Which Gluon configuration version components do I need to specify? - javafxports

Question

I'm a bit confused about the gradle build file versions configurations for the different components. I was reading the docs on http://docs.gluonhq.com/javafxports/ and have a few questions.
jfxmobile-plugin
buildscript {
dependencies {
classpath 'org.javafxports:jfxmobile-plugin:1.3.5'
}
}
The version number I check here: https://bitbucket.org/javafxports/javafxmobile-plugin. It's my understanding that Gluon mobile builds upon this plugin. So if I already specify dependencies on Gluon Mobile why do I need to specify this one individually?
javafxportsVersion
jfxmobile {
javafxportsVersion = '8.60.9'
}
The version number I check here: http://gluonhq.com/products/mobile/javafxports/get/. I don't specify this but I see it in chapter 4.2. When do I need to specify this?
downConfig
jfxmobile {
downConfig {
version = '3.2.4'
plugins 'display', 'lifecycle', 'statusbar', 'storage'
}
}
I don't know where to find the version number for this. It is chapter 4.2.2. I think that this one i specify only if I want to override the default for Charm Down. But if I remove these Gradle downloads version 3.2.0 which is older. Where do I find the latest version and when do I need to specify it?
gluonhq:charm
dependencies {
compile 'com.gluonhq:charm:4.3.5'
}
I check the version here: http://docs.gluonhq.com/charm/latest/. To my understanding this includes Charm Down, Charm Glisten and Connect. Does it specify the downConfig version implicitly? It it related to (in terms of versioning) to the JFXPorts/Mobile above?

Answer 1

If you use the Gluon plugin for your IDE, and select the Gluon Mobile templates, you should get the latest versions of all the plugins, dependencies and underlaying tools involved.
When you create a project, there is an online check done to verify which are those latest versions, so your new project is up to the date. Though it could happen that the backend hasn't been updated right after any of those change.
With a Single view template you get this build.gradle file:
buildscript {
repositories {
jcenter()
}
dependencies {
classpath 'org.javafxports:jfxmobile-plugin:1.3.5'
}
}
apply plugin: 'org.javafxports.jfxmobile'
repositories {
jcenter()
maven {
url 'http://nexus.gluonhq.com/nexus/content/repositories/releases'
}
}
mainClassName = 'com.gluonhq.testsingle.GluonTestSingle'
dependencies {
compile 'com.gluonhq:charm:4.3.2'
}
jfxmobile {
downConfig {
version = '3.2.4'
// Do not edit the line below. Use Gluon Mobile Settings in your project context menu instead
plugins 'display', 'lifecycle', 'statusbar', 'storage'
}
android {
manifest = 'src/android/AndroidManifest.xml'
}
ios {
infoPList = file('src/ios/Default-Info.plist')
forceLinkClasses = [
'com.gluonhq.**.*',
'javax.annotations.**.*',
'javax.inject.**.*',
'javax.json.**.*',
'org.glassfish.json.**.*'
]
}
}
That's the minimum required content for your script to make the app work on Desktop, Android and iOS.
As for the jfxmobile plugin, as you mentioned, the latest version (as of now 1.3.5) can be verified here.
By default it includes the latest version of JavaFXPorts: javafxportsVersion = '8.60.9', so you don't need to include it in your build. But you may want to use it in some cases, i.e. when you are using snapshots, daily or monthly builds (customers have access to them), in case new changes have been added and you don't want to wait until the next public release. The latest version can be found here.
This plugin has nothing to do with Gluon Mobile. While the former is a plugin to install the JavaFXPorts dependencies (like dalvik-sdk, jfxdvk.jar and ios-sdk) and required tools (gradle tasks,...), the latter is a library containing Views, controls, styling,... and other dependencies, that is placed on top of JavaFXPorts to create high performance, great looking, and cloud connected mobile apps from a single Java code base, for iOS and Android.
That's why you need the plugin in the first place, and you can add later on the Gluon Mobile dependency.
As of now, the latest version is 4.3.5, as you can check here. The online tool still shows 4.3.2, but at this point the differences are minimal.
Gluon Mobile (Charm dependency) makes use of other dependencies as well. Run ./gradlew dependencies, and you will see a tree like this:
runtime - Runtime dependencies for source set 'main'.
+--- com.gluonhq:charm:4.3.5
| +--- com.gluonhq:connect:1.4.3
| | \--- org.glassfish:javax.json:1.0.4
| +--- com.gluonhq:charm-cloudlink-client:4.3.5
| | +--- com.gluonhq:connect:1.4.3 (*)
| | +--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-storage:3.2.4
| | | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-core:3.2.4
| | +--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-device:3.2.4
| | | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-core:3.2.4
| | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-push-notifications:3.2.4
| | +--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-core:3.2.4
| | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-runtime-args:3.2.4
| | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-core:3.2.4
| +--- com.gluonhq:charm-glisten-connect-view:4.3.5
| | +--- com.gluonhq:charm-cloudlink-client:4.3.5 (*)
| | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-glisten:4.3.5
| | +--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-display:3.2.4
| | | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-core:3.2.4
| | +--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-lifecycle:3.2.4
| | | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-core:3.2.4
| | +--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-statusbar:3.2.4
| | | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-core:3.2.4
| | \--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-storage:3.2.4 (*)
| \--- com.gluonhq:charm-glisten:4.3.5 (*)
+--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-display:3.2.4 (*)
+--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-lifecycle:3.2.4 (*)
+--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-statusbar:3.2.4 (*)
\--- com.gluonhq:charm-down-plugin-storage:3.2.4 (*)
Basically it includes dependencies on Charm Glisten, Gluon Connect, Charm Cloudlink Client, Charm Glisten Connect View, and the different Charm Down plugins.
For Charm Down, you can find the latest version here. In fact, 3.3.0 has been released recently. In theory, you don't need to specify the version here as well, but it is advisable, in order to keep track of the version you used when creating the project.
Charm Down is not included in Gluon Mobile, so you have to use downConfig in your project, to explicitly at least add the required plugins that Gluon Mobile uses (the four added by default: 'display', 'lifecycle', 'statusbar', 'storage'). But you can add more plugins if you need them (select right click on the root project and click on Gluon Mobile Settings).
EDIT
Gluon Mobile includes the four services from Down as a dependency (jars like charm-down-plugin-storage only with the Service definition), but it is only resolved in your project when you include the platform implementations via downConfig (like charm-down-plugin-storage-desktop, charm-down-plugin-storage-android and charm-down-plugin-storage-ios).
As mentioned above, the versions should be up to the date when you create the project, but you can double check and update manually if you find newer ones.
As for the Gluon Mobile Settings menu, this is a picture of how to get it on NetBeans. Just right click on the project root: