Starting to develop for Sage

[makko]

Hi There,

So, i've decided I want/need to get into Sage Dev! I've been doing some light reading around the place and things aren't adding up.

I am aware of STV's and STVi's along with the Sage Studio and Java API.

All, I know now is the STV file is for UI and some basic logic.

I want to get my hands dirty with the Java API really.

Is it possible to use the Java API on it's own to create logic and also the UI components or do I need to combine it with the Studio?

Basically, i'm looking for some sort of guide that connects everything together and demonstrates how to connect them.

Any pointers much appreciated.

Cheers,
Makko

P.S. My plan is to make a plugin that allows multiple users (parents) to be able to mark what they have watched and also an advanced search dialog. I would also like to connect to MySQL. Does Sage have it's own DB I can create tables in and query?

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by makko

P.S. My plan is to make a plugin that allows multiple users (parents) to be able to mark what they have watched...

Are you aware of this plugin?

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53905
http://code.google.com/p/tmiranda/wiki/MultiUser

[makko]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

Are you aware of this plugin?

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53905
http://code.google.com/p/tmiranda/wiki/MultiUser

Yes I am, I tried it but didn't think it could do what I wanted.

However, I didn't see the project page on Google. I still have it installed i'll try another go.

In saying that, I still want to get into dev.. I have a few projects I want to incorporate into sage.

[tmiranda]

The plugin should keep track of separate Watched status for all defined users. It does not add any special search features. All of the code is on Google so you can see how it all works however I would NOT recommend using it as a template if you have no Sage development experience.

To address some of your other questions:

- Sage uses an internal database and you have no direct access to it, you must use the APIs documented in the manual. Other developers have used various databases so it is possible to do that. Sage has a rudimentary way of storing and retrieving data, see the User Record API. If the database needs are modest I'd highly suggest using the User Records over an external database for a variety of reasons that I can elaborate on if you are interested.

- You can call static Java methods from within Studio. One of the manuals explains it in detail but basically the Java method must be static and you invoke it using the fully qualified method name using an underscore in place of the period. (So if the package name is tmiranda.mus.api you'd invoke tmiranda_mus_api_SomeStaticMethod()) There are lots of examples in numerous plugins.

[makko]

Thank you tmiranda,

I'll have a look at the code for that plugin. Are there any basic plugins you can think of that I could use a base?

I'm assuming there are no great guides on getting hooked into Java?

Another quick one: If you go down the Java route do you still need to do something with the studio or can you do it all from code?

Thanks.

[tmiranda]

For a simple plugin that uses Studio but no Java, look at Java Heap Monitor. CPU Meter is a plugin that uses Studio and Java.

If you want your plugin to have a user interface you need to do that is Studio. The only exception is if you write a "General" plugin because they use Java to implement the standard configuration interface.

[makko]

Ok, I've just checked out your Google Code page but I don't see the source for the two projects you've mentioned, do you share it?

When you mentioned having a look did you mean the source or just install and see?

Thanks.

[tmiranda]

It's all open source. Look here under Trunk: http://code.google.com/p/tmiranda/so...e/#svn%2Ftrunk

You will see all of the Java. The only way to see (and edit) the Studio code is through Studio. You install the plugin and then do a diff vs. the unmodified STV.

[makko]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

It's all open source. Look here under Trunk: http://code.google.com/p/tmiranda/so...e/#svn%2Ftrunk

You will see all of the Java. The only way to see (and edit) the Studio code is through Studio. You install the plugin and then do a diff vs. the unmodified STV.

Thanks, but I don't see the CPUMeter or Java Heap Monitor projects.. are they there?

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by makko

Thanks, but I don't see the CPUMeter or Java Heap Monitor projects.. are they there?

Oops, they are not in the repository because I developed them before using google code.

For Java Heap Monitor, just install the plugin and then open up Studio. That's the only way to see Studio code anyway (and there is no Java in that plugin.)

When I get home tonight I'll see what I can do about uploading CPU meter.

[makko]

Cool, thanks.

Much appreciated!