This is really great! Easy access to documentation is very important for developers. Thanks.

Thanks for this newer version. A great software.

_________________
---------
AmigaClyde

µA1-C 750GX@800 using OS4.1

Interesting piece of software. However, the past autodoc->amigaguide converters did a good job by creating a link from a function definition to appropriate include files, too like

struct Screen *OpenScreen( struct NewScreen * )

had also the struct NewScreen clickable. With this system you could very easily check what members there is in the argument struct and also - very important - you found immediately which file you have to add to your #include list. I'd like to see that feature also in the present SDK browser tools.

Marko

Last edited by blmara on 27-Jun-2006 at 06:21 PM.

sweet!

_________________
AOS4 Betatester, Peg2, G4@1ghz, Radeon 9250 256mb, 1gb RAM.

http://www.asciiarena.com
http://www.uprough.net

Nice UI. Sweeeeeet.

The pull-down menus look really good!

Unfortunately, using this (excellent) tool made to rethink my decision to learn how to program in C...

Let me explain:
SDK Browser gave me useful, detailed access to all those docs, but now I can really see how it will be a real struggle to get to grips with it (the language).

I'm learning the essentials of C, but all the rest is looking pretty much out of my reach... :(

Great stuff Jamie! I do enjoy using all of the tools (public and via subscription) you have released so far even if incomplete because the GUIs always seems to have a nice 'flow' to them.

_________________
ExecSG Team Lead

@BrandonLee
The SDK viewer is a great help in learning C on the Amiga. It lets you skim through all the commands and structures available in OS4 and even spot the (sadly quite rare) examples quickly.

A year ago, I'd never written anything more than a couple of hundred lines but feel reasonably confident now.

Grab the SDK viewer, the NDK CD and the Reaction examples from OS4depot. Think up a shortish and manageable project and have a go. You'll never be bored again!

Last edited by yoodoo2 on 27-Jun-2006 at 10:02 PM.

_________________
Happiness is mandatory.
MindSpace: MindMaps and UML diagrams for OS4

We ran 5 Recursion Computer Fairs before hitting the exit condition

@BrandonLee

The SDK Browser gives you convenient access to Autodocs. Unfortunately, Autodocs are like reference manuals: useful if you know what you're doing; not so useful otherwise. The Amiga developer CD will be more useful. You learn better from the Rom Kernel Manuals (even though they're old and outdated) and looking at example code.

My advice, learn the basics without looking at all the libraries/devices etc. that AmigaOS has. Next, get the dev CD and start looking at the manuals there and example code. You'll pick up and understanding of how things work as you go along. Once you've got a certain level of understanding, the SDK Browser will be a very useful tool for finding functions that you need to use.

Hans

_________________
Join the Kea Campus - upgrade your skills; support my work; enjoy the Amiga corner.
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@BrandonLee

My advice, stick with it. Everything looks scarey when you first see alot of options you don't know or understand. Have you ever opened up a 3D modeling app just to sit there, stare at it and feel overwhelmed because you didn't know where to start, but had all sorts of things you wanted to try? Well, I have.

I had used some 3D mapping apps for games and figured out how to do some things with the use of some mapping tutorials, but I wanted to do more. I finally downloaded and installed Blender on the Mac and after following the tutorials, I've learned alot. The biggest thing is to not be discouraged by an abundance of options. Look at it like this: those are things that you can use in the future, and it will help in keeping you from being bored as there are still more good options to learn.

Imagine your suprise when you finally find a function that will do _exactly_ what you have been looking for.

@blmara

Quote:

Interesting piece of software.

Thanks.

Quote:

However, the past autodoc->amigaguide converters did a good job by creating a link from a function definition to appropriate include files, too like struct Screen *OpenScreen( struct NewScreen * ) had also the struct NewScreen clickable. With this system you could very easily check what members there is in the argument struct and also - very important - you found immediately which file you have to add to your #include list. I'd like to see that feature also in the present SDK browser tools.

One main difference between older Autodoc viewers and the SDK Browser
is that the SDK Browser is not Autodoc-centric. In other words it does not
start with the Autodoc files and decode them to create it's database of library
function information. Rather, it decodes a more accurate and infinitely more
expandable source, the XML formatted Library Description files found in the
SDK's interface directory. As of today these files describe little more than
the organization of one or more interfaces within a given library and the
prototypes for each function call contained within each interface. However,
in future it will be these XML files (and others like them) that will most likely
grow to contain even more information around the use of those interfaces,
and the Autodoc files themselves should become an autogenerated human-
readable export of these files. Somewhat returning to their original intent I
believe.

All other information that the SDK Browser helps you find, like which existing
Autodoc file to load, or which section of that file to view, is derived from the
information decoded from those XML files. This is also why the SDK Browser
can provide accurate information about a given library's interface where no
Autodoc file yet exists.

I know I am taking the long way around to answer your question, but I felt
some background was needed here. The bottom line is that there are no
highlighted links in the displayed text because potentially the entire document
could be used to browse around to another piece of information within the
SDK. In the 1.5.0.0 version I have started using the "double-click" hook found
in the Text Editor class to make these links to other areas based on any text
that is currently being viewed, and not just from Autodoc files specifically.

Here is how it works, just bring up a view of any file, let's say you are reading
the document for the CloseScreen() function. That document talks about other
functions like OpenScreen() and LockPubScreen() within the text. Simply by
double-clicking on any of these function names anywhere within the text the
SDK Browser will attempt to decode the keyword you clicked on and make
a quick index lookup against its database for that function. If the function name
is found then the Library or Commands list will be brought up to highlight that
function within the list. From there you just hit "return/enter", "space" or click
on the name within the list to jump to that functions Autodoc (if available).
Additionally, this move will be added to the history bar so you can always
browse back to where you were again. However, since most functions discribed
in the Autodocs tend to cross-reference each other, you can easily continue to
move around just by double-clicking again on something new.
(If the keyword is not found within the database, then it is pasted into the search
bar so you can more easily locate it using a focused search of the SDK.)

Now, for the commercial release (somewhere before v2.0.0.0) this method
of live browsing the displayed text will be expanded to include structures,
defines, enums, etc. allowing for nearly instant access to every piece of
information used or referenced by a given function. This lookup system
will also be made available externally via Arexx and other methods of passing
in a lookup request from an external program.

I hope that answers your question.

Best Regards,

Jamie

_________________
Jamie Krueger
BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
jamie@bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com
PLEASE NOTE: I only speak for myself and my company,
and am not a spokesperson for Amiga Inc.

@JamieKrueger

WOW is all I have to say. This stuff is grate.

I hope that some day I'll have a go at Amiga programing. I'm very close to finish my studies.
All I have left is an exam in C++ and than I just might give it a go and see what will happend.

_________________
You can crack anything with your head, even the head itself.
--------------------------------
...proud AOS user since 1993
--------------------------------

Thank you Jamie

_________________
The only spanish amiga news web page/club: CUAZ

@BrandonLee

Quote:

I'm learning the essentials of C, but all the rest is looking pretty much out of my reach... :(

Don't try to learn everything at once. You should learn the basics of C first. Don't worry about AmigaOS specific stuff until you know C well. After that it will be much easier to understand eg. AmigaOS API.

@ Miksuh

Well, I can't say I know inside out yet, but I know enough to create a very small project. By this, I mean the innards of the program, such as cycles, variables, decision-making, etc.

The stumbling block so far, is how to display stuff (outside of the shell window). I can open a screen, but that's about it.

@Herewegoagain

The 3D may be a good example. First time I looked at Imagine, I was a bit lost. I got there in a relatively small amount of time, but it's nothing like C, complexity-wise.
Having said that, I've had a few of those "Oh, now I see it!!!" moments while going through my (first) C book.

@Hans

That's what I thought, too:it seems very in-depth, but not knowing exactly what is what, I was lost. About the DEV CD, where can I get it? The ROM Kernel manuals are suposedly rare, aren't they?

@Yoodoo2

It's sad that more Amiga examples (and books!) aren't available. Auto-learning (like I did with AMOS Basic, for example) something as complex as C is a much more demanding task. I guess I'm a bit spoiled being a Basic amateur, since this language did all the hard work for me.

@thread

I will keep at it, though. ;)

@JamieKrueger

Hi Jamie!

Could you make a brief comment on how far you have come with the complete
AVD project? What's done & what's left to do..

_________________
/Harry

[SOLD] µA1-C - 750GX 800MHz - 512MB - Antec Aria case

Avatar by HNL_DK!

@BrandonLee

Quote:

The stumbling block so far, is how to display stuff (outside of the shell window). I can open a screen, but that's about it.

May I suggest that you download and have a look at the AVD Template Project.

www.bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com/avdtemplate/

It provides a complete framework of source code in C for a "empty" AmigaOS4
application. I find that it is easier to begin by taking a working example and then
starting to modify it a little at a time. The AVD Template Project is designed to
help jump-start your projects and to be the basis of code that is generated and
maintained by AVD.

The AVD Template Project is freely available separately and is licensed for
open use by anyone and for any purpose. I will of course be updating the
template(s) from time to time to maintain compatibility with AVD itself.
(Which will continue to require more features and better management of
the Template source with future releases)

Jamie

_________________
Jamie Krueger
BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
jamie@bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com
PLEASE NOTE: I only speak for myself and my company,
and am not a spokesperson for Amiga Inc.

@Jamie Kruger

I had already downloaded that, but for some reason never actually got to try it out. It seems very cool, I'll give it a more in-depth look soon.

I may be particularly interested in the GUI builder in the near future.
Having said that, for my current skill level, this would be overkill, money-wise. Sadly, at the moment, I can't really justify the price to write what are basically "Hello World" variants...

Thanks for the sugestion. And for the program, of course. :)

@Samwel (and all)

Quote:

Could you make a brief comment on how far you have come with the complete AVD project? What's done & what's left to do..

Well I can try, my comments are rarely brief as you can see.

OK,

The Advanced Visual Development (AVD) project is coming along very strong.
A great deal of the foundation work has now been completed and the realtime
interprocess communication system which enables each component of AVD to
share resources and functionality with each other is up and running with great
potential for further use.

The SDK Browser component is now rather advanced as you can tell from the
FREEWARE version. The current commercial version (of v1.5.0.0) adds shared
menu options and integrated communication with the rest of AVD. More features
like STRUCT and #define indexing and others are still scheduled for v2.0.0.0,
which will be included with the AVD Suite v1.0.0.0.

My primary focus now is to switch back to the GUI Builder and Text Editor
components, as well as the realtime XML to GUI runtime system that will
be made available for open distribution (in binary form) as well.

The GUI Builder is currently at version 0.16.0.55 and is already able to build
most types of graphical interfaces and generate them as ready-to-build
C source, as well as save and reload from XML based project files.
Mainly the GUI Builder just needs interfaces built to enable the editing of
all tags for each object, the adding of external C code for each gadget's
actions (which will be inserted into the project when the rest of the code is
generated), a menus editing panel, and more code generation to handle the
creation and maintenance of all of the above.

It sounds like a lot, and it is, but the object-oriented system under the hood
is already in place to support this. The main thing missing is to provide
the interface options to the user so they can get at the underline functionality.

The Text Editor is already roughed out and should have basic "notepad" like
functionality pretty soon. The main features to add there are "tabbed" editing,
context-sensitive hi-lighting, collapsable code sections, and of course integration
with AVD itself. Although the Text Editor will be able to function as a normal
general purpose text editing program, it is in fact a XML object editor in the
background. This will allow for the live source code editing of a given AVD project
using functions are features that have never been seen before in a text editor,
crossing the boundaries into object-oriented, drag-n-drop application building.

Other components and features like the Debugger and Project management
continue to grow as well, if slowly sometimes, as nearly everything that goes
into AVD for one component helps build the basis of the whole.

The inevitable next question is: "How much longer is all this going to take?"

That of course is always hard to say when is comes to new development
work on this scale. However, I would hope that a public demo of the GUI Builder
and possibly even the Text Editor may be available over the next three months
or so. The entire project (for the features I have planned for v1.0.0.0) is likely
another year out. However, it is my continuing goal to deliver useful tools
whenever possible, so like the SDK Browser, expect that the standalone
components will be made available as soon as they can be and need not
wait for the entire system to be ready before they ship.

Now that I have addressed some of where the technical state of the project
is at, let me say a few words about the "real" question of project development
and completion times; namely funding.

The AVD Suite and BITbyBIT Software Group's mission to deliver professional
development tools to the AmigaOS4(tm) community is a long term goal for me.
I have built up what resources I could toward this goal for over ten years,
waiting for the right time to make this project a reality. I stepped away
from my corporate career as a successful Sr. Software Engineer after a decade
with the same company to pursue that goal, and have now invested nearly
everything I gained over my career into this project. My commitment to its
completion could not be higher. I can also safely say that the completion
of the AVD Suite is NOT based on whether we see new machines or even if there
are no further OS updates until said hardware is available. It is my belief
that the success of this project (or another one like it) is critical to the
long term success of the platform itself, and that is why I am here, doing
what I can.

In this world however it takes money to continue to pursue anything, even to
just keep "the doors open and the lights on" as they say. The first attempts
to help fund the development of the AVD Suite project were quite successful
in their own right, and have now all but run their course with final installments
finishing up next month when the final two people complete their subscription.

As I have already stated on my website, I would like to publicly thank everyone
who had the foresight to invest in this project and could understand its importance.
I am confident that you will be happy with the final software you helped make
possible. It is only with your help that we have made it this far, 16 or so months
later.

The bottom line is that continued FULL TIME development is going to require
new funding. Without such funding development will be dramatically slowed
as I will be forced to take on other paying projects which will of course
cut heavily into the completion schedule for AVD.

Therefore, please do what you can and support this project by pre-purchasing
the AVD Suite, buying a copy of the SDK Browser or making a donation. I will
shortly post a new payment plan option to make purchasing the entire AVD Suite
a bit easier.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Best Regards,

Jamie Krueger
BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
http://www.bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com

_________________
Jamie Krueger
BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
jamie@bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com
PLEASE NOTE: I only speak for myself and my company,
and am not a spokesperson for Amiga Inc.

Quote:

It is my belief that the success of this project (or another one like it) is critical to the long term success of the platform itself, and that is why I am here, doing what I can

You are doing a wonderful job and I hope the community will be behind you to reach our goal.

_________________
Philippe 'Elwood' Ferrucci
Sam460 1.10 Ghz
AmigaOS 4 betatester
Amiga Translator Organisation