[etoys-dev] : Etoys 5.0 question

[Narayan, Sridhar]

In the context of a previous project, we had added support for Vernier LabPro devices to Etoys. I am in the process of porting that code to Etoys 5.0. While I am familiar with Etoys, I am new to Smalltalk, so please pardon my ignorance.

> I was able to add FFI support to my copy of the Etoys 5.0 image. I also have the SqueakFFIPrims.dll file which I believe is what is referred to as the FFI plugin. Once all that was done, I was able to file in the Vernier LabPro code without any errors and instantiate a LabPro morph. 
> 
> When I open the viewer on the LabPro morph, it has the additional category named "labpro" that we added. However, there is nothing visible under this category. Normally, this is where the inputs from the analog channels on the LabPro would be available. Without this, I cannot test if the LabPro works with Etoys 5.0.  I have checked the additionsToViewerCategories method in the LabPro class, and all the code for adding channel1, channel2 etc, which correspond to the various analog channels on the LabPro, to the labpro category is there.

> Any help is much appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> Sridhar
> ________________________________________
> From: Bert Freudenberg [bert42 at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Bert Freudenberg [bert at freudenbergs.de]
> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 4:24 PM
> To: Narayan, Sridhar
> Subject: Re: Etoys 5.0 question
> 
> Hi Sridhar,
> 
> you are right, http://source.squeak.org/FFI is the right place. You need to use Monticello to install first FFI-Pools and then FFI-Kernel. Also you need the FFI plugin of course, which we do not include with Etoys for security reasons.
> 
> If you can't figure out how to do it, please subscribe to this mailing list, where not only I can help you, but many other community members, too:
> 
>        http://lists.squeakfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/beginners
> 
> Cheers from Germany!
> 
> - Bert -
> 
> On 21.05.2012, at 20:12, Narayan, Sridhar wrote:
> 
>> Hello Bert,
>> 
>>  I spent some time trying to find instructions on installing FFI. I found a FFI project repository at  http://source.squeak.org/ , but I was not successful at installing it. Perhaps I am looking at the wrong place. Where should I be looking for the code and directions for installing FFI in Etoys 5.0?
>> 
>> Thank you,
>> Sridhar
>> 
>> From: Bert Freudenberg [mailto:bert at freudenbergs.de]
>> Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 2:24 PM
>> To: Narayan, Sridhar
>> Subject: Re: Etoys 5.0 question
>> 
>> 
>> On 17.05.2012, at 20:05, Narayan, Sridhar wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Hello Bert:
>>> 
>>>  Hope you are doing well.
>>> 
>>> I am attempting to incorporate our LabPro code into the Etoys 5.0 distribution. The attached file is what I filed out from our old image. When I try to file it in to Etoys 5.0, all methods (like the one listed below) that make calls to external code contained in a Windows dll, generate syntax errors. The <> syntax for external calls looks correct to me.
>>> 
>>> apiLabProClearInputs: t1
>>>                <apicall: short 'LabProUSB_ClearInputs' (short) module: 'LabProUSB.dll'>
>>>                ^ self externalCallFailed
>>> 
>>> I am hoping you can point me in the right