To work with 4DIAC you need two main parts:
The installation of 4DIAC-IDE is independent from the used operating system. In order to run 4DIAC-IDE you require Java 1.7 SDK or later, whereas it is currently NOT recommended to use Java 8.
To install 4DIAC-IDE you simply download the latest version for your operating system under downloads. Unzip it to any desired folder and start the 4DIAC-IDE. It already contains a function block library, some sample applications and also pre-build versions of FORTE. If you only want to use available Function Blocks you are ready to go.
In the 4DIAC-IDE you can set some preferences under Window → Preferences → 4DIAC. See Useful 4DIAC Preferences for detailed instructions.
Building your own 4DIAC-IDE from source: Running 4DIAC-IDE from source has the great advantage that you can easily keep up with the developments performed in the Mercurial repository. In case you want to run 4DIAC-IDE from source follow the Installation steps under 4DIAC-IDE Installation from SourceFor conducting first experiments with 4DIAC you can use the pre-build version of FORTE which comes along in the runtimes directory of the 4DIAC-IDE package. However if you want to develop your own Function Blocks or you want to run FORTE on different control devices you have to download and build FORTE from source.
The required infrastructure for compiling and debugging FORTE consists of 3 main elements:
Depending on the intended target system you will need different tool-chains that allow you to create the FORTE executable and debug it. In general minimal requirement for the tool-chain is a C++ compiler and a linker that generates the final executable. At first you have to download the FORTE source code. There are two possibilities to get the source code:
CMake helps you to configure FORTE for compilation with your desired development environment or hardware device.
For starters we recommend to use the GUI tool that comes with CMake.
After installing CMake please make sure that the PATH variable is set
to C:\
When starting the CMake-GUI you have to select the source directory, which is the main FORTE directory and the bin directory (e.g. FORTE/bin/posix) which is the output directory. There CMake will put the build project files (e.g., the makefiles) as well as any configuration data. After that you will need to press the configuration button. A window will pop up that lets you select the kind of project you like to build. For the correct Project Setting please have a look at the next step. In the CMake main window a list of red marked options will appear. These options allow you to configure your FORTE build. The minimal configuration you have to perform is to select the architecture you like to build for (e.g., FORTE_ARCHITECTURE_POSIX) and the modules with the function block libraries you like to use. You should also keep FORTE_SUPPORT_MONITORING enabled for Debugging and FB-Testing.
Then you need to press again the configure button and depending on your selection in the previous step new options (marked in red) may appear. Press configure until no new options are appearing and then the generate button for generating the project files. After that you can start the build process.
You can use different development Environments, whereas the C++ Compiler you can use to build FORTE not only depends on this environment but also on your operating system. For compiling FORTE under Windows you can use either Visual Studio (Express or full edition) or Eclipse. When using Eclipse for development and debugging under Windows you will need to use a Posix emulation environment like cygwin or minGW.
For the development with FORTE the understanding of the general file structure is helpful. Therefore the essential parts as well as the Makefiles which are important for the configuration and compilation of FORTE are listed in the following: