Official site of PFen library

English please / Français svp

• index
  • Presentation
  • Using
  • Used tools
  • Compiling
  • Contributing
  • License
• documentation with frames
• documentation without frames
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• Sourceforge's projet

Actually, the documentation don't have real english documentation, but if needed, I can make one in few time

PFen is a C++ library that implement the window manager for SDL.

The goal of this library is to implement a window manager for multimedia applications. This manager have to be:

• portable (at least, on all OS where SDL works)
• easy of use
• extensible (by using the STL and inherits)

At the moment, only basics functions are implemented, like:

• drawing/clearing windows
• moving windows
• transparency (thanks to SDL)

Making a Code::Blocks project that use PFen library:

1. Make an empty SDL project.
2. Go to project's properties (for more simplicity: right clic on the project, then properties)
3. In the window that appeared, clic on "Project's Build Options..." at right bottom..
4. In the "Linker settings" tab, add PFen.dll
5. In the "Search directories" tab:
   • in the "Compiler" sub-tab, add PFen's headers directoy
   • in the sub-tab "Linker" add the PFen's bin directory
6. Valid all. (so "project's build options" and "properties")
7. In the principal source of your application add #include <pfen.h>.
8. In the principal function of your app (probably "int main(int argc, char **argv)") initialize at least the SDL_INIT_VIDEO sub-system.

Tools used to develop it:

• IDE: Code::blocks. It's a light, open-source, portable, powerful, very extensible (with it's plugins system) and entirely configurable, and with frequent updates (see the nightly builds)
• Compilater: MinGW32 for MS windows. For Linux, GCC should work very well too, because MinGW is it's (minimal) portage for windows.
• Library: SDLis nevessary to compile or run an application that use PFen. (PFen is based on SDL)
• Documententation generator: doxygen. With simple comments, this powerful tool can make guidebooks. Useful to don't have to make documentation by your own, or to remember how work an old code section.
• Control versioning system: subversion. For windows users, there is a shell-integrated software: (probably for others OS's users too.) tortoiseSVN.

Compiling and installing the PFen library for Code::Blocks:

1. Install code::blocks. If you want to use nightly builds (I higly recommend you to do) you will find here how it work.
2. Once Code:Blocks installed, just configure the ($sdl) global variable to make it have the paths to SDL's headers and binaries.
3. Download sources, with the repository of your choice. (At this moment, there is only the working version, trunk)
4. Open the PFen.cbp file with Code::Blocks.
5. Choose the target (debug by default, but a release target is available, wich is more optimized).
6. Run the compiler.

Contributing

There are many manners to contribute to this project. As you can see, it started there are a few time (actually (17/11/2009) near 3 week, but I work on my computer to make basis first), and this site is more younger than the project. The ways I see to help could be:

• suggesting ideas
• help me to design this site (I really don't have skills for desingning, as you can see)
• testing the lib, and report problems
• help to document. (there is wiki, but it need time to begin useful, and my priority is actually to make a good base before writing tutorial, users' documentation and examples)
• of course, improving the code
• say that you like this library, and vote for it on project's sourceforge space

License

This library is licensed under LGPL's terms.