ATF Features & Benefits - kaisu1986/ATF GitHub Wiki

Highlights of the many features and benefits of the Authoring Tools Framework are outlined below. See also the Technology and Samples Matrix.

Feature	Benefit
Robust application infrastructure	The ATF infrastructure means less code to write to build an application, less maintenance, and less localization work. Application developers can spend less time hooking up basic GUI elements and more time focusing on the features and behavior of their specific application.
High quality code	The ATF components are used by a variety of game teams for a variety of purposes, and frequently improved based on ongoing feedback from developers. Feedback and improvements results in shared components that are better tested and more customer-focussed.
Consistent GUI interface	All the tools developed with the ATF have a consistent interface and work in similar ways, reducing documentation needs and making end-user training easier.
Plug-in Architecture	The ATF is designed as a collection of loosely coupled plugins, which can be dynamically loaded as needed. Use only those parts of the ATF that your application needs, and easily add new editors and commands as plugins (either those included with the ATF or those you develop yourself)
Data-driven, XML-based data storage layer	The ATF Document Object Model (DOM) is a powerful, flexible, extensible framework for describing and managing game or application data. The DOM separates data from application code and provides mechanisms for storing, validating, and watching for changes to that data. DOM object interfaces you create enable you to define a flexible, C#-based type-safe API layer for accessing data in the DOM from the higher-level parts of your application such as editors and and plugins. Annotations to the data in the DOM enable application behavior to be driven dynamically from the data.
MVC tree, list and grid controls	Data-based controls such as tree and list views and data grids are implemented using an MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern, separating the control and its interface from the underlying data model. This model enables you to create multiple views on the same data, to filter the data for a view, or for changes in the underlying data to be reflected in the control (or vice versa).
DOM Editor framework	The DOM Editor Framework, built on the DOM and on the underlying application infrastructure, greatly simplifies the process of creating an editor or adding an editor component to an application. ATF DOM Editor components already include selections, drag and drop, command histories (undo/redo), clipboard functions (cut/copy/paste), and common document functions (new/open/save/save as).
Sophisticated custom controls	The ATF includes a set of custom controls you can add to your own applications. Basic controls include the MVC tree and list views as well as a property editor; more complex controls include circuit, timeline and statechart controls. Each of these controls use the underlying editor and DOM frameworks and can be customized not only by modifying the code but also dynamically through DOM annotations or by setting properties on the control.
Many rich sample applications	The ATF includes many sample applications available in source code form including a complex fully-featured CircuitEditor. Complete, running sample applications enable you to modify an existing application for your own uses rather than starting entirely from scratch.