CSC/ECE 517 Spring 2013/ch1a c ct - Revision history

Ctsui: /* References */

2013-02-15T18:00:58Z

References

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	[3] [http://monkeybars.rubyforge.org/ Monkeybars Homepage] <br />		[3] [http://monkeybars.rubyforge.org/ Monkeybars Homepage] <br />
	[4] [http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/j-monkeybars/index.html The monkeybars library] <br />		[4] [http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/j-monkeybars/index.html The monkeybars library] <br />
	[5] [http://shoesrb.com/downloads Shoes 4 Github Page] <br />		[5] [https://github.com/ffi/ffi/wiki/Why-use-FFI Why use FFI] <br />
			[6] [http://shoesrb.com/downloads Shoes 4 Github Page] <br />

Ctsui at 17:59, 15 February 2013

2013-02-15T17:59:43Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:59, 15 February 2013
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	__TOC__		__TOC__

	== Introduction ==		= Introduction =
	[https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/document/d/1czn14Zpte-kVHdcb5BUIkpI6wRcABH246jGCg9vncQA/edit#heading=h.8hxo5kudhpn2 Topic Writeup]		[https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/document/d/1czn14Zpte-kVHdcb5BUIkpI6wRcABH246jGCg9vncQA/edit#heading=h.8hxo5kudhpn2 Topic Writeup]

	Ruby as a programming language has gained popularity in recent years (mainly due to the Rails web framework). There exists quite a few graphical user interface toolkits/frameworks for Ruby so that desktop GUI applications can be created. Most are simply bindings to existing GUI framework API's like Qt and GTK+, so they may seem awkward and unfitting to the Ruby language's style. Shoes, on the other hand, is written for Ruby specifically. Two previous articles have made detailed comparisons between different toolkits by looking at various factors such as ease of installation, documentation, look and feel, and difficulty of usage.[http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_PH][http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_MM] This article will give updates on GUI toolkits that has developed since the previous articles were written, as well as discuss other toolkits that were not present in the previous articles.		Ruby as a programming language has gained popularity in recent years (mainly due to the Rails web framework). There exists quite a few graphical user interface toolkits/frameworks for Ruby so that desktop GUI applications can be created. Most are simply bindings to existing GUI framework API's like Qt and GTK+, so they may seem awkward and unfitting to the Ruby language's style. Shoes, on the other hand, is written for Ruby specifically. Two previous articles have made detailed comparisons between different toolkits by looking at various factors such as ease of installation, documentation, look and feel, and difficulty of usage.[http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_PH][http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_MM] This article will give updates on GUI toolkits that has developed since the previous articles were written, as well as discuss other toolkits that were not present in the previous articles.

	== Current State of GUI Toolkits for Ruby ==		= Current State of GUI Toolkits for Ruby =

	There is a number of Ruby GUI toolkits to choose from to create a desktop application. In one of the [http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_PH#Projects_developed_in_wxRuby previous] articles, an official 2008 Ruby GUI Survey was referenced to discuss the popularity of available GUI toolkits. For a quick recap, here is the result for the question "''Which of the GUI toolkits do you currently use, and which do you think it's likely you'll use in the future?''"		There is a number of Ruby GUI toolkits to choose from to create a desktop application. In one of the [http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_PH#Projects_developed_in_wxRuby previous] articles, an official 2008 Ruby GUI Survey was referenced to discuss the popularity of available GUI toolkits. For a quick recap, here is the result for the question "''Which of the GUI toolkits do you currently use, and which do you think it's likely you'll use in the future?''"
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	[[File:Visual_ruby_1.png]]		[[File:Visual_ruby_1.png]]

	[[File:Visual_ruby_2.png]]		[[File:Visual_ruby_2.png]]

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	**Still uses the TK GUI styling, which is the main complain about TK anyways		**Still uses the TK GUI styling, which is the main complain about TK anyways

	== Conclusion ==		= Conclusion =
	Although there are many toolkits available for building GUI applications with Ruby, there hasn't been much growth in this area relative to 2010. One possible explanation is that the popularity of desktop application develop has yielded to web applications, which Ruby is most well known for due to its Rails framework. By looking at the several toolkits examined above, we can also see why some of them remain to be less popular than others. Monkeybars, for example, has too much overhead just to get an application up and running. The more dependencies, the heavier the toolkit feels. FFI::TK, on the other hand, does not offer any more features than others to warrant popular use. It does seem, however, several of the most popular options will continue to be stable projects. One example is Shoes. Shoes is currently at version 3, and a new version is coming soon. Shoes 4 will be the next version of Shoes[https://github.com/shoes/shoes4]. Perhaps this is why the [http://shoesrb.com/downloads download] page for Shoes is currently void of any content.		Although there are many toolkits available for building GUI applications with Ruby, there hasn't been much growth in this area relative to 2010. One possible explanation is that the popularity of desktop application develop has yielded to web applications, which Ruby is most well known for due to its Rails framework. By looking at the several toolkits examined above, we can also see why some of them remain to be less popular than others. Monkeybars, for example, has too much overhead just to get an application up and running. The more dependencies, the heavier the toolkit feels. FFI::TK, on the other hand, does not offer any more features than others to warrant popular use. It does seem, however, several of the most popular options will continue to be stable projects. One example is Shoes. Shoes is currently at version 3, and a new version is coming soon. Shoes 4 will be the next version of Shoes[https://github.com/shoes/shoes4]. Perhaps this is why the [http://shoesrb.com/downloads download] page for Shoes is currently void of any content.

	== External Links ==		= External Links =
	*[https://www.ruby-toolbox.com/categories/GUI_Frameworks The Ruby Toolbox GUI Frameworks]		*[https://www.ruby-toolbox.com/categories/GUI_Frameworks The Ruby Toolbox GUI Frameworks]
	*[http://visualruby.net/ Visual Ruby Homepage]		*[http://visualruby.net/ Visual Ruby Homepage]
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	*[https://github.com/manveru/ffi-tk FFI-Tk GitHub Page]		*[https://github.com/manveru/ffi-tk FFI-Tk GitHub Page]

	== References ==		= References =
	[1] [http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_PH Previous Submission 1] <br />		[1] [http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_PH Previous Submission 1] <br />
	[2] [http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_MM Previous Submission 2] <br />		[2] [http://wiki.expertiza.ncsu.edu/index.php/CSC/ECE_517_Fall_2010/ch1_S10_MM Previous Submission 2] <br />

Ctsui: /* Conclusion */

2013-02-15T17:54:49Z

Conclusion

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	== Conclusion ==		== Conclusion ==
	Although there are many toolkits available for building GUI applications with Ruby, there hasn't been much growth in this area relative to 2010. One possible explanation is that the popularity of desktop application develop has yielded to web applications, which Ruby is most well known for due to ~~it's~~ Rails framework. By looking at the several toolkits examined above, we can also see why some of them remain to be less popular than others. Monkeybars, for example, has too much overhead just to get an application up and running. The more dependencies ~~that are necessary~~, the heavier the toolkit feels. It does seem, however, ~~that~~ the ~~more~~ popular options will continue to be stable projects. One example is Shoes. Shoes is currently at version 3, and a new version is coming soon. Shoes 4 will be the next version of Shoes[https://github.com/shoes/shoes4]. Perhaps this is why the [http://shoesrb.com/downloads download] page for Shoes is currently void of any content.		Although there are many toolkits available for building GUI applications with Ruby, there hasn't been much growth in this area relative to 2010. One possible explanation is that the popularity of desktop application develop has yielded to web applications, which Ruby is most well known for due to its Rails framework. By looking at the several toolkits examined above, we can also see why some of them remain to be less popular than others. Monkeybars, for example, has too much overhead just to get an application up and running. The more dependencies, the heavier the toolkit feels. FFI::TK, on the other hand, does not offer any more features than others to warrant popular use. It does seem, however, several of the most popular options will continue to be stable projects. One example is Shoes. Shoes is currently at version 3, and a new version is coming soon. Shoes 4 will be the next version of Shoes[https://github.com/shoes/shoes4]. Perhaps this is why the [http://shoesrb.com/downloads download] page for Shoes is currently void of any content.

	== External Links ==		== External Links ==

Ctsui: /* Overview of other GUI toolkits */

2013-02-15T17:42:00Z

Overview of other GUI toolkits

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	However, even though most of these projects are being maintained, there has not been much growth to the GUI community for Ruby. There's still a very low number of applications that are built using GUI toolkits for Ruby, and many of them are personal projects. A simply Google search for Ruby GUI toolkits will return results that mostly predates 2010.		However, even though most of these projects are being maintained, there has not been much growth to the GUI community for Ruby. There's still a very low number of applications that are built using GUI toolkits for Ruby, and many of them are personal projects. A simply Google search for Ruby GUI toolkits will return results that mostly predates 2010.

	== Overview of other GUI toolkits ==		= Overview of other GUI toolkits =
	This section will not attempt to cover the same toolkits that were discussed in the previous articles, as there are simply not enough advancements to them to warrant further discussions. The following toolkits are not the most popular choices for Ruby GUI development, according to [https://www.ruby-toolbox.com/categories/GUI_Frameworks The Ruby Toolbox]. However, by reviewing what theses toolkits have to offer, comparisons can then be made with more popular options by examining their advantages and disadvantages.		This section will not attempt to cover the same toolkits that were discussed in the previous articles, as there are simply not enough advancements to them to warrant further discussions. The following toolkits are not the most popular choices for Ruby GUI development, according to [https://www.ruby-toolbox.com/categories/GUI_Frameworks The Ruby Toolbox]. However, by reviewing what theses toolkits have to offer, comparisons can then be made with more popular options by examining their advantages and disadvantages.

	=== Visual Ruby ===		== Visual Ruby ==
	[http://visualruby.net/ Visual Ruby] is designed to simplify the process of adding a GTK+ windows to Ruby applications. It is also designed to completely integrate with the Glade user interface designer.		[http://visualruby.net/ Visual Ruby] is designed to simplify the process of adding a GTK+ windows to Ruby applications. It is also designed to completely integrate with the Glade user interface designer.

	==== Installation ====		=== Installation ===
	# Install Ruby 1.9.3		# Install Ruby 1.9.3
	# Install Glade and GTK		# Install Glade and GTK
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	>> gem install visualruby		>> gem install visualruby

	==== Up and Running ====		=== Up and Running ===
	To run Visual Ruby, simply run the following command		To run Visual Ruby, simply run the following command
	>> vr		>> vr
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	#Press "Open", and an new default "Hello World" application will appear		#Press "Open", and an new default "Hello World" application will appear

	==== Pros and Cons ====		=== Pros and Cons ===
	*Pros		*Pros
	**Very easy to set up.		**Very easy to set up.
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	**Although it is available on all three platforms, it is obvious that it was made with Linux in mind. Launching anything from VR is essentially running a command, and those commands may not be available on Windows (e.g. selecting a Glade file and launching Glade did not work from within VR. Glade had to run manually).		**Although it is available on all three platforms, it is obvious that it was made with Linux in mind. Launching anything from VR is essentially running a command, and those commands may not be available on Windows (e.g. selecting a Glade file and launching Glade did not work from within VR. Glade had to run manually).

	=== Monkeybars ===		== Monkeybars ==
	[https://github.com/monkeybars/monkeybars-core Monkeybars] is a library that enables the use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_%28Java%29 Swing] from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby JRuby]. JRuby is the Java implementation of the Ruby interpreter. This means Ruby code is executed in the JVM. As you'd expect, JRuby is tightly integrated with Java, and it has the ability to invoke classes of the Java platform. As a result, Swing, the Java GUI toolkit, can be used with JRuby.		[https://github.com/monkeybars/monkeybars-core Monkeybars] is a library that enables the use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_%28Java%29 Swing] from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby JRuby]. JRuby is the Java implementation of the Ruby interpreter. This means Ruby code is executed in the JVM. As you'd expect, JRuby is tightly integrated with Java, and it has the ability to invoke classes of the Java platform. As a result, Swing, the Java GUI toolkit, can be used with JRuby.

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	Monkeybars excels at building large and complex GUI applications since it is based on the mature Java language and Swing libraries. This will be a big advantage if creating non-trivial Swing applications with the logic written in Ruby is what you're looking for.[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/j-monkeybars/index.html]		Monkeybars excels at building large and complex GUI applications since it is based on the mature Java language and Swing libraries. This will be a big advantage if creating non-trivial Swing applications with the logic written in Ruby is what you're looking for.[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/j-monkeybars/index.html]

	==== Installation ====		=== Installation ===
	# Install Java and JRuby		# Install Java and JRuby
	# Install Monkeybars		# Install Monkeybars
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	>> gem install monkeybars		>> gem install monkeybars

	==== Up and Running ====		=== Up and Running ===
	To create a new project directory		To create a new project directory

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	After creating a new monkeybars project, follow the detailed tutorials [http://monkeybars.org/tutorials.html here] to configure your project.		After creating a new monkeybars project, follow the detailed tutorials [http://monkeybars.org/tutorials.html here] to configure your project.

	==== Pros and Cons ====		=== Pros and Cons ===
	*Pros		*Pros
	**Easy to install		**Easy to install
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	**Requires too much effort for simple GUI applications		**Requires too much effort for simple GUI applications

	=== FFI-Tk ===		== FFI-Tk ==
			[https://github.com/manveru/ffi-tk FFI-Tk] is a pure Ruby FFI (foreign funciton interface) wrapper for the Tk GUI toolkit. Since it uses [https://github.com/ffi/ffi/wiki/Why-use-FFI FFI], it is meant to be provided as an extension that doesn't need compilation and is multi-platformed.[https://github.com/ffi/ffi/wiki/Why-use-FFI]

	~~[https://github.com/manveru/ffi-tk FFI-Tk] is a pure Ruby FFI (foreign funciton interface) wrapper for the Tk GUI toolkit.~~		=== Installation ===

	==== Installation ====

	gem install ffi-tk		gem install ffi-tk

	==== Up and Running ====		=== Up and Running ===
	# Sample code taken from https://github.com/manveru/ffi-tk		# Sample code taken from https://github.com/manveru/ffi-tk
	require 'ffi-tk'		require 'ffi-tk'
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	Tk.mainloop		Tk.mainloop

	==== Pros and Cons ====		=== Pros and Cons ===
	*Pros		*Pros
	**Easy to use for simple applications		**Easy to use for simple applications
			**Eliminates different ways of coding to achieve the same result

	*Cons		*Cons
	**~~Has no real advantage over default~~ TK ~~toolkit~~		**Still uses the TK GUI styling, which is the main complain about TK anyways

	== Conclusion ==		== Conclusion ==

Ctsui: /* FFI-Tk */

2013-02-15T17:28:25Z

FFI-Tk

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:28, 15 February 2013
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	}.pack		}.pack
	Tk.mainloop		Tk.mainloop

			==== Pros and Cons ====
			*Pros
			**Easy to use for simple applications

			*Cons
			**Has no real advantage over default TK toolkit

	== Conclusion ==		== Conclusion ==

Ctsui: /* Up and Running */

2013-02-15T17:17:33Z

Up and Running

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:17, 15 February 2013
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	==== Up and Running ====		==== Up and Running ====
			# Sample code taken from https://github.com/manveru/ffi-tk
	require 'ffi-tk'		require 'ffi-tk'
	Tk.init		Tk.init

Ctsui: /* Monkeybars */

2013-02-15T17:16:59Z

Monkeybars

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:16, 15 February 2013
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	[https://github.com/monkeybars/monkeybars-core Monkeybars] is a library that enables the use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_%28Java%29 Swing] from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby JRuby]. JRuby is the Java implementation of the Ruby interpreter. This means Ruby code is executed in the JVM. As you'd expect, JRuby is tightly integrated with Java, and it has the ability to invoke classes of the Java platform. As a result, Swing, the Java GUI toolkit, can be used with JRuby.		[https://github.com/monkeybars/monkeybars-core Monkeybars] is a library that enables the use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_%28Java%29 Swing] from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby JRuby]. JRuby is the Java implementation of the Ruby interpreter. This means Ruby code is executed in the JVM. As you'd expect, JRuby is tightly integrated with Java, and it has the ability to invoke classes of the Java platform. As a result, Swing, the Java GUI toolkit, can be used with JRuby.

	Monkeybars aims to allow you to continue using the GUI editing tools (e.g. Netbeans) you are used to but makes it easy to write all your application logic in pure Ruby. It utilizes the Model, View, Controller (MVC) design pattern to separate view logic and user interface components from application logic.[http://monkeybars.rubyforge.org/]		Monkeybars aims to allow you to continue using the GUI editing tools (e.g. Netbeans) you are used to but makes it easy to write all your application logic in pure Ruby. It utilizes the Model, View, Controller (MVC) design pattern to separate view logic and user interface components from application logic.[http://monkeybars.rubyforge.org/] It should be noted, however, that Monkeybars should not be the first choice if you're looking to quickly create a GUI application from scratch. The overhead of getting one of these projects up and running will be relatively higher than most of the other libraries.

	It should be noted, however, that Monkeybars should not be the first choice if you're looking to quickly create a GUI application from scratch. The overhead of getting one of these projects up and running will be relatively higher than most of the other libraries.

	Monkeybars excels at building large and complex GUI applications since it is based on the mature Java language and Swing libraries. This will be a big advantage if creating non-trivial Swing applications with the logic written in Ruby is what you're looking for.[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/j-monkeybars/index.html]		Monkeybars excels at building large and complex GUI applications since it is based on the mature Java language and Swing libraries. This will be a big advantage if creating non-trivial Swing applications with the logic written in Ruby is what you're looking for.[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/j-monkeybars/index.html]
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	After creating a new monkeybars project, follow the detailed tutorials [http://monkeybars.org/tutorials.html here] to configure your project.		After creating a new monkeybars project, follow the detailed tutorials [http://monkeybars.org/tutorials.html here] to configure your project.

			==== Pros and Cons ====
			*Pros
			**Easy to install
			**Project structure is better suited for large and complex applications

			*Cons
			**Creating a new project has high overhead
			**Requires too much effort for simple GUI applications

	=== FFI-Tk ===		=== FFI-Tk ===

Ctsui: /* Visual Ruby */

2013-02-15T17:12:47Z

Visual Ruby

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:12, 15 February 2013
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	#Navigate to the directory to your choice, and press "Create Folder" on the top right with the project name of your choice		#Navigate to the directory to your choice, and press "Create Folder" on the top right with the project name of your choice
	#Press "Open", and an new default "Hello World" application will appear		#Press "Open", and an new default "Hello World" application will appear

			==== Pros and Cons ====
			*Pros
			**Very easy to set up.
			**Available on all three major platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac)
			**Integration with Glade visual designer provides another easy option to create layouts

			*Cons
			**Although it is available on all three platforms, it is obvious that it was made with Linux in mind. Launching anything from VR is essentially running a command, and those commands may not be available on Windows (e.g. selecting a Glade file and launching Glade did not work from within VR. Glade had to run manually).

	=== Monkeybars ===		=== Monkeybars ===

Ctsui: /* Up and Running */

2013-02-15T17:04:34Z

Up and Running

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:04, 15 February 2013
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	[[File:Visual_ruby_2.png]]		[[File:Visual_ruby_2.png]]

	To create a new project, simply follow the instructions below:
			To create a brand new project, simply follow the instructions below:

	#Runs Visual Ruby if not already running		#Runs Visual Ruby if not already running

Ctsui: /* Up and Running */

2013-02-15T17:02:16Z

Up and Running

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:02, 15 February 2013
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	[[File:Visual_ruby_1.png]]		[[File:Visual_ruby_1.png]]
			[[File:Visual_ruby_2.png]]

	~~[[File~~:~~Visual_ruby_2.png]]~~		To create a new project, simply follow the instructions below:

			#Runs Visual Ruby if not already running
			#Press "Select Folder" button at the bottom of the project selector ("Open project" if VR is already running to get to the project selector)
			#Navigate to the directory to your choice, and press "Create Folder" on the top right with the project name of your choice
			#Press "Open", and an new default "Hello World" application will appear

	=== Monkeybars ===		=== Monkeybars ===