Addons/Developers Checklist

This page lists the various steps required to create an addon.

• Read the Addons/Developers Guide for an overview of the development system.

• You need the SVN client installed, see Subversion, and in particular, the Subversion/User Guide.

• You need update access to the Jsoftware repositories. For this contact Bill Lam or Chris Burke.

• Checkout the Addons repository. To commit a new addon, you need only check out the trunk. It is best to do so in a directory outside of your normal J directory. For example, in a command window:

svn co http://www.jsoftware.com/svn/addons/trunk d:\addons

• If your application was built with Project Manager, you should create a Folder name Addons that points to this directory, so that in J:

   jpath '~Addons'
d:\addons

This lets you browse the Addons repository from within J. Change your own project file to use the ~Addons prefix for filenames.

• Create a manifest.ijs script for the addon. See the description in the Addons/Developers Guide

• Define VERSION in manifest.ijs as empty until you are ready to release your addon for use.

• Create an appropriate subdirectory of addons, for example d:\addons\web\cgi. See the Addon Folders section of the Addons/Developers Guide, and also the Addons/Config/Categories page.

• Copy your files into this new subdirectory.

• Teach svn to convert unix/dos line ending for text files.

• Add the new subdirectory into svn, and then commit the changes. For example, in a command window:

d:
cd \addons\web\cgi
svn propset svn:eol-style native *.ijs *.jproj *.ijp *.ijt *.txt *.htm *.html
cd ..
svn add cgi
svn ci -m "first commit of web\cgi addon"

• review the JAL/Build Log and ensure that the build was run. On any error, check the manifest.ijs script and commit any changes.

• visit the appropriate JAL page listing the addons, e.g. JAL/j602, then click on the link for your new addon to create a wiki page for the addon documentation.

For help, email specific issues to <<MailTo(jal AT SPAMFREE jsoftware DOT com)>>, or general comments to the general forum.