fxsdk/README.md

# fxSDK

The fxSDK is a development kit for CASIO graphing calculators in the fx-9860G
and fx-CG 50 families. It provides command-line helper tools and build systems
for add-ins and libraries, and is commonly used to develop add-ins running the
[gint kernel](/Lephenixnoir/gint).

The fxSDK is free software; you may use it for any purpose, share it, modify
modify it and share your changes. No credit required, but please let me know!

The fxSDK is compatible with Linux and has been successfully built on Mac OS.
If there are compatibility issues, I am willing to try and port stuff to your
favorite operating system. Windows users have good support with WSL.

## Basic install and use

The simplest way to install the fxSDK is to use
[GiteaPC](/Lephenixnoir/GiteaPC), an automation tool that builds and installs
repositories from Planète Casio's Gitea forge.

```bash
% giteapc install Lephenixnoir/fxsdk
```

The fxSDK depends on the [`sh-elf-gcc` compiler](/Lephenixnoir/sh-elf-gcc) so
GiteaPC might build it too as a dependency. You will also need the PIL library
for Python, as well as libusb and optionally UDisks2 for fxlink. Use the
GiteaPC configuration `:noudisks2` to disable UDisks2-based features.

```bash
# On Debian, Ubuntu, WSL and the like:
% sudo apt install python3-pil libusb-dev # (Optionally) udisks2
# On Arch Linux, Manjaro and the like:
% sudo pacman -S python-pillow libusb # (Optionally) udisks2
```

Use the `fxsdk` command to manage projects. You can create an empty add-in
project with `fxsdk new` and a name for a new folder:

```bash
% fxsdk new MyAddin
```

From that folder, you can build the add-in with the build commands:

```bash
# Build the add-in for fx-9860G (.g1a):
% fxsdk build-fx
# Build the add-in for fx-CG 50 (.g3a):
% fxsdk build-cg
```

## Tools in the fxSDK

A tool called *fxos* used to live here and has now moved to [its own
repository](/Lephenixnoir/fxos).

**Project management** with `fxsdk`

`fxsdk` lets you set up projects almost instantly with a default folder
structure and a build system for both fx-9860G and fx-CG 50. The default build
system is CMake since version 2.3, and a bare-bones Makefile is also supported.

`fxsdk` only writes files at project creation time, so you keep control over
your build system and configuration - it just helps you get started faster.

Summary of commands (`fxsdk --help` for details):

* `fxsdk new`: Create a new project
* `fxsdk build/build-fx/build-cg`: Configure and compile add-ins and libraries
* `fxsdk send/send-fx/send-cg`: Install files to the calculator (WIP)

**G1A/G3A file generation** with `fxgxa`

`fxgxa` is a versatile g1a/g3a file editor that creates, edits and dumps the
header of fx-9860G add-ins files. It is used to build g1a/g3a files out of a
binary program.

It supports PNG icons of any formats, checking the validity and checksums of
the header, repairing broken headers and dumping both the application data and
icons.

`fxgxa` is called automatically by the build system in your add-in, so you
don't need to worry about it, but here are the main commands:

* `fxgxa --g1a|--g3a`: Generate g1a/g3a files
* `fxgxa -e`: Edit g1a/g3a files
* `fxgxa -d`: Dump metadata, checksum, and icon
* `fxgxa -r`: Repair control bytes and checksums for broken files
* `fxgxa -x`: Extract icons into PNG files

`fxgxa` has an alias, `fxg1a`, for compatibility with fxSDK up to 2.7.0 for
which there was no g3a file editor in the fxSDK.

**Asset conversion** with `fxconv`

`fxconv` is a programmable asset converter that converts images, fonts and
other common asset types into data structures usable directly in add-ins. The
built-in formats include gint images and fonts, [libimg](/Lephenixnoir/libimg)
images, and binary blobs.

Projects can extend the support to custom types for maps, dialogs, GUI
descriptions, or other application-specific assets. Extensions to `fxconv` are
implemented in Python within the project.

`fxconv` can be used directly on the command-line but normally you specify
parameters in `fxconv-metadata.txt` and let the build system do the magic.

**USB communication** with `fxlink`

`fxlink` is a USB communication tool that can be used to send files to
calculators as well as to communicate with gint's USB driver from an add-in.
Currently, the tool is a work-in-progress, and most of the work has been spent
in properly detecting, characterizing and filtering connected calculators.

The main backend is libusb. With libusb, `fxlink` can detect CASIO calculators
connected through USB and has a test mode used to prototype interactions with
gint.

`fxlink` also supports a UDisks2 backend for systems that have UDisks2; with
this backend, `fxlink` can detect Mass Storage calculators (essentially the
fx-CG series and the G-III series) connected through USB, mount them without
root access, and transfer some files all from the command-line.

## Manual build instructions

The fxSDK is platform-agnostic; a single install will cover any target
platforms. Here are the dependencies:

* CMake
* libpng ≥ 1.6
* Python ≥ 3.7 (might work in 3.6)
* The Pillow library for Python 3
* libusb 1.0
* The UDisks2 library, unless disabled

First configure; usual options are:

* `-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX` to change the install folder;
* `-DFXLINK_DISABLE_UDISKS2=1` to disable UDisks2 support in `fxlink`.

```sh
% cmake -B build
```

Then make and install as usual.

```sh
% make -C build
% make -C build install
```

If you selected an install folder for which you don't have write access (which
apparently includes the default folder on Mac OS), you will need `sudo` to
install.