CMGUI examples

Background

The CMGUI examples are a subset of the cmiss example tree and use the same framework as other cmiss examples. There are a few extra things to be aware of when writing front end graphics examples. The front end graphics examples are all found in the 'a' branch of the example tree. These examples not only document how to use various Cmgui features but also provide a suite of tests which are run nightly.

For an introduction to the cmiss test example framework see: http://www.cmiss.org/cm/wiki/OverviewOfTestExamples

The front end examples can be accessed online via: http://cmiss.bioeng.auckland.ac.nz/development/examples/a/index.html

In addition may examples are also shown in a large thumb nail format here: http://cmiss.bioeng.auckland.ac.nz/development/examples/a/index_thumbs.html

Repositories

Most of the cmiss example tree is under CVS control but the CVS repository is not visible outside the institute. A subversion repository has been started for the front end graphics examples and all future 'a' examples should be checked into subversion rather than CVS. The subversion example tree mirrors the structure of the CVS tree and you will need to check out both trees to access all examples. The examples/common directory is currently available via both subversion and CVS which make cause a few problems if you try to check out both. I recommend checking out examples/common from subversion.

As the subversion repository is accessible outside the institute, it is important you include clear licensing information for files committed to this repository.

Screenshots

When creating examples it is a good idea to add a 512x512 png screenshot to your example. If you place this image in the web_data directory for your example and use the same name as your example directory (with a .png extension) then the image will be added to the web pages, which are updated nightly.

Zinc apps

If you wish to write a zinc application for your example it is recommended to use the following directory structure: $CMISS_EXAMPLES/a/EXAMPLE_NAME/zinc_input/chrome/content

Place your zinc files in this directory. If you use a name of the format example_EXAMPLE_NAME.html or example_EXAMPLE_NAME.xul for your main page then a link will be added to the web pages when they are generated overnight. Note that as the application is unsigned you will need to go to the 'about:config' page in firefox and set the signed.applets.codebase_principal_support setting to true before you can load it from the web.

To avoid this requires producing a signed jar of your application, which is usually placed in the root level directory for your example, eg $CMISS_EXAMPLES/a/EXAMPLE_NAME. If the jar is named example_EXAMPLE_NAME.jar and you have followed the naming conventions for xul/html files then a link to this will be generated in preference to the html or xul files. For more info on signing zinc apps see Guide to signing applications.