[sword-devel] Windows Development

Tue Oct 5 17:39:03 EDT 2021

On Tue, Oct 5, 2021 at 4:26 PM John Dudeck <john.dudeck at sim.org> wrote:

> As a Sword content developer, but not a Sword software developer per se, I
> need to be able to do Sword content development on Windows. Not because I
> dislike Linux, but because I have created in-house Perl tools for a
> publishing team that uses Windows workstations and is not able or inclined
> to add Linux workstations for Sword content development, when everything
> else we do is on Windows. Mainly what we do is develop French content as a
> contractor for Logos, then also generate Sword modules from the Logos XML
> targeted for AndBible. (We also publish print and epub books).
>
> Theoretically I guess we could use WSL, but it would have to be easy to
> get it set up, and work seamlessly with our Windows-based workflow.
>

WSL is crazy easy and I highly suggest you use it. WSL2 is even better. I,
personally, run Fedora in there but it is side-loaded through a
custom-built script. Getting Ubuntu out of the Windows Store is silly
simple and you can leverage it from there. I don't know the state of Sword
packaging, but building from source in WSL is just as easy as it is on
full-fledged Linux.

>
> All that we need and want are the Windows command-line versions of the
> Sword tools, mostly just osis2mod.exe, tei2mod.exe and xml2gbs.exe, without
> having to whine and wait for somebody to generate them with each new tools
> revision. I don't have the time or desire to do the Win32 cross-builds on
> Linux. We don't care whether the exe's are built from C, C++, C#, Visual
> Basic, FORTRAN, Java, IBM360 Assembler, .Net Whatever™, or are 32 or 64
> bit. Just that they work on Windows, work correctly, and that bug fixes
> arrive in a timely manner.
>

These are automatically created on GitHub whenever I push a version tag
there. They've been available up there for quite some time, and anyone with
the ability to run the basic tools necessary can get them there.
https://github.com/devroles/mingw_sword_package

--Greg

>
> Thanks to all who have created Sword and the ongoing efforts to support
> and improve it for the Lord's glory!
>
> John Dudeck
>
>
> > Hello, everyone.
> >
> > Sorry for disappearing a few months ago without resolving the questions
> that I had. I have been
> > taking care of issues in my personal life which I won’t go into here.
> >
> > I’ve had time to consider what I would do with the project that I have
> been working on and
> > inquiring about here.  Seems I have a few options:
> > 1)      Make the existing Win32 code work for what I’m doing;
> > 2)     Convert what I have to the Linux platform and use what’s actually
> available and current in
> > the SWORD Project;
> > 3)     Work to bring the work you all have done into the current Windows
> / .Net Framework
> > environment;
> > 4)      Give up and go another route;
> >
> > I’m leaning toward the third, but I don’t want to step on any toes. It
> will involve:
> > ·        Work out design issues (such as .Net only or .Net as a wrapper,
> Azure
> > compatibility)
> > ·        Create MS VC++ Project(s) / Solution
> > ·        Import code pages (mostly .cpp and .h pages presumably)
> > ·         Work out build issues for both 32 and 64 bit platforms
> > ·        Test the results (beginning with my own existing projects)
> > ·        Share the code, preferably using a method you all are used to
> using
> > ·        Maintain the code (including changes to the main code base),
> possibly as a new
> > branch of the existing code
> >
> > I’m willing to take this on if it’s something that will be used by
> others and, hopefully, supported
> > by others as well.
> >
> > I have to admit that my VC++ skills need improvement since I spend most
> of my time in C#.  But
> > it’s a welcome chance to build my skill set. But, of course, any help
> would be greatly
> > appreciated, especially in understanding both the current state and
> plans for the existing code
> > base.
> >
> > Regarding the other options listed above:
> > 1)     I have successfully accessed the sword.dll file from C#.  It
> required creating two separate
> > wrapper classes and obtaining the mangled name using a utility provided
> with Visual
> > Studio.  There are shortcomings to this approach including extensive
> coding and
> > performance hits.  We can discuss those if a decision is made to move
> forward;
> > 2)     I think I individually, we as contributors and potential
> contributors, as well as others who
> > will come on later will all lose out without a viable, up-to-date
> interface for Windows VS
> > development;
> > 3)     Bringing the code into current Windows, Visual Studio and .Net
> Framework development;
> > 4)     I like what’s been accomplished in the SWORD Project and I want
> to both use it and
> > contribute to it.
> >
> > I look forward to hearing from you all, especially those who currently
> work in Windows
> > development with this code.
> >
> > Jeff Becker
>
> John Dudeck
> Programmer at Editions Cle                             Lyon, France
> john.dudeck at sim.org                            john at editionscle.com
> --
> "Pere celeste, je veux vraiment une communion avec toi; aussi je confesse
>  que tu as raison et que j'ai tort." -- Roy Hession
>
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