CPAF - C++ Cross Platform Application Framework
CPAF - C++ Cross Platform Application Framework
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CPAF - C++ Cross Platform Application Framework

C++ framework for easy cross platform development, including GUI. Write once, compile and run many. The best C/C++ open source libraries collected in one distribution for easy compilation and static/dynamic linking in your project.

Libraries include lots of common c libraries like zlib, libpng, etc. as well as C++ libraries like Boost. Cmake files are provided for easy command line compilation of both the libraries (and your application code) as well as enabling the programmer to use the IDE of his preference (Visual Studio, KDevelop, XCode).

Where no public libraries exist we will try to develop them within cpaf, where the biggest challenge will be to implement a GUI framework. Possibly as a sort of "wrapper" around existing GUIs like QT, Gtk+, WxWidgets etc. All non cpaf native libraries (3rd party, like e.g. zlib) are located in license folders like GPL, LGPL, CUL (Commercial Usable Licenses), so developers have a choice of which they will use.

Pragmatic approach
We want C++ to be as easy to use for your new project as Java or C#. While C++ is a very versatile language it's main disadvantage compared to others like Java is perhaps the sparse number of standard libraries as well as limited support for crossplatform development.

CPAF seeks to remedy these two "drawbacks" in a pragmatic way utilizing exsisting C/C++ libraries like Boost, zlib... And by making own platform abstraction libraries like e.g. cpaf_libs/gui. Everything comes in one "package" release complete with CMake make files and scripts for easy creation own CPAF derived projects and compilation.

Common Build Sytem (CBS)
The cmake based build system along with associated python helper scripts have been factored out as a seperate project located in cpaf/cbs for now. The general idea is to supply a general and very simple way to produce a cbs/cmake file(s) for a project (e.g. a library) and then this library can build seamlessly together with other "cbs-enabled" libs/apps.

In your top level directory of your own project you also keep a myprj.BuildConfig.cmake file which contains a use entry/line for every library you want to enable/use in your project like this:
# --- 3RD PARTY LIBRARIES ---
SET ( z_USE                         SYSTEM   )  # Use system installed version
SET ( png_USE                       BUILD    )  # Build from local source code
SET ( bz2_USE                       DISABLED )  # Don't use this lib at all
SET ( boost_USE                     PREBUILT )  # Use allready locally (cbs) compiled version of boost.

# Other build options
SET ( z_LINK_TYPE                   STATIC    ) # Force static version of zlib even when cbmake.py -l shared is used.


So the (perhaps naive) hope is that many open source SW projects will pick up the idea and provide cbs build files for their code. See the "CBS Introduction" page how simple it really is to use this system.

Documentation
We also seek to provide some rudimentary documentation of the many different libraries provided. It's to provide simple library level documentation/introduction in a uniform way here on this homepage. The ambition is something like one to a few pages per library. For CPAF's own subprojects the level of documentation should higher, with both directory level, class level and function level documentation as well as examples.

License
CPAF is distrubuted under the Boost license (http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
which pretty much allows you to use the code in anyway you want. Ofcouse: since CPAF consists of numerous SW libraries with different open source licenses, you will have to adhere to the licenses of the libraries you wish to include in your project. But the CPAF buildfiles, documentation and CPAF subprojects developped source code are all under the Boost license.

Get the code
So far only via Subversion:
 svn co https://cpaf.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/cpaf/trunk/cpaf cpaf

Or use Tortoise on windows. Get it here:


NOTE: All compiled files goes into ./build (i.e. .../cpaf/build)

Compiling on linux:
Compiling on Windows
Suppose you have checked out https://cpaf.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/cpaf/trunk/cpaf to c:/code/cpaf . You then need set the environment variable CBS_ROOT_DIR for example by going to: Start->Settings->Control Panel->System->Advanced->Environment Variables->User variables for xxx->New .
Enter like this:
Variable name:   CBS_ROOT_DIR
Variable value:   c:/code/cpaf/cbs (IMPORTANT: Use forward '/' slashes !!!)

Open a Visual Studio 2005 (vc8) command prompt. For example like this: Start->Run and then:
Open:  comspec% /k ""C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio 8/VC/vcvarsall.bat"" x86
Just copy and paste the line into the open field.

For Visual Studio 2003 (vc71) use:
Open:  comspec% /k "C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003/Common7/Tools/vsvars32.bat"

Note that the above examples assumes default installation paths for Visual Studio 2005 and 2003.

Once you have the command prompt navigate to c:/code/cpaf:
SF project page
http://sourceforge.net/projects/cpaf

Contact - Help really needed since it's a big project :-)
Martin L : nitram@lutken.dk

Help would be really appreciated since one person is really inadequate for a project this size. It should however be quite easy to make small contributions like creating CBS build files for a library. For example it should only take a 10 minuttes (perhaps up to 30 if you are new to CBS) to create build files for a library like z or png.