New Watchman Plugin

[CarCode]

Rick,

I should have been a little bit more specific.

The Apple world is somehow different than the Windows or Linux world. I like OpenCPN as you do but I am not a programmer. The average Mac user knows nothing about Terminal usage, cmake or other shell scripting stuff. The proposed programming language for OS X and iOS is Objective-C, a higher programming language than C or C++. A programmer for Apple applications usually uses Xcode which is a programming environment similiar to Visual Basic or Visual Studio for Windows. So I also use Xcode and do not need any CMakeList files to compile OpenCPN or plugins. Fortunately however Xcode is able to handle C or C++ sources as well as Objective-C sources.

wxWidgets claims to be the bridge between several different platforms. This bridge to Apples OS X and iOS is relatively new. For example it was not possible to compile OpenCPN for OS X 64bit with wxWidgets version 2.8. wxWidgets versions changes a lot and it is difficult for the mainstream of OpenCPN to keep track. I always use the latest daily build of wxWidgets but this is impossible for the mainstream. Therefore I am not of any help here.

I wish the head programmers of OpenCPN has not choosen wxWidgets at that time, but this is too late now. In my small eyes Qt has been a better solution. Well known programs like GoogleEarth was done with Qt. If there is a programmer with lots of spare-time he could try to rewrite OpenCPN with Qt. But that will be a task for years...

Thank you for reading my point of view.

Gerhard

[rgleason]

Gerhard,

Thank you for the excellent explanation of the situation with the OSX and MAC, this only makes the success of getting Opencpn operating in MAC more remarkable! As you may recall, when I first entered the Opencpn world more seriously after having used QtlVlm on the Virtual Vendee, I wondered why Opencpn could not move to qt too.

Opencpn has a great heritage, and many years of work in the bucket by some great programmers, and there are not enough fingers with good programming heads to make the the big move. I empathize, and hope that multiple platform compiling gets better.

Congratulations on success, of MAC Opencpn. We are lucky to have you, bdcat and the others all helping the effort.

[rgleason]

Sean wrote:

The annoying part is copying the opencpn.lib file (or opencpn.dll for mingw). This is only needed on windows. I asked about having opencpn install this file to a known location.. but then it doesn't allow for building a plugin for an older opencpn if you have installed a newer one...

Maybe we should have a list of the Plugin API's with a downloadable link for the appropriate Opencpn version of opencpn.lib (for both MSVC and Mingw) and then maybe that could be downloaded depending on which compiler is being used?

See this page of the Developer Manual which needs updating!:
Different Plugin API Versions | Official OpenCPN Homepage

PluginAPI Version Download Links
pi18 (1.8) = OpenCPN 3.0 = (Opencpn.lib MSVC) (Opencpn.lib Mingw)
pi19 (1.9) = OpenCPN 3.2 = (Opencpn.lib MSVC) (Opencpn.lib Mingw)
pi110 (1.10) = OpenCPN 3.3.x= (Opencpn.lib MSVC) (Opencpn.lib Mingw)

Then nobody would have to reconfigure git to compile a plugin with appropriate version, as above! The right opencpn.lib would be available right here and could be downloaded. Also moving forward, we would just add the opencpn.lib for the next Plugin_API etc.. keeping everyone on track.

[rgleason]

I just thought of an additional idea. Have the opencpn.libs downloadable on the website, but also when a plugin is ready for user, just put appropriate
opencpn.lib.mingw and
opencpn.lib.msvc
files in the download and then depending on if it is a mingw compile or msvc compile copy the appropriate file to opencpn.lib before executing the other cmake commands.

[rgleason]

If someone wants me to revert back to previous opencpn's to get the right opencpn.lib I'lll do it but I'd like a hint as to what git command to execute (I've only done this once before.)

[wdkester]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Here is the latest compilation (done standalone using the new system for compiling plugins). It works in my compiled version of Opencpn 3.3.1606, hope others will give it a trial on the seas. Sean has asked about a month ago if this should become a release version, but nobody responded, because they are so occupied on the other O.. projects...

I see Sean has added separate port and starboard alarms. If you have any suggestions or like this, let Sean know. We should probably start a new thread called Watchdog Plugin.

Many many thanks to Pavel for his guidance re the new compile process.

Take the doc off please. watchdog_win32_pi110_v10_ov331606_pi.dll

W7, bless it's hardened heart, doesn't display the ".doc" so it can't be renamed to a .dll file. Any suggestions how to do this? I have checked the box to show file extensions in "control panel>folders".

[bcn]

Originally Posted by wdkester

W7, bless it's hardened heart, doesn't display the ".doc" so it can't be renamed to a .dll file. Any suggestions how to do this? I have checked the box to show file extensions in "control panel>folders".

There is another option like "hide frequent/most common extensions" or so which you have to uncheck

[rgleason]

Here's another but remove doc and add dll (very carefully, no spaces with ONE period in front.

Also as said post earlier set W7 to show extensions in Folder Options

[wdkester]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Here's another but remove doc and add dll (very carefully, no spaces with ONE period in front.

Also as said post earlier set W7 to show extensions in Folder Options

Just tried new download-
When I go to Tools>Plugins; Watchdog 1.0 shows properly; the disable /enable button toggles properly; but the Preferences button won't activate.

Since the previous download (today) crashed I'm wondering if it left some trash?

[rgleason]

Yes, because of the nature of the alarms, the Preferences are set from the Plugin itself.
I suppose Sean could enable preferences at the Plugins enable panel but there is probably some programming reason he did not do that.

Thanks for using it. Let us all know how it works!

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by CarCode

Now since it is possible to compile plugins as standalone the next step should be for the plugin programmer to provide installers for their plugins. For the average user it is sometimes difficult to copy the right files to the right place. Not every sailor is also an expert in computers and the plugins consists of several files (language files and and sometimes supplementary files).
The last s63 plugin has examples of installers even for Mac OS X.

To build the installer all one must do is execute make package. This is meant to work for all platforms, but I have only tested for windows (cross compile with mingw) and linux.

It may well fail for macosx, but it is only a matter of modifying the cmake files as needed. If the s63 plugin works, ok, then everything needed is already available.

If a programmer is not able or has no other connections to test his plugin with a particular OS he should left it out. I cannot help here for OS X because the whole OpenCPN stuff depends on wxWidgets which has several issues with OS X. So e.g. only 5 days ago a bug was fixed in wxWidgets for OS X Mavericks (issue #15999).

Gerhard

If someone can build the mac installer we can host it. If they can build the installer for one plugin, then they can build the installer for all of them.

[rgleason]

Watchdog_pi
most recent git, compile with opencpn.lib v3.3.1824 has link errors.
see below.

[seandepagnier]

This plugin requires latest beta, but it appears you are using and older version, perhaps 3.2

[rgleason]

Yes, I was using opencpn.lib v3.2 will try compile with v3.3 which I know will work.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[rgleason]

I was wrong, I was using the opencpn.lib v3.0 the first time (just above) and it fails of course.
==
Attached now v3.2 with 0 errors, but 30 warnings.
watchdog_pi compile with opencpn.lib v 3.2
0 warnings and 30 errors.
Can we compile it in v3.2 and get the errors out?

--Sorry I was using opencpn.lib 3.0 on previous test and it fails.
Rick

-later, moving too fast I meant WARNINGS only.