ActiveLib

Foundational, platform-independent C++ classes for math, geometry, i/o and other utilities, applicable to any application development.

Contents

1. Scope
2. Installation
   • Requirements
   • Dependencies
   • Building
     • Cmake
     • Visual Studio
     • Xcode
3. Using as Project Dependency
   • As a Visual Studio Dependency
   • As an Xcode Dependency
4. Modules
   • Container
   • Environment
   • Event
   • File
   • Geometry
   • Serialisation
   • Setting
   • Utility

Scope

This library is designed to be cross-platform, supporting Linux, iOS, macOS and Windows (including C++/CLR contexts). The base standard is currenty C++20 to allow broad compiler support.

Installation

Requirements

Compiler must support C++20

Dependencies

None

Building

The library can be built using a variety of tools. Unit tests build and run in each context:

Cmake	Built against DocTest
Visual Studio	Run in Test Explorer
Xcode	Run with XCTest

Cmake

The following command-line instructions will build the library and tests:

cmake -B ./build
cmake --build ./build --config Release

‍Note: Directing the output to a build directory is simply a practical suggestion, not a requirement. The build output can be directed anywhere.

For Visual Studio builds, it's prudent to specify a compiler and toolset, e.g.:

cmake -B ./build/v143 -G "Visual Studio 17" -A x64 -DCMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=v143
cmake --build ./build/v143 --config Release

Unit tests are built into a single executable called activelibtests and can be executed from the command-line, e.g.:

./activelibtests

Visual Studio

• Open ActiveLib.sln in Visual Studio 2022
• Pick the target Release17
• Click the menu Build > Build Solution
• Run unit tests by clicking Test > Run All Tests

Xcode

• Open ActiveLib.xcworkspace in Xcode
• Pick the scheme ActiveLib-Release
• Click the menu Product > Build
• Run unit tests by clicking Product > Test

Documentation

The source contains Doxygen-style quotes for building a documentation set, which can be viewed here.

Alternatively, the documentation can be built using the configuration file ./Documentation/Doxyfile, either through the GUI application or from the command line: doxygen ./Documentation/Doxyfile

The latter will build the documentation into ./Documentation/html/

Using as IDE Project Dependency

If ActiveLib is used as a dependency for an application within an IDE (VS or Xcode), the most convenient method is to embed the dependency directly into the parent solution/workspace so the library is automatically built and linked into the parent.

As a Visual Studio Dependency

First add the ActiveLib project to your VS solution by right-clicking on the solution, picking Add > Existing Project, navigating to the ActiveLib project file and clicking Open.

Add ActiveLib to a VS project

The ActiveLib project should now appear in the solution explorer.

Next right-click on the References of the project to depend on ActiveLib and pick Add Reference. A dialog should appear with ActiveLib in a list - tick the adjacent check-box to add it as a reference.

Reference ActiveLib in a VS project

The solution explorer should now include:

1. The ActiveLib project
2. ActiveLib17 (or 16) as a referenced library.

ActiveLib embedded in a VS project

Any changes to ActiveLib should automatically build and link into your solution.

As an Xcode Dependency

First add the ActiveLib project to your Xcode workspace by right-clicking on the workspace, picking Add Files to "Workspace"…, navigating to the ActiveLib project file and clicking Open.

Add ActiveLib to an Xcode workspace

Then add ActiveLib to the target as a dependency:

1. Click on the workspace;
2. Select the relevant target;
3. Click Build Settings;
4. Expand Target Dependencies;
5. Click the + button;
6. Select ActiveLib.

Add ActiveLib to an Xcode workspace target

The ActiveLib project should now appear in the workspace hierarchy.

Then add the ActiveLib product library to be linked against the build. The first 3 steps are as above - then:

1. Expand Link Binary With Libraries;
2. Click the + button;
3. Select libActiveLib.a

Link ActiveLib into an Xcode target

Any changes to ActiveLib should automatically build and link into your project.