Setting for Windows Development

This is not a step by step guide. Instead it is meant to provide links to all the sites and downloadables you need if you want to use a Windows system for assisting in XTrackCAD development.

All the tools that are required available for free.

I started this page when I bought a new computer. So this description will follow the steps I take when setting up that system and will be extended as I make progress. I started from a bare Windows XP system with only the operating system and the virus protection installed.

Required Microsoft Tools

1. Get Visual Studio Express Editions∞ from Microsoft.
2. Installation is straightforward. Select Visual Studio C++. You can install the optional components and documentation if you wish.
3. After installation, start Visual Studio C++ and generate a small Win32 test application. Compile and run.
4. As an additional tool the HTML Help Workshop∞ is needed. Get the htmlhelp.exe. Installation for this tool is a straightforward process.

Standard Open Source Tools

1. For building XTrackCAD a Unix tool called sed is needed. Go to GNU Win32 Packages∞ and get the 'Setup'
2. While you're there, also download GetText∞ which is needed fo internationalization.
3. Installing sed and gettext is a straight forward process. Just follow the instructions of the Setup programs. You probably won't need the souce code for either of the packages. It does make sense to install the documentation for gettext if you're interested in helping translate the program. While working on XTrackCAD you'll probably never need the sed documentation.

Getting the source and building

1. If you want to access the most recent source code or want to contribute code to the project, you'll need WinCVS∞
2. A good description for the installation of WinCVS∞ provided by the Sourceforge Team is WinCvs with PuTTY∞
3. The build process is managed by CMake∞. You'll need version 2.6.0 or higher of CMake.
4. Run as described in CMakeBuild

Preparing for installation

1. Installation packages are built with NSIS∞. This is not required but will be helpful if you want to distribute XTrackCAD to other PCs.