mutated and persisted, developers can create custom
+actions and apply them to domain objects, and many more things can be done.
+For more information, read on!
+
+## Running Open MCT
+
+Once the [`openmct`](@link module:openmct) module has been loaded, you can
+simply invoke [`start`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#start} to run Open MCT:
+
+
+```
+openmct.start();
+```
+
+Generally, however, you will want to configure Open MCT by adding plugins
+before starting it. It is important to install plugins and configure Open MCT
+_before_ calling [`start`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#start}; Open MCT is not
+designed to be reconfigured once started.
+
+## Configuring Open MCT
+
+The [`openmct`]{@link module:openmct} module (more specifically, the
+[`MCT`]{@link module:openmct.MCT} class, of which `openmct` is an instance)
+exposes a variety of methods to allow the application to be configured,
+extended, and customized before running.
+
+Short examples follow; see the linked documentation for further details.
+
+### Adding Domain Object Types
+
+Custom types may be registered via
+[`openmct.types`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#types}:
+
+```
+openmct.types.addType('my-type', new openmct.Type({
+    label: "My Type",
+    description: "This is a type that I added!"
+});
+```
+
+### Adding Views
+
+Custom views may be registered based on the region in the application
+where they should appear:
+
+* [`openmct.mainViews`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#mainViews} is a registry
+  of views of domain objects which should appear in the main viewing area.
+* [`openmct.inspectors`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#inspectors} is a registry
+  of views of domain objects and/or active selections, which should appear in
+  the Inspector.
+* [`openmct.toolbars`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#toolbars} is a registry
+  of views of domain objects and/or active selections, which should appear in
+  the toolbar area while editing.
+* [`openmct.indicators`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#inspectors} is a registry
+  of views which should appear in the status area of the application.
+
+Example:
+
+```
+openmct.mainViews.addProvider({
+    canView: function (domainObject) {
+        return domainObject.type === 'my-type';
+    },
+    view: function (domainObject) {
+        return new MyView(domainObject);
+    }
+});
+```
+
+### Adding a Root-level Object
+
+In many cases, you'd like a certain object (or a certain hierarchy of
+objects) to be accessible from the top level of the application (the
+tree on the left-hand side of Open MCT.) It is typical to expose a telemetry
+dictionary as a hierarchy of telemetry-providing domain objects in this
+fashion.
+
+To do so, use the [`addRoot`]{@link module:openmct.ObjectAPI#addRoot} method
+of the [object API]{@link module:openmct.ObjectAPI}:
+
+```
+openmct.objects.addRoot({
+    identifier: { key: "my-key", namespace: "my-namespace" }
+    name: "My Root-level Object",
+    type: "my-type"
+});
+```
+
+You can also remove this root-level object via its identifier:
+
+```
+openmct.objects.removeRoot({ key: "my-key", namespace: "my-namespace" });
+```
+
+### Adding Composition Providers
+
+The "composition" of a domain object is the list of objects it contains,
+as shown (for example) in the tree for browsing. Open MCT provides a
+default solution for composition, but there may be cases where you want
+to provide the composition of a certain object (or type of object) dynamically.
+For instance, you may want to populate a hierarchy under a custom root-level
+object based on the contents of a telemetry dictionary.
+To do this, you can add a new CompositionProvider:
+
+```
+openmct.composition.addProvider({
+    appliesTo: function (domainObject) {
+        return domainObject.type === 'my-type';
+    },
+    load: function (domainObject) {
+        return Promise.resolve(myDomainObjects);
+    }
+});
+```
+
+### Adding Telemetry Providers
+
+When connecting to a new telemetry source, you will want to register a new
+[telemetry provider]{@link module:openmct.TelemetryAPI~TelemetryProvider}
+with the [telemetry API]{@link module:openmct.TelemetryAPI#addProvider}:
+
+```
+openmct.telemetry.addProvider({
+    canProvideTelemetry: function (domainObject) {
+        return domainObject.type === 'my-type';
+    },
+    properties: function (domainObject) {
+        return [
+            { key: 'value', name: "Temperature", units: "degC" },
+            { key: 'time', name: "UTC" }
+        ];
+    },
+    request: function (domainObject, options) {
+        var telemetryId = domainObject.myTelemetryId;
+        return myAdapter.request(telemetryId, options.start, options.end);
+    },
+    subscribe: function (domainObject, callback) {
+        var telemetryId = domainObject.myTelemetryId;
+        myAdapter.subscribe(telemetryId, callback);
+        return myAdapter.unsubscribe.bind(myAdapter, telemetryId, callback);
+    }
+});
+```
+
+The implementations for `request` and `subscribe` can vary depending on the
+nature of the endpoint which will provide telemetry. In the example above,
+it is assumed that `myAdapter` contains the specific implementations
+(HTTP requests, WebSocket connections, etc.) associated with some telemetry
+source.
+
+## Using Open MCT
+
+When implementing new features, it is useful and sometimes necessary to
+utilize functionality exposed by Open MCT.
+
+### Retrieving Composition
+
+To limit which objects are loaded at any given time, the composition of
+a domain object must be requested asynchronously:
+
+```
+openmct.composition(myObject).load().then(function (childObjects) {
+    childObjects.forEach(doSomething);
+});
+```
+
+### Support Common Gestures
+
+Custom views may also want to support common gestures using the
+[gesture API]{@link module:openmct.GestureAPI}. For instance, to make
+a view (or part of a view) selectable:
+
+```
+openmct.gestures.selectable(myHtmlElement, myDomainObject);
+```
+
+### Working with Domain Objects
+
+The [object API]{@link module:openmct.ObjectAPI} provides useful methods
+for working with domain objects.
+
+To make changes to a domain object, use the
+[`mutate`]{@link module:openmct.ObjectAPI#mutate} method:
+
+```
+openmct.objects.mutate(myDomainObject, "name", "New name!");
+```
+
+Making modifications in this fashion allows other usages of the domain
+object to remain up to date using the
+[`observe`]{@link module:openmct.ObjectAPI#observe} method:
+
+```
+openmct.objects.observe(myDomainObject, "name", function (newName) {
+    myLabel.textContent = newName;
+});
+```
+
+### Using Telemetry
+
+Very often in Open MCT, you wish to work with telemetry data (for instance,
+to display it in a custom visualization.)
+
+
+### Synchronizing with the Time Conductor
+
+Views which wish to remain synchronized with the state of Open MCT's
+time conductor should utilize
+[`openmct.conductor`]{@link module:openmct.TimeConductor}:
+
+```
+openmct.conductor.on('bounds', function (newBounds) {
+    requestTelemetry(newBounds.start, newBounds.end).then(displayTelemetry);
+});
+```
+
+## Plugins
+
+While you can register new features with Open MCT directly, it is generally
+more useful to package these as a plugin. A plugin is a function that takes
+[`openmct`]{@link module:openmct} as an argument, and performs configuration
+upon `openmct` when invoked.
+
+### Installing Plugins
+
+To install plugins, use the [`install`]{@link module:openmct.MCT#install}
+method:
+
+```
+openmct.install(myPlugin);
+```
+
+The plugin will be invoked to configure Open MCT before it is started.
+
+### Writing Plugins
+
+Plugins configure Open MCT, and should utilize the
+[`openmct`]{@link module:openmct} module to do so, as summarized above in
+"Configuring Open MCT" and "Using Open MCT" above.
+
+### Distributing Plugins
+
+Hosting or downloading plugins is outside of the scope of this documentation.
+We recommend distributing plugins as UMD modules which export a single
+function.
+