Vvidget Code Reference Manual

Vvidget Code > Programming > Cocoa > Deploy

Once you develop an application based on the section Develop then you have a running application that requires no further work. However, if you want to deploy your application without needing to install other Vvidget material such as the VvidgetUser.pkg package then you need to embed Vvidget into your own application bundle. This section explains how to do that.

You can deploy Vvidget Code redistributables in a manner consistent with the Redistribution Agreement. The redistributable materials are located at "/Library/Vvidget/EmbeddedFrameworks" and that is what you need to include into your application bundle. The following explains how to do that. As VVI is entirely unaware of the type of applications you write, your market, users and all other aspects of your specific distribution the steps below are merely generic and not intended to be exhaustive, specific or recommended.

Embedded Frameworks Development

If you started your development using the Vvidget Embedded Frameworks, as in the Tutorial section, then skip to Adding Finishing Touches below.

Shared Frameworks Development

If you linked your project using the Vvidget Shared Frameworks, as explained in the Develop section, then Vvidget User will need to be installed on a computer prior to installing your application. If you do not like that dependency then use the following instructions to unlink the shared frameworks and link against the embedded frameworks. Within Xcode, follow these steps:

• Unlink Shared Frameworks: Focus on the Frameworks folder and under Linked Frameworks delete all the Vvidget frameworks that reference "/Library/Frameworks". If you have a new project then you don't have those references and can disregard this step.

• Link In Embedded Frameworks: Focus on the Frameworks folder and then the Linked Frameworks folder and add all the frameworks in "/Library/Vvidget/EmbeddedFrameworks" to your project. Make sure they are a dependency of your target.

• Possible Cleanup: In your project's Target info panel, under the Build settings make sure the Framework Search Paths is "/Library/Vvidget/EmbeddedFrameworks" first and not "/Library/Frameworks". If it lists "/Library/Frameworks" then you should probably take that out entirely, depending on your particular circumstance.

• Build Copy Phase: To place the Vvidget Embedded Frameworks into your application's bundle focus on your project's Target, right click and choose: Add > New Build Phase > New Copy File Build Phase. In the resulting Panel choose the Frameworks destination and then close the panel. Then drag all the Vvidget Embedded Frameworks, as shown in your Xcode project, to the Copy Files build phase you just made. When you build your application (Target) the Copy File Build Phase you just made will copy the Vvidget Frameworks into your application's bundle.

• Interface Builder Reference: In any Interface Builder file that has a Vvidget Code View make sure the State Location field on that view's attributes inspector is empty. That informs the Vvidget processing that your own application handles Vvidget processing and not some other application or server. You can probably ignore this step as the field is empty by default.

Shared Frameworks Deployment

If you do not want Vvidget within your own application then you can simply pre-install Vvidget User on target systems and then install your own application linked to the Vvidget Shared Frameworks. Although shared frameworks are the recommended way to use Frameworks in general, in practice embedding frameworks is considered more desirable albeit less elegant. If you are in control of your target computers, such as in a corporate environment with regulated deployment, then you might consider requiring Vvidget User preinstalled on your computers and using shared libraries. On the other hand, if your infrastructure is so regulated that your target computers do not have administrative privilege then the embedded frameworks is a legitimate means of deployment.

Variations

There are many variations while deploying an application that uses Vvidget and most of those are beyond the scope of this manual. But, for instance, you can place Vvidget within a loadable bundle and split your distribution so that your code is in a separate package than Vvidget. You can also add code to detect the presence of Vvidget before loading it. In that sense, your use of Vvidget would be like an adapter to a plug-in. There are technical as well as administrative reasons for choosing the exact deployment features and those reasons are outside the scope of this manual.

Adding Finishing Touches

To complete the deployment readiness of your application follow these steps.

• Prime Vvidget: In your application source code place this line early on in your code execution:

  [VvidgetCodeClientView VC_initialize];.

  Although it is not necessary, using such code helps prime the Vvidget graphing system.

• Include this license key in your code:

  [constructor VC_append_key:"vvidgetcode_deployment_license" string_value:@"embedded 1d65ch78f09aadR06464fY6"];

  at the appropriate location, i.e.: at the location where you have a reference to the constructor. This further acknowledges your acceptance and purchase of the Redistribution Agreement.

• You need to add a license to your application that protects VVI interest in Vvidget. The simplest way to do that may be to include the End User License Agreement into your application and make reference that it applies to the Vvidget Component. Your exact legal requirements are unknown so the exact nature of this issue is to be determined. For example: You might have particular FDA, SEC, DoD, jurisdictional or many other requirements that there is no way to know about in advance of writing this manual.

• Notice that if you use the Shared Frameworks Deployment way of deploying your application and install Vvidget User from its package as provided at http://www.vvidget.org/download then the licensing issues are greatly diminished as the Vvidget User package already has a license. However, you are still responsible for your own code including the way you use Vvidget.

After following the steps above, your application is ready to deploy.

• If you used the embedded frameworks then you can zip up your application and distribute it. Then users of your application can simply unzip to install your application. Alternatively, you may wish to use an installer or have some other form of distribution.

• If you used the shared frameworks then install Vvidget User on the target computers and then install your own application.

Whichever way you choose to deploy, there are plenty of technical options at your disposal. Discussion of all those options are beyond the scope of this manual.