Dec 20, 2006

So winter break has finally begun and the horror of finals has left us. This break we have an opportunity to really get a lot of work done.

Summary:

  • Winter Break development tasks
  • Respository and Trac
  • GUI framework (WPF) and download links

1. Winter Break Agenda

We don't have many fully developed ideas of what exactly needs to be done just yet, but we do have some things to work with. Here's a list that we came up with at the last meeting.

GUI:

  • Drag and drop boxes onto given "code" area
  • Motion of boxes and lines connecting them
  • Java syntax highlighting

Backend/Framework:

  • Execution flow structure

This is going to be the structure that we use to keep track of what piece of code comes next. Visually this will be represented by the lines connecting the different boxes. That order needs to be defined somewhere in the backend. We're going to need to think about what kinds of things should go into this structure so that we can generate the intended code.

  • Framework Skeleton

We need to have a list of classes and functions available so that we can start really working on this thing.

2. Repository/Trac

We have Trac set up now, so we can post tickets there that will act as a task list for the duration of the project.

To access Trac go here: http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/projects/Teaching . Play around with Trac a little bit to get the hang of it. We went over it a bit at the last meeting, so hopefully you guys have a decent idea of what Trac can do.

Make use of our repository. Using some SVN client you can access that here: svn+ssh://netid@raven.acm.uiuc.edu/afs/acm.uiuc.edu/sig/soft/svn/teaching/trunk

There you can checkout our most recent code and you can submit your own revisions. Please be descriptive in your comments so that everyone knows what's going on. Update local copy of the code often!

Also, if you're a windows user and you would like to use a nice graphical tool for version control, you can use TortoiseSVN. http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/ Its pretty handy when it comes to merging your copy of the code with the current revision.

3. Windows Presentation Foundation

We have also decided that we would like to use the Windows Presentation Foundation for our GUI. To actually be able to develop using WPF, you're going to have to download a few things.

All of these downloads are included in the DVD that Brett so kindly burned for us and handed out at the last meeting, so if you got one of those, don't worry about these downloads.

That final link is for a graphical tool for developing a GUI in WPF. That should be all you need to get started.

I think that's all for now guys. If anyone needs anything else, just send out an e-mail, either to the list or me personally. I'd be glad to help, as I'm sure anyone else will be. And don't forget that we can also communicate through AIM. I might be slightly unavailable later this week, but after that, I should be quite reachable.

Have a good break, everyone!