public interface ContextAwareAction
extends javax.swing.Action

Interface to be implemented by an action whose behavior is dependent on some context. The action created by createContextAwareInstance(org.openide.util.Lookup) is bound to the provided context: Action.isEnabled(), ActionListener.actionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent), etc. may be specific to that context.

For example, the action representing a context menu item will usually implement this interface. When the actual context menu is created, rather than making a presenter for the generic action, the menu will contain a presenter for the context-aware instance. The context will then be taken from the GUI environment where the context menu was shown; for example it may be a TopComponent's context, often taken from an activated node selection. The context action might be enabled only if a certain "cookie" is present in that selection. When invoked, the action need not search for an object to act on, since it can use the context.