I started a project space on SourceForge.net a couple years ago called wxDevIDE. The purpose of the project was to port Dev-C++ from Delphi to C++, making it cross platform using the wxWidgets toolkit. I didn't get too far at the time because shortly after starting the project my extra time disappeared. A while later things changed again and last September I proposed to the wxDev-C++ team, I had been helping some in the past, that we all change over to the C++ project. We had talked about doing something like that in the past and Delphi6 was not getting any more popular.
We decided to finish the new changes and release a new version of wxDev-C++ and then switch to wxDevIDE. One of the biggest changes was the separation of the form designer from the ide using the new plugin system. Should it be necessary later on this would also allow for updates in the form designer to keep up with wxWidgets while we where working on building the C++ version. Recently we released wxDev-C++ version 7, now we are getting started on wxDevIDE. There is still a lot of work to be done, a working version is quite a ways off, so those of you who use wxDev-C++ or Dev-C++ should continue to do so.
The goals of the project are:
Porting Dev-C++ and the form designer to C++ and include the added functionalities that have been introduced into the wxDev-C++ version of the ide.
Some of these are a plugin system, dockable windows, multiple compiler support.
Improve on some of the original short comings of the original ide.
the new ide is going to be built very modular, the "frame" so-to-speak will be the plugin system. The GUI will be its own module, compiler, debugger, editor. Each module will work as independently as practical and the plugin system will be the means by which they communicate.
We decided to make the editor a separate plugin, so that if there was a need to change in the future, it would not be a painful process. We will be using Scintilla (wxScintilla) as the editor component.
An improved code completion is one of the improvements being planned.
Other functionalities of the current ide can be put into plugins as well. The CVS version control interface built into the ide for example, project importing and formatted source exporting.
An improved version of the package manager has also been started. It will work with regular Dev type packages and some extensions are being worked on that will make it a little better. One of those is a database that keeps track of dependencies for each package. The current project is called "packman2extended".
Also, the current form designer is going to be ported as a plugin. A small front end app will be created to use the form designer as a stand alone later on, so other ide users can use it without the bloat of the whole ide if they are not going to be using it. The internals will be altered with the designer as well. Instead of needing to link in each new component, XML templates will be used. This way updating the components will be much easier and faster. It will be easier to support multiple versions of wxWidgets and other toolkits could be supported as well. The main advantage of using wxWidgets to create the form designer in this case is that it will be a true what-you-see-is-what-you-get form designer. The form designer is just as important a part of the project as the ide. Instead of the wxform (Delphi form code) file format, XML is going to be used. Hopefully something similar to XRC format so it can be imported into other XRC supporting form designers. Other information that XRC does not support will naturally need to be included to make it all work.
All of us are currently marked as project admins on the project space to keep the development efforts flowing well. Everyone has a strong grasp of different aspects of the project and it makes sense to do that. I started the project and am kind of the primary admin. We welcome any help on the new project. Alpha testers, developers, whatever, if you want to help just email one of us or the mailing list and we can get you set up. Sof.t did some porting of the GUI and some of the other parts of Dev-C++. The code that he worked on has been committed to SVN on the wxDevIDE project space. We are using Trac to develop documentation and api's for the project. One goal is to keep strong documentation for the sources so that others can contribute more easily and future difficulties of not having good documentation does not catch up to the project.
Although the code is going to be different and it is going to work differently inside. wxDevIDE is going to be as comfortable and farmiliar to a Dev-C++/wxDev-C++ user as possible. There are some things that wont be identical, like some of the editor options in the editor dialog because we are not using Synedit, but using it will be just about the same as the Delphi version. We are trying to make dev more free, not make a new, different ide.
Just a note to those who think that Code::Blocks is better, or [your ide here]. That is great for you, use it. Please do not bother us with complaints, we do not spam your developers, please give us the same courtesy.
Nuklear Zelph |
