Ipe Framework

Ipe is a lightweight, cross-platform GUI framework for the Dryad programming language. It is inspired by Windows Forms and provides a simple, object-oriented API for building desktop applications.

Ipe uses a dual-layer architecture:

1. Native Layer (ipe/native): A C shared library (ipe.so on Linux, ipe.dll on Windows) that handles window creation, rendering, and event polling using system APIs (SDL2 on Linux, GDI/Win32 on Windows).
2. Dryad Layer (ipe/lib): A Dryad wrapper library that uses FFI to communicate with the native layer and provides high-level classes like Form, Button, and Label.

Features

• Cross-Platform: Runs on Linux (via SDL2) and Windows (via Win32 API).
• Object-Oriented: Class-based component system (Form, Control, etc.).
• Event-Driven: Built-in EventEmitter pattern for handling UI events (clicks, key presses).
• Dependency-Free Text: Includes a built-in bitmap font renderer, requiring no external font libraries.
• Lightweight: Minimal overhead and dependencies.

Installation & Build

To use Ipe, you must first compile the native shared library.

Linux (Requires SDL2)

1. Install SDL2 development headers (e.g., sudo apt install libsdl2-dev).
2. Navigate to the native directory and compile:

   cd ipe/native
   # You can use the provided Makefile:
   make
   # OR compile manually with gcc:
   gcc -shared -O2 -fPIC $(sdl2-config --cflags) ipe_helper_sdl2.c -o ipe.so -lSDL2

Windows (Requires MinGW or similar)

1. Navigate to the native directory:

   cd ipe/native

2. Compile using gcc:

   gcc -shared -O2 ipe_helper.c -o ipe.dll -lgdi32 -luser32 -lkernel32

Usage

Import the library in your Dryad script:

import { Form, Button, Label, Application } from "ipe/lib/ipe.dryad";

function main() {
    // 1. Create the main form
    let form = new Form();
    form.title = "My Ipe App";
    form.width = 800;
    form.height = 600;

    // 2. Add a button
    let btn = new Button();
    btn.text = "Click Me";
    btn.x = 100;
    btn.y = 100;
    btn.width = 120;
    btn.height = 40;
    
    // 3. Add an event listener
    btn.on("click", function(data) {
        println("Button clicked!");
    });
    
    form.add(btn);

    // 4. Run the application loop
    Application.run(form);
}

main();

API Reference

Control (Base Class)

Base class for all UI components. Inherits from EventEmitter.

• Properties:
  • x, y: Position coordinates.
  • width, height: Dimensions.
  • text: Content text.
  • backColor: Background color (hex format, e.g., 0xFF0000 for red).
  • visible: Boolean visibility state.
  • foreColor: Foreground/Text color.

Form

The main window container.

• Properties:
  • title: Window title bar text.
  • controls: List of child controls.
• Methods:
  • add(control): Adds a child control to the form.

Button

A clickable button component. Renders with a simple shadow effect and centered text.

Label

A text display component. Uses the internal 8x8 bitmap font renderer.

Application

Static class for managing the application lifecycle.

• Methods:
  • run(mainForm): Starts the main event loop. This method blocks until the window is closed.

File Structure

• ipe/lib/ipe.dryad: Core Dryad library implementation.
• ipe/native/: Native C source code.
  • ipe_helper_sdl2.c: Linux/SDL2 backend.
  • ipe_helper.c: Windows/GDI backend.
  • font8x8_basic.h: Bitmap font data.
• ipe/tests/: Example applications.
  • demo.dryad: Interactive WinForms-style demo.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.