Arcoarena

That’s right kids. It’s that time again. Time to complain about one’s final year project. Now in essence there is nothing wrong with it. Except….

My project supervisor has insisted it’s written in SML (a functional programming language). It’s an ok language (pushing it a bit I know) there are better but it’s bearable. However it hasn’t got a sensible Graphical system (and I need to write a GUI). I also need to draw graphs. Normal people would use DOT (part of the Graphviz suite. Dot is very good and it has lots and lots and lots of add-ons and API (to link to programming languages) as can be seen on the downloads page. I could have chosen to write it in practically any language and it would have had an API. Except SML is too useless for that. Lesson learnt – use python.

This is just a scrapbook post for useful links I find

• Why one should use SML
• Random Project Links
• Grapviz Homepage
• http://www.edite-de-paris.com.fr/~fpons/Caml/Ressources/graphs.html
• CM Visualistion with DOT
• The DOT Algorithm

sml_tk uses wish (a tcl_tk interpreter) to (allegedly) allow users of sml to create graphical interfaces in a structured was avoiding the nasty non-functional-ness of the tcl scripting language.

To get the examples working (which by the way do all work under Linux very much unlike eXene)

1. cd to < sml_tk directory > /src/tests+examples
2. run sml-cm
3. Type “CM.make();”
4. Type < structure name >.go();

More information can be found at the project homepage.

I’ve also just found a way to use GTK+ with SML – see here. However since the current version is beta-0.03 I might give it a miss for my project.

I got an A- for my Interim report and Oral. Not bad I think, hopefully I’ll get a better mark for the finished project

Well, I’ve handed in my interim report, which can be found here and the Gantt chart is here (it’s a post-script file, you could try the ghost viewer).

It’s not going too badly. As long as my slowness in the first term doesn’t return it should turn out ok. It’s worth 40% of the year so if I can do it well I’m well on the way to a comfortable 2:1 (having given up any hope of a 1st about 2 months into the course). I guess since I should only need 55% I should be ok. I just need to sit down and work and ignore any other distractions.

To get eXene to run with the calculator example (< ML-Directory > /src/eXene/exampes/calc) do the following:

1. Navigate to the directory (see above) and run sml-cm
2. Type “CM.make();”
3. Then run the tester (from the main.sml file and the function doit unit -> unit in the structure CalcTest (i.e. type “CalcTest.doit();”)

The CM.make() command uses the file sources.cm which appear to contain all the files required to run the project. All I have to do now is find something that will tell me how to use the stupid system……

This only appears to work on the Unix machines in the department which is wierd as I’m sure the linux version will be exactly the same, it appear to be. I’ll have to try it at home later.