1.1.4 Actions that Servers Can Perform on Objects

Double-clicking on an object is the normal way to invoke the server application associated with an object. The particular operation that the server performs is called a verb. Double-clicking invokes the primary verb supported by the server for the object's class. The primary verb is considered to be the most important, useful, or frequently-used verb. For most classes of objects, the primary verb (and often the only verb) is Edit.

Figure 6. Client application's Edit menu when selecting an audio object

Some object classes have multiple verbs. For example, a sound or animation server might support Play and Rewind verbs in addition to an Edit verb. Any operation a user might want to perform on an object can be provided by the server application as a verb. The client application provides user-access to the different verbs by means of its Edit menu. When the user selects an object that supports multiple verbs and chooses the <ClassName> Object command on the Edit menu (for example, the Sounder Audio Object command on the Edit menu), the client application reconfigures its Edit menu, using information retrieved from the registration database. The Edit menu can then reflect the verbs available for that object. A sample Edit menu with a <ClassName> Object command appears in Figure 6. The three verbs associated with the object named Sounder Audio are Play, Record, and Rewind.