Gnocl -the Tcl/Gtk Bindings

Spent some time today looking at what stills need implementing in the gnocl::text widget and, surprisingly, there’s still quite a bit left to do! Most of it has been implementing handlers for some of the less frequently used signals but, text is to get a new -tabs option too! gnocl::textBuffer     -onPasteDone     -onInsertPixBuf gnocl::text    -onSetAnchor    -onSetScrollAdjustments    -onToggleCursorVisible    -onToggleOverWrite    -tabs    -onDeleteFromCursor    -onInsertAtCursor    -onMoveCursor    -onMoveViewport There’s still a few more things to implement but I think that this is quite enough for today!

Some really useful feedback from John C. over the weekend drew my attention back to the gnocl::entry widget. I remember adding some extra bindings to it last year in a attempt to put the framework together for input validation and actualisation. One or two minor items were left undo which John picked up on. Thanks. I’ve some development scripts that I was working on at the time which I’ll drag out again. Now that the bindings are sorted, an undo/redo framework could also be implemented for the entry. So much to do, so little time to do it in! What I did have time for though was to update the gnocl::entry docs page, the gnocl::signalStop command and add a simple tutorial on how to best use the gnocl signal/event bindings. Then, after working on that, I returned for some coding on the pixBuf filters package. Created a handler to set filterparams using a struct, which, although it has reduced the module size considerably, it now begins to crash! C’est la vie! Oh, and yes. Last nig...

Spent some time today creating some simple howto-tutorials on creating standalone Tcl/Gnocl applications using freewrap. The process is almost deceptively simple. When I originally wrote Jiumoluo on Tcl/tk on windows I decided to try Starpack, because it was the ‘flavour of the day’, Freewrap, we were told was going out of style. I guess that there’s probably some good reason or another for this, but, Freewrap is so easy to use.

Receive feedback regarding a few minor issues in the gnocl and gnocl::gnome package. Resolved these and refreshed the Sourceforge tarballs. After this created a simple, really simple tutorial on creating standalone apps using Freewrap.

It has been a very busy day. Modifying packages and makefiles for uploading and solving an irritating problem with setting commenting rights in OpenOffice. Okay, its not Gnocl stuff but it tool me a good while to sort this problem out. In terms of the extension packages, these only make calls to a small number of gnocl library calls and, at present, the release version of the link libraries is hard edited into the Makefiles. I’ll come up with a way or rationalising this soon, so that I shalln’t need to do so much makefile maintenance! One last development that I have made, however, is the creation of a simplified installation makefile for each package for inclusion within the distribution tarball rather than the lengthier development makefiles that I have which include so many extras and convenience calls that make life a little easier for me!

Just uploaded update versions of the remaining ‘base Gnocl packages’ to Sourceforge. So I’ll sit back and wait for the comments to come in! In order to successfully compile these, the Gnocl development headers and link libraries need to be installed. I’m aware that most Tcl/Tk coders are draw to the ease of creating GUI driven applications without dabbling with C and the whole build process, they want easily installed binaries, and that’s the next project admin’ task – provide pre-compiled binaries.

Although I should have spent my time doing other things, I’ve spent most of the day working on tidying up the installation of the Gnocl Canvas and Gnome packages. I can see why these were included with the original distribution, Tk, for instance has an integral canvas widget and so emulating a Gtk+ version of Tk would suggest such an approach. The Gtk+ widget set, however, does not have a native canvas widget. This is purely a Gnome object. The building of these items does rely upon Gnocl functionality however, and so rather than including any future gnocl related item under the gnocl source tree, it makes more sense to me to place build libraries and included in the ‘ standard places’ and allow each new package to be developed independently. I’ve brought the Canvas package up to date and have still only a small amount to finish on the gnome package which I expect to upload later this week.

Got back from a spot of camping this weekend in Wales. Visited Portmerion near Portmaddog. Always wanted to visit there ever since my childhood. It was the location for The Prisoner tv series from the 1960s (which I remember watching as a child). It was a great place to visit especially since it was sunny. An extra treat was the appearance of a Prisoner re-enactment group who performed the well-remembered chess game on the lawn in the square. Ah, they don’t make TV like that anyone! Well, returned and read my email. A few errors in the 0.9.95 release have been thrown up which I have now rectified and fresher 0.9.95 has been uploaded.

Don’t think that because there’s been fewer blog posts that I’ve given up interest in the pixbuf filters module -oh no! Its the school/college Easter holidays and so I’ve been pre-occupied with a fair number of family duties and responsibilities. This time of year sees me doing a lot of DIY, not just as my own home, but that of my eldest daughter and my sister. This weeks handwork has included laying a kitchen floor, planting fruit trees (five, 7 if you include planting raspberry canes and rhubarb roots), clearing a vegetable patch and knocking down the side of an outbuilding so that it can be relaid! Oh, and I forgot to also mention, attendance at a daily ice-skating class and the regular camping expedition to mid-Wales. Ok, got a few mins, fixed the filter. A couple more to do and then the basic set is done... yay!

Now that release 0.9.95 is out there for everyone to download, it’s time to turn my attention again to the completion of the image manipulation module. After an hour or so’s work I’ve got the basic package together. This has included moving over all the exploratory code that was reported earlier in this blog. It has been a useful activity as it’s been some time since I worked on any package outside of the main Gnocl core code. What it did reveal was that the movement into gnocl.h of the various widget parameters structure made global for the purposes of implementing the support of the glade/builder UI xml files would now throw up compilation errors for gnocl dependant packages. This potential problem has been fixed by moving these declarations into their own header file, gnoclparams.h, and then including within those widget modules which use the structures it declares.

After much dashing around and last minute checks, I’ve finally managed to announce the release of 0.9.95. Let’s hope it attracts some interest!

Spent a few more hours today on getting the release of Gnocl ready. Still doing the job. WIll pack and upload before the day is through!

The past few days have been a little quiet on the Gnocl development front. Had to divert most of my energies to other projects; y’know, those sort of things which take higher precedence over OpenSource software development – family, work and gardening! Having said that however, today I’ll spend some time on wrapping up the current version of Gnocl and upload it to SourceForge. At lot of work has been done in the past few months, and there is still quite a bit more to document.