Share My Creation Battle of the Launchers: Welcoming LauncherTool.

LauncherTool is a utility for B4X developers that has the ability to create and manage projects from a central location. LauncherTool is based off of my previous Launcher-type app which was called “B4L”. However, the major issue with B4L is that I did not design it to be modular and future proof meaning each time there was an update to the B4X suite, I had to update B4L. Though a library manager was initially planned and even coded in, I didn’t like the one I had so it will come at a later release. (Either version 2.00 or 3.00.) This has also been a sort of collaboration between me and B4X user @Cableguy .

Features:

• Ability to manage and create projects for all B4X IDEs. (Projects will be created in the "B4X Projects" folder. This folder is located in C:\ColdBlueLava\LauncherTool\B4X Projects)
• Ability to import existing projects. (Projects will be moved to the “B4X Projects” folder; so make sure to update any source control repos!)
• Modular file structure to ensure easier updating of projects.
• Modular file structure enables support for user-provided versions of ABMaterial. (So if you donated to @alwaysbusy, you can use the private beta versions with LauncherTool.)
• Animated startup. (Cableguy)
• Ability to launch B4X IDEs. (Inspired by Cableguy's Launcher.)

Roadmap:

• Library Manager (Inspiration from Cableguy’s path configuration form from his “example” app.)
• Project Inspector (Number of Modules, Number of Code, etc. I've had this idea since I started working on B4L. However, B4X updates kept me from actually doing it. THANK YOU MODULAR FILE STRUCTURE!)
• Downloading of updated project files. (Note this only includes projects that forum members can download. No private or beta versions of any kind, unless the IDE is free.)
• Major code refactor and reorganization.
• Maybe a GUI refresh since LauncherTool creates projects in it's own directory.

Please visit the app's page on my website to download the JAR.

 

[LWGShane]

Update 4: Figured out why ABMaterial wouldn't show up in the project's ComboBox. Else If statements are picky about when they're used. A hotfix is coming this weekend.

If File.Exists(B4J, "B4J.Exe") Then
        Log (B4J)
        ProjectTypesBox.Items.AddAll(Array As String("Desktop", "Desktop Control", "Console", "Web"))
    End If
    If File.Exists(ABM, "Template.b4j") Then
        ProjectTypesBox.Items.Add("ABMaterial")
    End If
    If File.Exists(ABMBeta, "Template.b4j") Then 'If the user provided his/her private version of ABMaterial then allow it to be chosen as a project type :)
        ProjectTypesBox.Items.Add("ABMaterial Beta")
    End If
    If File.Exists(B4A, "B4A.exe") Then
        Log (B4A)
        ProjectTypesBox.Items.AddAll(Array As String("Android", "Android Control"))
    End If
    If File.Exists(B4i, "B4i.exe") Then
        Log (B4i)
        ProjectTypesBox.Items.AddAll(Array As String("iOS", "iOS Control"))
    End If
    If File.Exists(B4R, "B4R.exe") Then
        Log (B4R)
        ProjectTypesBox.Items.Add("Arduino")
    End If

Update 3: Website is back. (I deleted the DNS record that was pointing to the sub domain.) Also working on a major refactor of LauncherTool's code-base that will also hopefully fix the weirdness of ABMaterial options not showing up.

Update 2: Website is down.

Update: ABMaterial choice doesn't show up regardless of if user actually has it in either ABMaterial folders. (Weird because it worked when I was coding it.)

I'm working on a hotfix.

 

[LWGShane]

Version 3.2 is available with Version 1.0 of the Project Inspector and a hotfix that enables ABMaterial. (Sorry for the delay!)

 

[LWGShane]

Helium update (3.4) is now live! Comes with the new B4XCommunityLib which fixes the DeleteDir command.

 

[LWGShane]

PSA: Custom control creation doesn't work properly, so I'm gonna push out a hotfix tonight. However: I plan on doing yet another re-write of LauncherTool for version 4.0 that will use @alwaysbusy "ABPlugin" system (If I can figure out how to use GUI's with it. If not I'll write my own plugin system) for different aspects of the Launcher. So, Project Creation will become a plugin, as will the Project Inspector and future Library Manager. This will make it even easier to push out updates instead of having to update the whole app. Another thing that's coming is more modularity.

 

[LWGShane]

Hotfix is available! Custom control creation should work.