README.md

libjcore:

JX Application Framework

JX is a full-featured C++ application framework and widget library (SDK) for use with the X Window System. The power of JX stems from its rich feature set and extensibility which support all aspects of professional quality application development. The library provides a wide variety of widgets for use in your program's windows along with useful functionality that connects the widgets and windows to make complete, working software. The package also includes a graphical window layout editor that lets you quickly position and configure the widgets in each of the program's windows. JX is built directly on top of Xlib and has been carefully optimized for performance.

The package also includes a complete test suite that demonstrates all of the features of the library and a set of tutorial programs that introduce the major concepts, one at a time. This provides a rich source of sample code, both for top level application design and for individual widget classes. It also shows how to extend the functionality of the library by, for example, creating custom tables or menus.

If you are new to the JX Application Framework, then it is important to understand that it is not a program that you can run. Rather, it is a set of classes that provide a foundation on which you can build a program with a graphical interface. If you are familiar with either MicroSoft Visual Studio or MetroWerks CodeWarrior, then the equivalent components are as follows:

New Planet Software	MicroSoft	MetroWerks
Code Crusader/Code Medic	Visual Studio	CodeWarrior
jx_project_wizard	Project Wizards	Project Wizards
JX Application Framework	MFC	PowerPlant
jx_layout_editor		ResEdit
jx_menu_editor		ResEdit
JX/tutorials/	MSDN	Sample code
JX/libjx/testui/	MSDN	Sample code

Building from source

To build the libraries and programs on Linux, clone the repo, cd into the directory, and run:

./configure
make

On macOS, it is easiest to use Homebrew:

brew tap jafl/jx
brew install --HEAD jafl/jx/jx-application-framework

Repository contents

README.md            This file
INSTALL.md           Instructions for compiling and installing this package
LICENSE              License information
CHANGES.md           Describes changes from previous versions
APPS.md              General FAQ for programs built using JX

tutorial             Tutorial source code demonstrating JX library
doc                  Documentation for JX library
lib                  Links to the libraries

include
  make               Include files for Makefiles
  jcore              Link to header files for JCore
  jx                 Link to header files for JX

libjcore
  code               JCore source
  test               Unit tests

libjx
  code               JX source
  test               Unit tests
  testui             Sample application demonstrating JX library

tools
  compile_jstrings   Compiles string database files for use with JX
  jx_layout_editor   Graphical editor for window layouts
  jx_memory_debugger Graphical display and inspection of memory usage
  jx_menu_editor     Graphical editor for menus
  jx_project_wizard  Wizard to create skeleton JX application
                     and project file for use in Code Crusader 
  makemake           Builds Makefile from Make.files and Make.header

ACE
  test               Sample source for using ACE library

misc
  lldb-include       lldb includes for systems that do not have them
  win32              Unfinished port to Windows

Notes

Please read the LICENSE file for the conditions under which the source is provided.

The code has been thoroughly tested on Linux and MacOS. Bizzare behavior and crashes may be the result of broken system libraries. We am willing to work with you to solve such problems, so please don't hesitate to contact us, but since we don't have access to your system, the burden of proof must rest on you if a system call that works fine on all other systems doesn't work for you.

It is also important to realize that we do not maintain ACE. You are welcome to contact us if you have problems compiling it, but the ACE developers are more likely to be able to help, and patches should be sent to them, not to us. JX uses ACE because networking is very OS-dependent, and the ACE developers are much better at dealing with this than we are.

FAQ

General problems

Can I get a pre-compiled version of JX?

No. We gave up trying to distribute other binaries a long time ago. Everybody has a different version of the compiler and/or the required system libraries, so it causes more problems than it solves.

How do I set environment variables?

At the command line type:

echo $SHELL

This will tell you if you are using /bin/tcsh or /bin/bash as your shell.

If you are using /bin/tcsh:

setenv VARIABLE VALUE

If you append this to the file ~/.cshrc, the variable will be set automatically every time you log in.

If you are using /bin/bash:

export VARIABLE=VALUE

If you append this to the file ~/.bashrc, the variable will be set automatically every time you log in.

makemake hangs. How do I fix this?

Run it from the shell, not from another program (e.g. Midnight Commander).

Or you can patch it by appending the following arguments to the call to JProcess::Create(): kJIgnoreConnection, NULL, kJTossOutput, NULL, kJAttachToFromFD, NULL

It gives me the error: "'touch' has both : and :: entries." How do I fix this?

Remove all old copies of makemake from your system.

Why does it complain that it can't find the ACE header files?

You need to set the environment variable ACE_ROOT, as explained in the instructions printed when you run make in the top level directory.

Why does it complain that it can't find Xlib.h?

You need to create a symbolic link /usr/include/X11 that points to the directory containing the X11 header files on your system. This is often /usr/X11R6/include.

If you do not have root access and your system administrator doesn't want to create the link, then uncomment J_X11_INCLUDE_DIR and set it to point to the directory containing the X11 header files.

When I compile, I get warnings about implicit declarations of functions in ACE header files. How do I fix this?

Comment out J_DIE_ON_WARNING in include/make/jx_config.

When I compile, I get an error "undefined reference to 'CMSG_DATA'". How do I get around this?

Uncomment J_FORCE_ACE_STATIC in include/make/jx_config. Then delete ACE/ACE_wrappers/ace/libACE.so and run make again. Please notify us so we can update the configuration for your system.

When I link, it complains that it can't find libXpm. How do I fix this?

Uncomment JX_INCLUDE_LIBXPM in include/make/jx_config.

How do I avoid installing the binaries when I build?

Run make J_WANT_INSTALL=0 *target*

Do I have to use the version of ACE included with JX?

No. JX uses only the elementary functionality provided by ACE, and since this is very unlikely to change, you can safely use newer versions.

How do I debug window layouts that adjust to translated text?

Hold down the Control, Meta, and Hyper keys while the window is being created. Debugging horizontal expansion is the default. Hold down shift to debug vertical expansion. The color progression is:

• blue
• red
• yellow
• light blue
• white
• cyan