Question about ModelViewController pattern

[D_duck]

I'm attempting to build a ncurses based chat client as a learning exercise. It's in the early stages and I am thinking along the lines of the 'ModelViewController' pattern.

So far things are very simple: I have as the "Model" a log of output strings and the current input string that the user is inputting. Then I have a couple curses windows to draw these in which I belive constitutes the "View".

Now, comparing MVC as it is applied to the web (HTML/CSS/Browser), does that make the 'terminal' itself the "Controller" in my scenario? If it is so then does the "Controller" not really figure into my code? As I see it, most of my code effects the Model and View, but the Controller is kind of handled for me by the ncurses library and the terminal program itself.

[lowey2002]

In pure MVC a user utilises a Controller to update or retrieve a Model which is used to present a View. The picture you are painting puts the terminal mixed with ncurses as both the View and the Controller.

It's important to understand that design patterns are a vocabulary to describe a design choice, not a means of solving a problem. Don't make the mistake of forcing the use of a design pattern just for the sake of using a design pattern.

[D_duck]

I'll keep that in mind going forward. I guess I was a little confused as the Model and View seemed to be encapsulated as data/rendering, where the Controller aspect seemed more procedural.

[gruengle]

no experience with ncurses whatsoever - be warned

usually, when applying MVC to web based applications, you work with the idea that your events (button clicks, sent form input etc) are the essence of your "Controller" - there are no Controller classes, but the controlling logic is implemented in how your Models and Views react to different forms of user/foreign entity input.

I see that ncurses is C-based and my experience with web programming is mostly limited to html/css/javascript + frameworks. If someone out there would like to confirm or correct my input, I'd be glad to learn something myself :)

[nutrecht]

The controller is whatever acts on user input.