Dear list --
One very important topic that currently is not specified anywhere is how you
can contribute source code to the project. In this post I will explain the
system support for modularization and describe how contributions could be
created and organized using Lively Wiki. Improvement suggestions are very
welcome -- and of course you might want to try it out ;-)
Important: Source code contributions should be MIT licensed. Please only upload
your code if you are willing to accept this license.
Part 1: Modules
In Lively Kernel we use so called 'modules' to identify JavaScript and other
source code files. On top of most files you will see something like this:
module('lively.ide').requires('lively.Tools', 'lively.Ometa').toRun(function() {
// Code depending on lively.Tools and lively.Ometa
}) // end of module
This definition does two things:
a) Define the module lively.ide. The module can then be required from somewhere
else:
require('lively.ide').toRun(function() { new lively.ide.SystemBrowser().open()
})
Evaluating this will let the system:
1. Check if lively.ide is loaded. If not then the module name is translated to
an URL: {Config.codeBase}/lively/ide.js. That URL will be used to load the file
ide.js asynchronously. *
2. When the file is loaded run the code of toRun()
b) Define the namespace lively.ide.
That means that if the module is there you can access it's members in
JavaScript. For example the class lively.ide.SystemBrowser is such a member. **
Part 2: Using modules to add your extensions
The first thing you need is some place to store your source code and your data.
You can create your own subdirectory in the wiki here:
http://www.lively-kernel.org/repository/lively-wiki/CreateUserDirectory.xhtml
Your directory includes a WorldTemplate.xhtml that you can clone to create new
pages. You can then add new Worlds and add source code in them using the local
changes (and the Local code Browser, you find it in the Tools menu). Or you can
create your own JavaScript files using the System browser or manually by
checking out your directory using SVN and adding/editing files with a
TextEditor. The JavaScript files should include a module definition.
Example: My users directory in the wiki is /users/robertkrahn/. I can then add
a test.js that can be loaded with
require('users.robertkrahn.test').toRun(function() { /* code */ })
from anywhere in the wiki.
Of course you can also add source code and subdirectories elsewhere. Assuming
you want to add audio support you might want add a subdirectory audio to
http://www.lively-kernel.org/repository/lively-wiki/.
When your extension is stable enough it can be added to the Lively Kernel
repository.
Bugfixes to existing sources can of course go directly to the kernel repository.
Best,
Robert
* Config.codeBase is a config option and contains the URL to the root
directory. It is defined in defaultconfig.js. There it is set to the containing
directory of the current document. It can be redefined later if necessary.
** Using the namespace inside a module is NOT enforced. This means if you
define a class Object.subclass('SystemBrowser', {...}) it will "extend" the
Global namespace. This means that you can access the class via
Global.SystemBrowser (or simply with SystemBrowser). Only if you use the
namespace explicitly Object.subclass('lively.ide.SystemBrowser', {...}) the
namespace will be used and you can access the class via
Global.lively.ide.SystemBrowser (or simply lively.ide.SystemBrowser). We might
change that in the future to enforce namespace usage._______________________________________________
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