//Toolbox! 
  JComponent* JComponent::createJDialog(char* name, 
    JComponent* p, boolean widthSysMenu, void** arg) {
	  HWND hWnd = CreateWindowEx(
		  WS_EX_TOPMOST,
		  name,
		  "",
		  WS_POPUP | WS_CLIPCHILDREN | WS_CAPTION | WS_DLGFRAME | WS_SIZEBOX | ((widthSysMenu) ? WS_SYSMENU : 0),
		  0, 
		  0,
		  0,
		  0,
		  (HWND)(int)*p, 
		  null,
		  JMicroSoft::hInstance,
		  (LPVOID)arg);
    return (hWnd) ? getJComponent((int)hWnd) : null;
  }

So far I’ve been able to modify the windows style slightly, just to prove that this is the window I’m looking for. Now I need to figure out how it’s being resized.

I’ve also encountered another bug. If I leave a toolbox open, when I close the program down, when I come back, the border on the toolbox is missing. If I close it and restart the program it seems fine, but still strange. One thing at a time.

And the source files from Sourceforge.

I started with these instructions for building the executable from source in Visual Studio.

I didn’t get the errors he mentioned, but I did get three errors, which can be fixed (at least for building purposes) with changes to JMixerObj.h in the modules folder.  Add the line:

static void** hMixer;

Also in JMixerObj.h the following three lines need to be commented out because
the procedures referenced do not exist in the .cpp file.

// virtual JArray getDeviceTag();
// virtual JArray getProperties();
// virtual boolean updateProperty(JProperty& prop);

So, yay, it compiles. But there is a problem (probably several) illustrated below. The Toolbox windows don’t resize well. They should resize to any shape and then wrap all the modules to the space. This seems to be switching between two values very quickly making resizing impossible. You can generally get it to a shape that let’s you pull out the modules, but it doesn’t seem to let you resize the window to encompass all the modules, which you should be able to do. Any thoughts?

I’ve set out some milestones for the process.  I’d like to create an external module. I’d like to create an internal module.  I’d like to update the UI.  And probably some more things I can’t think of at the moment.  I’ve already gained enough knowledge to be able to screw NeatTools up pretty badly while still compiling, so there’s that.

I’m going to track my progress and hopefully I’ll see this through.  I think I don’t enough to be too daunted at this point.  That may change, but here’s hoping I can stick it out.  Wish me luck.

Workspace is the parent of everything (so far). It has children button and LED. They have children input and output (or in buttons case, inputs and outputs) Workspace also has a child Connection A, which contains a reference to button and LED, and which output of button will be connecting to what input of LED. Connection A has a child neatWire (the graphic connection) which is a line from button output, to LED input.

the wires fail if you try to create new ones by dragging out lines, but they’re just holdovers, I haven’t revisited them yet.

• Should connections be independent objects with references to the modules they connect?
• Should modules contain the connection object instead?
• Should connections just be imaginary and instead should modules contain a reference to any module they are connected to?
• Should there be duplicate references (ie, should moduleA know it’s connected to moduleB and vice versa)?
• Should modules only know what they’re outputting to, but not care what might be plugged into the back of them?

Anyway, here’s the current version. You can drag out a line from the outputs, but the connection function doesn’t do really anything at the moment, it just draws a strange line (so I can see something happened).

It seems to work as well as the Flash version does, which isn’t all that well, but anyway.  New links can be created, broken, modules can be clicked on or moved around.  I’d be interested to see how well the connections would work with a touch screen, but until I can get my hands on an actual device, this will have to wait.

To view my example, download and print out my marker here: marker.pdf.

Then click allow below to give flash access to your webcam, and hold up the marker.