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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Java bindings
From:       iglio () fub ! it (Pietro Iglio)
Date:       1999-02-23 13:56:50
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I want to try to summarize what has been said so far.
We can have several degrees of integration, ranging from strong Qt/KDE-Java 
integration (e.g. using Qt to implement AWT/Swing) to minimum integration
(having a minimum set of classes to be KDE-compliant and using Swing/AWT for
the GUI stuff).

In both cases it is possible to have automatically generated bindings. Here
are
some possible solutions:

- SWIG (http://www.swig.org/), a free wrapper generator; there is an
experimental
  version to create Java bindings; I'm playing with it, using part of the work
  done for python bindings.

- J2C++ (IBM Alphaworks) (not open-source, free, not really supported; can be
  good to study the generated wrappers and eventually improve SWIG);

- QtC (Qt C bindings): interfacing Java with C is much easier and the tools
  provided with the JDK are probably enough.

Another possibility is do not use any wrapper for C++ classes and write Java
classes corresponding to the main KDE classes. This approach can be considered
if choose "minimum integration" (see above).

What classes should go in a minimal KDE-Java platform?
My proposal is (ordered by priority):

kconfig*
kapp (part of, eg. kapp->getConfig(), kapp->getIconLoader(), appName())
QString <-> java String and QPixmap <-> Java pixmap convertion functions
klocale
kclipboard
kiconloader
kstddirs
drag&drop stuff
kwm   (interaction with the Window Manager)

-- Pietro

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