AREG SDK Demo Project

Repository Status

This project demonstrates how to integrate and use the AREG SDK for various purposes. The current build status is shown below:

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Tarble of Contents

• Introduction
• System Requirements
  • General Requirements
  • Platform-Specific Requirements
• Integration Methods
  • Method 1: Integrate by Fetching AREG SDK Source Code
  • Method 2: Integrate via AREG SDK Package (vcpkg)
  • Method 3: Integrate AREG SDK as a Git Submodule
• Advanced Features
• Building the AREG SDK Demo Project
• Demo Applications
• Contribution Guidelines
• License
• Issues and Feedback

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Introduction

The AREG SDK Demo Project provides a practical example and template for developers to create new projects using the AREG SDK or integrating it into existing projects.

This demo showcases three primary ways for seamless integration of AREG SDK into your project:

1. Fetching source code using cmake: Directly fetch AREG SDK source files and build them alongside your project using CMake.
2. Using pre-built vcpkg packages: Integrate the AREG SDK as a package via CMake and vcpkg.
3. Adding AREG SDK as a submodule: Add AREG SDK as a Git submodule to your project to integrate with MSBuild and/or cmake.

Each method is described in detail below.

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System Requirements

General Requirements

Ensure your system includes the following:

• Git for repository cloning.
• Java version 17 or newer for code generation tools.
• Compatible Compilers: GNU or LLVM to build for Linux; MSVC or Clang to build for Windows. All compilers should support C++17 or newer.
• Build Tools: Cmake version 3.20 or newer, or Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 or newer.

Platform-Specific Requirements

• Linux: Install ncurses if you want to compile with extended objects.
• Windows: Requires Microsoft Visual C++, including packages CMake and CLang compiler for Windows, and MFC for GUI examples.
• Optional Libraries:
  • Google Test (GTest) for unit tests or AREG SDK automatically builds from sources.
  • SQLite3 or AREG SDK can build from sources.

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Integration Methods

Method 1: Integrate by Fetching AREG SDK Source Code

To integrate the AREG SDK by fetching its source code, modify your project’s CMakeLists.txt to include the following script:

include(FetchContent)
FetchContent_Declare(
  areg-sdk
  GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/aregtech/areg-sdk.git
  GIT_TAG "master"
)
FetchContent_MakeAvailable(areg-sdk)

# Set the root directory of the fetched AREG SDK
set(AREG_SDK_ROOT "${areg-sdk_SOURCE_DIR}")
include_directories(${AREG_SDK_ROOT}/framework)

Once fetched, you can use the AREG SDK libraries in your project via the areg:: namespace:

• areg::areg for the core framework library
• areg::aregextend for extended objects
• areg::areglogger for the logging client API

Projects built by fetching the AREG SDK source code directly, compile it alongside project code. Developers can also access the code generator (codegen), multicast router (mcrouter), and logging services (logger).

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Method 2: Integrate via AREG SDK Package (vcpkg)

Important

AREG SDK is prepared and tested to be a vcpkg package. It is expected to be included in the upcoming version 2.0.0

Projects using CMake can integrate AREG SDK through the vcpkg package manager. To install, follow these steps:

1. Clone, build and install vcpkg by following the instructions in the official vcpkg repository.
2. Install the AREG SDK package using the following commands:

Windows (64-bit):

vcpkg install areg:x64-windows

Linux (64-bit):

vcpkg install areg:x64-linux

After installing the package, add the vcpkg toolchain to your project displayed after running this command:

vcpkg integrate install

To include the AREG SDK package in your project, update your CMakeLists.txt like this:

find_package(areg CONFIG REQUIRED)
include_directories(${AREG_FRAMEWORK})

To compile the sources, configure the project with CMake option -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<vcpkg-root>/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake, where <vcpkg-root> should indicate the root folder of vcpkg, and build it.

This method provides a simpler and more modular approach to integrating the AREG SDK.

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Method 3: Integrate AREG SDK as a Git Submodule

Alternatively, you can add AREG SDK as a submodule to your project. This is particularly useful for managing dependencies in Microsoft Visual Studio solutions. To integrate AREG SDK as a submodule, add the following to your .gitmodules file:

[submodule "thirdparty/areg-sdk"]
  path = thirdparty/areg-sdk
  url = https://github.com/aregtech/areg-sdk.git

Then run the following commands to update and/or fetch the submodule:

git submodule update --init --recursive
git submodule update --remote --recursive

Add the AREG SDK to your CMakeLists.txt like this:

set(AREG_SDK_ROOT "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/thirdparty/areg-sdk")
include("${AREG_SDK_ROOT}/CMakeLists.txt")

This method is particularly useful for Microsoft Visual Studio builds by including desired project of AREG SDK in your solution file.

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Advanced Features

The AREG SDK can be integrated before or after the first call of project() in CMake, depending on your needs. This flexibility allows for custom configurations, such as specifying the compiler or enabling features like shared/static libraries, logging, and advanced objects. To explore this flexibility, the demo project includes a compiler option INTEGRATE_AREG_BEFORE_PROJECT. Set this option to TRUE or FALSE to experiment with both approaches.

For more advanced configuration, include areg.cmake in your CMakeLists.txt file and refer to the available options described in the user.cmake file located in the conf/cmake directory of the AREG SDK. Your can use this CMake script in your CMakeLists.txt: include("${AREG_CMAKE_CONFIG_DIR}/areg.cmake") or script include("${AREG_CMAKE_EXPORTS}") if use AREG SDK package.

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Building the AREG SDK Demo Project

To build the demo applications, ensure that you have:

1. CMake (version 3.20 or higher)
2. Java (version 17 or higher)
3. C++ compiler (standard 17 or higher)

Clone the demo project:

git clone https://github.com/aregtech/areg-sdk-demo.git

Build using CMake (fetching AREG SDK sources):

cmake -B ./build
cmake --build ./build

Build using AREG SDK as a package:

cmake -B ./build -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<vcpkg-root>/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake
cmake --build ./build

Build with Microsoft Visual Studio:

Open the solution file (areg-sdk-demo.sln) and compile.

Important

Compilation with Visual Studio requires to clone this repository with AREG SDK submodule. Make sure that you have cloned the repository by calling git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/aregtech/areg-sdk-demo.git.

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Demo Applications

The demo applications are located in the ./demo/ directory. They are simple examples taken from the AREG SDK examples. You can explore, modify, or contribute new examples to showcase additional features or use cases.

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Contribution Guidelines

Contributions are welcome! You can:

• Add new example projects
• Provide configuration and build examples
• Create workflows for automated builds and tests

To contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Implement your changes.
3. Ensure compatibility with CMake, Microsoft Visual Studio, and multiple compilers (GCC, MSVC, Clang).
4. Submit a Pull Request with a detailed description.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License, offering flexibility for personal and commercial use.

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Issues and Feedback

For any change requests or bug reports, please submit an issue in the Issues section. We value your feedback and contributions!