A short while ago I uploaded a new beta of BSF4ooRexx to Sourceforge: <https://sourceforge.net/projects/bsf4oorexx/files/beta/20161026/BSF4ooRexx_install_v600-20161124-beta.zip/download>.
The new major version number 6.00 (represented as "600") indicates that this version needs Java 1.6/6 as a minimum (currently Java 1.8/8 is current). One major new feature is full support for JavaFX, which is a Java class library that comes with Java since Java 1.7/7. This means that if you have Java installed on your computer you will be immediately able to run the samples in the BSF4ooRexx-directory "samples/JavaFX". One nice feature about JavaFX is the ability to create the GUI with the help of a tool named "SceneBuilder" available for all platforms. The code for SceneBuilder comes from Oracle but without an installer, so if you point your browser to <http://gluonhq.com/labs/scene-builder/> you will get installation packages for all platforms. This tool will also pack applications in a jar-file (a "Java" archive file). This beta of BSF4ooRexx contains nutshell examples that can be run "in the wild", no need to package them in a jar. Please note that quite some effort was put into creating "standalone" Rexx programs using JavaFX classes without any XML definitions. OTOH, its subdirectories contain XML-based GUI-definition files that are used with the help of JavaFX, which you can compare 1:1 with the "standalone" versions. The Rexx programs serving as the controllers for the XML-GUI-definition file (e.g. created and maintained with the help of the SceneBuilder) are being invoked by Java using the Rexx scripting interface for Java (new in BSF4ooRexx, presented at the last International Rexx symposium in Tampa this past August). The JavaFX instrumentation does only invoke the script programs by means of calling them without arguments. For that reason it is necessary (added support for that) to interact with Java ScriptContext which manages two collections of attributes (named "Bindings"): "GLOBAL_SCOPE" entries are available to all script engines, and "ENGINE_SCOPE" which are related to a certain script engine (ooRexx in this case). To make it simple for ooRexx programmers fetching entries from the ScriptContext there is a "Rexx script annotation" introduced, which must be contained in a Rexx block-comment on one line. As each GUI-element in the XML-file that has a unique "fx:id" value is placed into the ScriptContext by JavaFX, one can fetch those entries (get access e.g. to a Button, a Label, a TextField etc.) from there. The "Rexx script annotation" allows one to a) fetch any such object and b) make it immediately available as a local Rexx variable (!) such that you can use it right after that annotation. An example would be something like: ... cut ... /* @get("label button") */ say "label:" label~getText say "button:" button~getText ... cut ... For debugging purposes there is also a Rexx script annotation named "/*@showsource*/" which will cause the Java Rexx script engine to display the Rexx source code as seen by Java. If there are Rexx script annotations of the form "/*@get("attr1 attr2... ")*/" or "/*@set("attr1 attr2... ")*/" then the edited version of the same Rexx source code will be shown that will get executed by ooRexx. (The @get and @set annotations will cause ooRexx code to be injected in front of it, so with the @showsource annotation you will be able to see what code gets injected.) There are many tutorials available for JavaFX (use the word "JavaFX"). If you have never worked with GUIs on Java (the founding principles are the same as in all GUI programming on all platforms), then it might be helpful, if you first skim over "swing" tutorials (e.g. excellent Oracle resource: <https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/TOC.html>, or <http://www.java2s.com/Tutorials/Java/Java_Swing/index.htm>), which is superceded by JavaFX. There are many interesting explanations and showcases for swing on the net, which concepts you can take over to JavaFX. Here another nice place with examples that can be easily transcribed to ooRexx after studying the nutshell programs in "samples/JavaFX": <http://www.java2s.com/Tutorials/Java/JavaFX/index.htm> and <http://www.java2s.com/Tutorials/Java/JavaFX_How_to/index.htm>. In the case that you explore this option (it may be an option also to eventually, over time forgo ooDialog) and create short nutshell examples while experimenting with JavaFX that you think can serve the community, then please post them! Also, if you want, I would be more than happy to add JavaFX samples to the BSF4ooRexx distribution! [Also, if you experiment with ooRexx and JavaFX then please consider of giving presentations on the upcoming International Rexx Symposium in Amsterdam (probably from April 9th thru April 12th), from introductions, nutshell examples and migrating from ooDialog to JavaFX or the like.] If you have BSF4ooRexx related questions, then please post them to the BSF4ooRexx developer list on Sourceforge, cf. <https://sourceforge.net/p/bsf4oorexx/mailman/bsf4oorexx-devel/>. If you find bugs please file them at <https://sourceforge.net/p/bsf4oorexx/bugs/> with a short sample, if possible. Have fun! :) ---rony
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