New feature for SDK: AbstractControl + ButtonProperty

capdevon · July 17, 2023, 9:34am

Hi guys,
I’d like to show you some simple ideas that could be added to the SDK to increase its functionality so that programmers don’t have to constantly write new editors. I have used the SDK a lot over the years, taking advantage of the built-in editor and AbstractControls to recreate the same functionality as the tutorials in Unity. One thing that is missing is the ability to create functions in the AbstractControls that are executable via clickable buttons.

Here’s the idea: could an annotation library be created to extend the functionality of the editor?
Here is an example:

ButtonProperty

import java.lang.annotation.*;

@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Target(ElementType.METHOD)
public @interface ButtonProperty {

    String name() default "";
    
    String tooltip() default "";
}

MyControl

public class MyControl extends AbstractControl {

    @Override
    protected void controlUpdate(float tpf) {
    }

    @Override
    protected void controlRender(RenderManager rm, ViewPort vp) {
    }
    
    @ButtonProperty(name="Click Me", tooltip="sayHello")
    public void sayHello() {
        System.out.println("Hello: " + MyControl.class.getSimpleName());
    }

}

UIBuilder

import java.lang.reflect.Method;
import org.apache.commons.lang3.reflect.MethodUtils;
import com.jme3.scene.control.Control;

import javax.swing.*;

...

    public static JPanel buildPanel(Control control) {

        JPanel container = new JPanel(false);
        container.setLayout(new MigLayout("fillx"));

        ...
        
        List<Method> methods = MethodUtils.getMethodsListWithAnnotation(control.getClass(), ButtonProperty.class);
        for (Method method : methods) {
            ButtonProperty bp = method.getAnnotation(ButtonProperty.class);
            JButton button = new JButton(bp.name());
            button.setToolTipText(bp.tooltip());
            button.addActionListener(e ->  {
                try {
                    method.invoke(control);
                } catch (ReflectiveOperationException ex) {
                    ex.printStackTrace();
                }
            }));
            
            container.add(new JLabel(""), "align righ");
            container.add(button, "wrap, pushx, growx");
        }

        return container;
    }

Here is the result in java-swing:

If the idea is feasible and there is interest in implementing it, then I will write another post for SerializeField and SerializableClass annotations.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks

capdevon · August 1, 2023, 4:14pm

Hi guys,
any news about my proposal?

Thanks in advance.

rickard · August 8, 2023, 1:22pm

I think it’s a great idea. I can also say I won’t be able to pick it up for the time being. I think it’s best to describe it in an issue on github, where it doesn’t get drowned in the forum and someone, some time may start working on it.

capdevon · August 9, 2023, 7:54am

Hi @rickard,
I am happy to help. With some more functionality, I think the SDK can become an even more useful tool. I will take your advice and open an issue on the SDK to keep track of my proposal. I hope it can be added in the next release. I have done some testing with my Swing editor to provide code examples compatible with the SDK libraries. I hope it will be useful.

tonihele · August 9, 2023, 7:59am

Thanks. The SDK UI is plain Swing. So if there is any chance of contribution in the from of PRs, this would be absolutely golden.

capdevon · August 9, 2023, 10:27am

Unfortunately, I am not able to modify the SDK. I do not exclude that I could learn how to do it in the future, but that would still take a long time, instead by teaming up and helping each other we could take the SDK to a higher level in a short time. At the moment the best I can do is to write a technical guide with pictures and code examples. Turning the idea into reality requires the help and experience of someone who knows the SDK. With the other two annotations I mentioned earlier “SerializeField” and SerializableClass" we can bring the AbstractControl editor to compete with Unity’s MonoBehaviour editor. IMO, this would allow more flexibility and extensibility of the SDK functions by increasing their use among community developers. Please help me make the dream a reality!

tonihele · August 9, 2023, 10:50am

Is there something specific blocking you in doing so [contributing actual code]? We would be happy to help.

I’m encouraging anyone to take a stab at it. Since there is nothing special. Surely my title/role here on the forums seems to be SDK developer. But to be honest, I don’t really have any special knowledge about it. I don’t even know my way around Swing that well. Last time I touched Swing has to be 20 years ago in university What I’m saying that it would be roughly equal effort from me than it would be from you.

People are probably scared about the Netbeans part of it… There is usually very little of this if any. And there is no expert on this subject. Apache documentations and copy pasting, that is the trait secret right there

rickard · August 10, 2023, 8:05am

I started dipping my toes by fixing some long standing gripes I had with the SDK. Little, specific, things that required changes to one class only. Try it! You must have something that has been troubling you for a long time and wished someone would fix.

VR · September 20, 2023, 5:54am

I strongly agree with your point of view. If the subclasses of AbstractController could have capabilities similar to extending editors in Unity3D, this would almost enable the SDK to achieve a workflow close to Unity3D development.

capdevon · September 3, 2024, 2:01pm

Hi @rickard ,

Would you have some time to review the ideas I suggested? It would be beneficial to make the SDK functions easier to expand with new tools, like Unity, without needing to modify the APIs of NetBeans, Swing, and the XML interfaces that the SDK core uses. Many people avoid using the SDK because it’s not easy to modify, preferring to write their own graphical editors from scratch. A library of simple Unity-style annotations could simplify things for programmers and potentially attract more users back to the SDK.

Regards

github.com/jMonkeyEngine/sdk

New feature for SDK: AbstractControl + Button

opened 08:00AM - 09 Aug 23 UTC

capdevon

feature

I opened this Issue to keep track of forum discussions to add the ability to cre…ate in custom _AbstractControls_, functions that can be executed by button clicks. https://hub.jmonkeyengine.org/t/new-feature-for-sdk-abstractcontrol-buttonproperty/46927 It requires the creation of a dedicated library, for example `jme-sdk-devtools`, to be published on the MAVEN repository. In this way, the library can be used by users in their Maven or Gradle projects to add graphical functions to `AbstractControls` and write their own editors with the SDK. Here is an example: 1. ButtonProperty ```java import java.lang.annotation.*; @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME) @Target(ElementType.METHOD) public @interface ButtonProperty { String name() default ""; String tooltip() default ""; } ``` --- 2. MyControl ```java public class MyControl extends AbstractControl { @Override protected void controlUpdate(float tpf) { } @Override protected void controlRender(RenderManager rm, ViewPort vp) { } @ButtonProperty(name="Click Me", tooltip="sayHello") public void sayHello() { System.out.println("Hello: " + MyControl.class.getSimpleName()); } } ``` 3. UIBuilder --- ```java import java.lang.reflect.Method; import org.apache.commons.lang3.reflect.MethodUtils; import com.jme3.scene.control.Control; import javax.swing.*; ... public static JPanel buildPanel(Control control) { JPanel container = new JPanel(false); container.setLayout(new MigLayout("fillx")); ... List<Method> methods = MethodUtils.getMethodsListWithAnnotation(control.getClass(), ButtonProperty.class); for (Method method : methods) { ButtonProperty bp = method.getAnnotation(ButtonProperty.class); JButton button = new JButton(bp.name()); button.setToolTipText(bp.tooltip()); button.addActionListener(e -> { try { method.invoke(control); } catch (ReflectiveOperationException ex) { ex.printStackTrace(); } })); container.add(new JLabel(""), "align righ"); container.add(button, "wrap, pushx, growx"); } return container; } ```

rickard · September 6, 2024, 3:47am

My earlier comment still stands, sadly. While a good idea, I don’t have the bandwidth for this kind of architectural change. I can mostly do things that don’t require a lot of planning or research.