Topic: AutoHarp 1.0

[dagorhir]

What is required to get it to compile on Windows?

[DavidKlecker]

The issue is that certain new features I am using with wxWidgets 2.9.4 are not getting recognized when I compile under Ubuntu. Compilation for windows happens with GCC and with an wxWidgets setup as unicode, monolithic and xrc. Ubuntu compilation is a little easier. I was able to follow the directions with 2.9.1 and with some help was able to get it compiled. I don't believe I have changed the process in any way yet the same error pops up telling me that for some reason it's not finding or linked to the new 2.9.4 libraries. I have checked and rechecked but for some odd reason it won't compile. 

[dagorhir]

I would like to setup an dev environment on my computer which would allow me to actually make the fixes of issues that I'm finding to help out, instead of just pointing them out.

[dagorhir]

I'm using Code Blocks ide, which comes with gcc included. The wxWidgets version that I have is 2.9.5.

Which options did you enable in the make file for wxWidgets?

[DavidKlecker]

I'm using Code Blocks ide, which comes with gcc included. The wxWidgets version that I have is 2.9.5.

Which options did you enable in the make file for wxWidgets?

I believe the options where USE_XRC=1 SHARED=1 MONOLITHIC=1 BUILD=release UNICODE=1

Same thing but BUILD=debug for debug version. There is more you need to do in codeblocks such as setup global variables and point to the correct libs and folders however if you downloaded the source code, I have a code blocks project with everything setup already. The only required is to make sure you have set up the global variables for Codeblocks to point to your wxWidgets directory.

[dagorhir]

I believe the options where USE_XRC=1 SHARED=1 MONOLITHIC=1 BUILD=release UNICODE=1

Same thing but BUILD=debug for debug version. There is more you need to do in codeblocks such as setup global variables and point to the correct libs and folders however if you downloaded the source code, I have a code blocks project with everything setup already. The only required is to make sure you have set up the global variables for Codeblocks to point to your wxWidgets directory.

I discovered the code blocks project by accident. I didn't know about code blocks until yesterday and I'm still trying to figure out the ide. I still haven't located where I add the global variables to point to my wxWidgets directory. So far, all I found is that I needed the set them, but not what they are and where they go.

It's been a long while since I worked with C++. I've gotten used to ides that have everything already set up. 

[DavidKlecker]

I don't have the IDE on this computer in this lab so this is from memory. In the main menu, the second from the last I believe, is the menu option "settings". Under that menu should be something called Global variables or something like that. You will get a window where you will be able to add values under "Builtin Fields".

For the Base value browse to your wxWidgets directory. This is the base directory it is looking for here. So you'll have something like C:\wxwidgets-2.9.4 or whereever your wxWidgets directory is located and called for this field. Next fill in the include and the lib field. These are the folders found in the wxWidgets directory. Once you have these in there, and if you are using my code blocks project files (open codeblocks by double clicking my code-blocks file) the application should compile.

The IDE takes some getting used to when it comes to setting up for wxWidgets. I've done it now so many times that I think i have it by memory. Once setup, the IDE itself is a little like Visual Studio. You can set debug points, auto-completion, etc.

[dagorhir]

I don't have the IDE on this computer in this lab so this is from memory. In the main menu, the second from the last I believe, is the menu option "settings". Under that menu should be something called Global variables or something like that. You will get a window where you will be able to add values under "Builtin Fields".

For the Base value browse to your wxWidgets directory. This is the base directory it is looking for here. So you'll have something like C:\wxwidgets-2.9.4 or whereever your wxWidgets directory is located and called for this field. Next fill in the include and the lib field. These are the folders found in the wxWidgets directory. Once you have these in there, and if you are using my code blocks project files (open codeblocks by double clicking my code-blocks file) the application should compile.

The IDE takes some getting used to when it comes to setting up for wxWidgets. I've done it now so many times that I think i have it by memory. Once setup, the IDE itself is a little like Visual Studio. You can set debug points, auto-completion, etc.

Despite setting this up it still doesn't get passed the preprocessing where in failes in the resource.rc file on the line: #include "wx/msw/wx.rc".

[DavidKlecker]

See if that file actually exists in that path. If not, see where in the wxWidgets it resides and just copy it over to that path.

Here is my cheat sheet for codeblocks usage. I know it says UNICODE=0 and I say UNICODE=1, but that shouldn't matter.

http://wiki.wxwidgets.org/CodeBlocks_Setup_Guide

[DavidKlecker]

Version 1.0.3 is now available

on RPGNow and SourceForge for just the demo version. Here is the change log from version 1.0.2

• wxWidgets backend updated to 2.9.4 (previous version was 2.9.1)
• MonsterFromCoreRules for Harp Fantasy updated per recent Harp Fantasy rules and information
• Martial Law database will now install with proper flags set so Defense information and Social Class information will be made available.
• Adding ranks to armor penalty now updates proper skills
• You can now update the Racial Stats
• Added Social Class to the Traits tab
• Minimum maneuver penalties now displayed under the defenses tab when you select armor
  
• Armor Penalty now part of the printed sheet
• MonsterFromCoreRules.xml now renamed to MonsterTablesFromCoreRules.xml
• Armor penalty applied to skills with Strength and quickness stats
• Adjusting special bonuses to the stats now updates the skills bonuses
• Armor penalty Qu-AP is now updated to 0 if negative

   
i apologize for not having .jar files for Ubuntu. I will try and get Ubuntu up and running as soon as possible.

Downloading information and other information found on the AutoHARP Blog. Link is below in my signature.

Next up is to finish the work on Sci-Fi Xtreme and to complete College of Magics. Already finished is a Monster Management program. This is the first of any front-end in AutoHARP that allows you to edit an XML file directly. It doesn't effect the encounter tables but that feature is also coming. I am planning to create front-ends for Professions, races and cultures in the future.

[dagorhir]

See if that file actually exists in that path. If not, see where in the wxWidgets it resides and just copy it over to that path.

Here is my cheat sheet for codeblocks usage. I know it says UNICODE=0 and I say UNICODE=1, but that shouldn't matter.

http://wiki.wxwidgets.org/CodeBlocks_Setup_Guide

I did all that already. The project won't build:

Code: [Select]

..\AUTOHA~1.3-S\trunk\AUTOHA~1\resource.rc 3 fatal error: wx/msw/wx.rc: No such file or directory

[DavidKlecker]

Huh! Well, I downloaded the source code and put onto my computer here at work. I opened the codeproject's file and made sure the global variables were set properly like I described above. I then ran a compilation under release without making any additional changes. It compiled. This sounds like it could be an issue with the setup you have. But let's try the following. Let's try the following.

See if you can create a very simple program. Use Code::Blocks to do this. Go to New->Project and follow the wizard to create a program. Compile this program and see what happens. If it doesn't work then it's a setup issue with either wxWidgets or with how Code::Blocks is setup to use wxWidgets.

One important note.

Code::Blocks doesn't like spaces when it comes to directory paths. If you have spaces anywhere in your directory paths in *any* path, you might want to remove those spaces and try again. This includes the path to wxWidgets directory (not inside the folder, just the folder name itself and the path). For example C:\Program Files\wxWidgets-2.9.4 won't work nor will C:\wxWidgets 2.9.4. But C:\wxWidgets-2.9.4 or C:\ProgramFiles\wxWidgets-2.9.4 will work. 

[dagorhir]

Huh! Well, I downloaded the source code and put onto my computer here at work. I opened the codeproject's file and made sure the global variables were set properly like I described above. I then ran a compilation under release without making any additional changes. It compiled. This sounds like it could be an issue with the setup you have. But let's try the following. Let's try the following.

See if you can create a very simple program. Use Code::Blocks to do this. Go to New->Project and follow the wizard to create a program. Compile this program and see what happens. If it doesn't work then it's a setup issue with either wxWidgets or with how Code::Blocks is setup to use wxWidgets.

One important note.

Code::Blocks doesn't like spaces when it comes to directory paths. If you have spaces anywhere in your directory paths in *any* path, you might want to remove those spaces and try again. This includes the path to wxWidgets directory (not inside the folder, just the folder name itself and the path). For example C:\Program Files\wxWidgets-2.9.4 won't work nor will C:\wxWidgets 2.9.4. But C:\wxWidgets-2.9.4 or C:\ProgramFiles\wxWidgets-2.9.4 will work.

I created a wxWidgets project and compiled it. No issue. It even ran and got the template dialog.

Just one thing, I didn't do the release build of wxWidgets since I don't actually plan to make a release version, but mostly debug. Is the release build required to compile the debug version?

[dagorhir]

I have found that the project build settings have absolute paths in the search directories that point to your wxWidgets folder. I changed those to use the wx global variable which points to my wxWidgets folder.

This didn't resolve the issue since none of these affect the include path. I can't find where this is set in the workspace or the projects. I think there's something there that still points to your path. To confirm this I copied my wxWidgets folder into a new one and renamed it to match your paths. The build got further but failed with the following error:

..\AutoHARP-1.0.3-SourceFiles\trunk\AutoHARP\src\AboutDlg.cpp||In member function 'void AboutDlg::CreateControls()':|
..\AutoHARP-1.0.3-SourceFiles\trunk\AutoHARP\src\AboutDlg.cpp|103|error: 'wxWEB_VIEW_BACKEND_DEFAULT' was not declared in this scope|

Also, I'm getting the following error when I open the workspace:
Unable to open ..\Patches and Other Installation files\Martial Arts\Database Install\Build\1.0\Test.cbp

[DavidKlecker]

Looks as if my codeblocks projects files have erroneous information. I'm sorry about that. It would make perfect sense that those absolute paths are an issue. If you right click the project and go to build options, be sure to check out the linker setting and search directories. Check the debug, release AND the AutoHARP top-level node. There is information for all three. You will have to do the same for the AutoHARP-CT.

It sounds like wxWidgets and CodeBlocks are setup right then so it's just my project file. Nice thing is it is an XML file. You could open it in Notepad++ and just peruse it to get at those absolute paths.

The WEB_VIEW_BACKEND error could be due to wx/webview.h not being defined. Not sure how that happened. Perhaps 2.9.5 also got rid of this. I would delete the flag where ever it is and recompile. It might not be that important.

As for the workspace, I'll make sure I fix that. You can easily create your own by just opening both projects yourself and saving it as a workspace and over write that file.

[dagorhir]

Looks as if my codeblocks projects files have erroneous information. I'm sorry about that. It would make perfect sense that those absolute paths are an issue. If you right click the project and go to build options, be sure to check out the linker setting and search directories. Check the debug, release AND the AutoHARP top-level node. There is information for all three. You will have to do the same for the AutoHARP-CT.

It sounds like wxWidgets and CodeBlocks are setup right then so it's just my project file. Nice thing is it is an XML file. You could open it in Notepad++ and just peruse it to get at those absolute paths.

The WEB_VIEW_BACKEND error could be due to wx/webview.h not being defined. Not sure how that happened. Perhaps 2.9.5 also got rid of this. I would delete the flag where ever it is and recompile. It might not be that important.

As for the workspace, I'll make sure I fix that. You can easily create your own by just opening both projects yourself and saving it as a workspace and over write that file.

I replaced WEB_VIEW_BACKEND by an empty string until I figure out what should go there. After correcting errors caused by the different version of wx I got a successful build of autoHarp. Got 132 warnings.  I'll chase those down later.

All I need is the 1.0.3 version database and I'm good to go.

[DavidKlecker]

Excellent!

[DavidKlecker]

Source Code questions

There have been a couple of inquiries about working on the source code, adding to it, customizing it, etc and I just wanted to say a few words on this.

I am very open to anyone who wants to do any volunteer work with AutoHARP, be it beta testing or actually working with the code.

Currently there isn't any SVN for the source code and this might be a good idea in case I get quite a few people working concurrently on the code itself. The reason SVN is not available is because I cannot seem to get an SVN connection to work here where I live. We have one of the most annoying network setups I have ever encountered. In any event I will be moving soon, so I may be able to finally get SVN working after all.

As for beta testing. If you are interested please email me. It's always nice to have outside people looking at the program. I already have a couple people who I have certainly come to call beta-testers on the Harp Fantasy line. I still haven't heard much from the Sci-Fi end of things. My practice right now for beta-testers is a working relationship either here or on source forge in submitting bugs and any other issues. So if you are interested I need to know your level of commitment. 

For source code, If you have ideas for additions or have already made changes and want to submit them, by all means please email me and let me know what you want to do or what you have done. Like any project, I am looking for a few things.

1) I come from a software engineering background so when I write up GUIs or design the workflow I do so from the perspective of a software engineer, not necessarily as an RPG enthusiast. What does this mean? It means I have created AutoHARP to look and act like your average software. I'm certainly not against changes to the GUI from a graphics design point of view. I'm not a graphics designer and I have no formal training in it. But I do have formal training in software development and GUI so if the GUI looks standard that's why. My main goal for any software is self evident. I want it to stick as close to standards as possible so that most people can just pick it up and know how to use it. Naturally this isn't 100% possible. There are always parts of the software that are just down right difficult to make self evident. And other times, having a rich graphical interface that isn't standard can be an improvement. It's always nice to get other perspectives so I can push myself to think of new solutions.

2) I like a clean interface. Not everything can be clean and wxWidgets is limited in this but the cleaner the better.

3) Also you cannot use anything that is commercial when it comes to graphics. All graphics, icons and images used must be royalty free.

If you plan to make changes it would be better to submit to me your plans, possibly a screenshot and/or design. Given I plan to review submissions it might help with anything I might be hesitant with. Now I'm not going to be hard-nosed with submissions but I figured I wanted to let you know where I come from

Also I love the idea there are people out there who are interested in adding or volunteering to help with AutoHARP. It a good thing for me to have options with other people in case I may no longer have the time to work on it.

Send any questions, submissions, etc to perfecthundred@gmail.com

This goes out to those who have contributed. Thanks again for all your help! 

[dagorhir]

You can consider me as a part time beta tester for Harp Fantasy, as I don't use Harp SF.

I must say that I test for my own use. I'm a player and a GM, but I'm also a programmer. I have a test script of considerable size because I'm testing many, and I do mean many different situations that may come up in character creation.

Since I test mostly with my custom races and professions, I consider any issue I come across if it is specific to the way I use Harp or if is also an issue for standard Harp also. If it is an issue for standard Harp, I will submit it, otherwise I look for a work around to satisfy my particular needs.

Now that I can troubleshoot the code myself, I'm more likely to let you know what I find and a possible fix for it. I'm not likely to go into major changes or 'improvements' now. At least, I will test things on side to make certain they work before sending them your way.

I haven't got around testing the combat tracker, yet. That will come.

[DavidKlecker]

You can consider me as a part time beta tester for Harp Fantasy, as I don't use Harp SF.

You were definitely included in my unofficial list, but it's nice to have confirmation.