• 1. App
• 2. plugins
  • 2.1 List
  • 2.2 custom project
  • 2.3 custom extension
• 3. Usage
  • 3.1 Install Help Tools
  • 3.2 Create and Open project
  • 3.3 Run project
• 4. Develop Milestone Plan

DevAssistant is used for improving development efficiency, with good project architecture and multi-platforms compatibility.

The tool is designed with pluggable APP and scripts. The overview is as follows:

• App : UI tools for DevAssistant, which is pluggable.
• plugins : plugin script modules for App, which supports custom extension. Read plugins for more detail.

UI-Application project for DevAssistant, which is initialize generated by plugins/project/run.py and extension is depends on plugins!

App will check and load all the plugins modules at start! Read plugins for more detail.

plugins is identifiable script modules for App, which supports custom extension.

The developing modules is refer to List.

plugins:
    |- project: project script modules for DevAssistant.
        |- module: module management for project. Including add sub module for Group.
            |- template: templates for module. 
                |- cmake: module cmake for different module type.
                |- code: code template for module. eg. module header and class.
        |- project: initialize generatation for project, which depends on [module] and [pytool].
            |- build: scipts for build project.
            |- cmake: cmake scripts. [https://github.com/coder4869/cmake-toolchains] for more.
            |- template: templates for project. eg. Project CMakeLists.txt, Group-Module cmake etc.
        |- project.json: json for init app template project.
        |- run.py: python script for project usage.
    
    |- pytool: universal python tools for project.

    |- visual-studio: VS script tools.
        |- vs-cmake: TODO::Designed for converting VS project(module) to CMake project(module).
    
    |- xcode: XCode script tools.
        |- xcodeproj: xcodeproj based CMake project auto fixing ruby script.

Custom project is depends on plugins/project/project.json. The format and rules as following:

• format:

{
    "proj_name" : "Project Name",
    "dir_proj" : "path/to/project/root/dir/",
    "options": {
        "WITH_QT" : "ON",
        "WITH_PY" : "ON"
    },
    "dir_codes":[
        {
            "group" : "QtAPP", // Qt Based App Group
            "group_dir" : "/src/app",
            "modules": [
                {
                    "module" : "APP_NAME",
                    "option" : "ON",
                    "gen_lib" : "NO",
                    "deps" : [ // Deps Modules From other group
                        "QtProject",
                        "CCoreKit"
                    ]
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "group" : "QtKit", // Qt Based Modules (Not App) Group
            "group_dir" : "/src/qtmodules",
            "modules": [
                {
                    "module" : "QtProject",
                    "option" : "ON",
                    "gen_lib" : "YES",
                    "deps" : [
                        "CCoreKit"
                    ]
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "group" : "Kit", // Modules (Not App) Without Qt Depends Group
            "group_dir" : "/src/kits",
            "modules": [
                {
                    "module" : "CCoreKit",
                    "option" : "ON",
                    "gen_lib" : "YES",
                    "deps" : [ ]
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "group" : "Lib",
            "group_dir" : "/deps",
            "modules": [
                {
                    "module" : "CLog",
                    "option" : "ON"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "dir_help": {
        "conf" : "conf", 
        "scripts" : "scripts", 
        "tools" : "tools", 
        "doc" : "doc"
    }
}

• Rules for custom project.json:
  • Composition
    • [Required]-proj_name: project_name, same to generated APP_NAME.
    • [Required]-dir_proj : location for generated project.
    • [Optional]-options : project shared options, start with WITH_. e.g. WITH_QT for Qt, WITH_PY for Python.
    • [Required]-dir_codes: source codes and libs for project. Generally contains of a list module groups! For each module group:
      • [Required]-group: group type. Value is Optional:QtAPP, APP, QtKit, Kit, Lib.
        • [Optional]-QtAPP: application modules for Qt.
        • [Optional]-APP: normal application modules without QT. Only one of APP or QtAPP is ON at once running.
        • [Optional]-QtKit: none application modules for Qt. e.g. QtSDK etc.
        • [Optional]-Kit: none application normal modules without QT. e.g. none qt SDK etc.
        • [Optional]-Lib: third-party libs for applications. Including headers and libs.
        • Note: each group has one ${path/of/group_dir}.cmake, which is a summary of group modules.
      • [Required]-group_dir: group relative dir path for project.
      • [Required]-modules: module list with same group type. For each module:
        • [Required]-module: module name. Qt prefix is recommended for Qt module.
        • [Required]-option: module is ON or OFF for application integration.
        • [Optional]-gen_lib: default is NO, not avaliable for group Lib type.
          • Note: When gen_lib is YES, default is static lib for WIN, shared for Linux and macOS.
        • [Optional]-deps: kits dependency for QtKit or Kit group type.
        • Note: each module has one ${module}.cmake, which is a summary of module resources, create lib with add_library() when gen_lib is YES.
    • [Required]-dir_help :
      • [Required]-conf: Fixed! config files for application. eg. project.json etc.
      • [Required]-scripts: Fixed! scripts for application. eg. build, cmake etc.
      • [Optional]-tools: extra tools for application. eg. tolua++ etc.
      • [Optional]-doc : application documents.
      • [Optional]-res : for none-application resources.
      • other self-defined dir.
  • Keyword Convention:
    • No limition for Upper-Case or Lower-Case.
    • Qt prefix is recommended for Qt module.

• TODO

• Shared for Windows and MacOS and Linux

  • CMake
  • python3
    • windows install dir C:/python
    • mac install dir /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Library
  • Qt use 5.14.2 as default.

• For MacOS Special

  • XCode

• For Windows Special

  • Visual Studio use VS2019 as default
  • qt-vsaddin
  • Visual Assist
    • Archive of Visual Assist builds and release notes

• Notes

  • Install dir config script for Qt and python and xcode etc. in plugins/project/project/build/:
    • run_unix.sh for mac and linux
    • run_win.bat for windows

• 1.Write plugins/project/project.json according to custom project.

• 2.Generate project by plugins/project/run.py script.

  • run python3 run.py --type project in dir plugins/project.

• 3.Check options in ${Project_Dir}/CMakeLists.txt. e.g.

  • platform options:
  • MODULE options:
  • XCODE_DEVELOPMENT_TEAM for apple
  • ...

• 4.Check options in build script(in dir ${Project_Dir}/scripts/build). E.g.

  • For Qt Project：Check Qt-Path in run_win.bat and run_unix.sh.
  • For VS project：Check vs-bin path and CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE in run_win.bat.
  • For XCode project：Check XCode default config(XCode->Preferences->Locations->Command Line Tools) and CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE(in run_unix.sh).

• 5.Open project by build script(in dir ${Project_Dir}/scripts/build). e.g.

  • For linux and macos: bash ${Project_Dir}/scripts/build/run_unix.sh .
  • For windows: run .\scripts\build\run_win.bat in ${Project_Dir} dir.

[dir] Project
    |- [dir] deps(third-party-libs)
        |- [file] deps.cmake
        |- [dir] lib1
            |- [file] lib1.cmake
            |- [file] xxx.h/xxx.a
        |- [dir] lib2
            |- [file] lib2.cmake
            |- [file] xxx.h/xxx.a

    |-[dir] src
        |- [dir] group1
            |- [file] group1.cmake

            |- [dir] module1
                |- [file] module1.cmake
                |- [file] module1.h
                |- [file] xxx.h/xxx.cpp
                |- [dir] Forms  # Qt ui Forms
                |- [dir] Res    # Module Resources
                |- [dir] pimp   # Private Implement
                |- ...
            
            |- [dir] module2 
                |- ...

        |- [dir] group2
            |- ...

    |- [dir] conf
        |- [file] project.json  # project init json

    |- [dir] scripts
        |- [dir] build
            |- [file] run_arm.sh
            |- [file] run_unix.sh
            |- [file] run_win.bat
        |- [dir] cmake

    |- ...(others)
    |- [file] CMakeLists.txt

• For VS project：
  • Select App project(e.g. DevAssistant) and Set As StartUp Project in vs.
• For XCode project：
  • Select App project scheme(e.g. DevAssistant) and run it directly.

• Open target Project and Run install child target.
  • install for Visual Studio is in CMakePredefinedTargets
  • install for XCode is in scheme list.
• Open build dir(build_win for windows, build_unix for macos and linux);
  • include dir is exported headers
  • lib dir is exported libs
  • Debug or Release is Application.

• Short Term
  • App develop.
  • CMake supports for other platforms.
  • module add class script function.
• Medium Term:
  • VS project(module) to CMake project(module) converting scripts.
  • Module auto migrate scripts.
• Long Term:
  • dev some easy integration kits for online download.
  • module downloads as needs!