Embedded Wizard support for development teams

Question

If many developers work for one and the same Embedded Wizard project, it might become difficult to merge a project. I'm looking for some Embedded Wizard features to facilitate this work.

Answer 1

For big projects, Embedded Wizard offers some valuable features to facilitate the working together of multiple developers.

• Split attribute
  Each Unit-brick in an Embedded Wizard project possesses the attribute 'Split'. If it is 'true', Embedded Wizard will create a folder <unit name>.EWU instead of a unit file. Within this folder each class, constant, enum, bitmap- and font resource will be stored in a separate file with extention <class name>.EWUI. As long as the programmers are not working for one and the same class, each programmer can check in/-out his class-file independently to the source code repository (version control tools like CVS, Subversion, GIT, etc.). It is possible to deactivate and activate the 'Split' attribute at any time.
• Unit import
  Programmers can develop parts of a project in an independent unit (even in an independent project) and the unit can later be imported in any other project.

Example: One programmer implements the unit ‘SettingsApi.ewu’ that covers an Audio- and VideoControl class with properties Volume, Bass, Treble, Mute and Brightness, Saturation, Contrast, Zoom. He implements the native calls to the related ‘C’ code API functions in the OnSet/OnGet methods of the properties. Now the UI developers need to use the unit in order to do changes of the settings from the audio and video menu. For this purpose he can import the module as follows:

• Save the *.EWU file to be imported in your Embedded Wizard project folder.
• Open the Embedded Wizard project and navigate to the project composer.
• Add a new unit brick from the gallery ‘Chora’ to your project.
• Rename the unit to the Name of the *.EWU file to be imported.
• A message appears in the Log-window of EmWi:
  "[21.10.2015 07:28:27] Warning SettingsApi : The unit ‘SettingsApi’ has been changed outside Embedded Wizard. If you wish to reload this unit please double click on this message.”
• After you have double clicked on this message a confirmation panel appears with the message:
  "Do you really want to reload the unit ‘SettingsApi’?"
• Confirm it by pushing the yes button.
• Finished.

Now you have imported the external module successfully and you can use it in your project.

Comments

I think the version handling of the EW Units is still not ideal, even if you spilt the unit in multiple files. With spliiting  the adding, removing, renaming of classes causes much effort in file handling. Without split reordering makes it impossible to compare files.

It would be helpful if you could integrate the reordering mechanism from classes to units. The order of classes should always the same and new units added at the back. With reorder flags at the back of the unit files the order in the inspector could be defined.

Is this possible?