JUCE for a noob

[rockstar_not]

Since this is the RMS forum, I thought I'd ask a JUCE specific question here.


I've never programmed in C++, and have almost zero programming experience with object oriented programming.

I've got quite a bit of experience programming in Matlab, old-school BASIC, Pascal and Fortran 77 (yes, I'm old - 38 to be exact), some machine level stuff on motorola processors, etc - but no object oriented experience with the exception of a little bit with some of Matlab's built in object type elements.

What would it take for me to try out JUCE with a compiler, etc.? Are there freebie C++ compiler/development environments out there that I could use to try my hand at JUCE?

-Scott

[Karbon L. Forms]

Visual C++ Express is free and juce has project files for it. haydxn has a juce project wizard (app or plugin) for it too.

head over to http://www.adbe.org/juceforum/index.php for any help.

C++ and OO is particularly easy using juce.

[Rock]

I want to get started too. I wish they had an easy to find sticky there for folks with little or no experience where it would list the steps to follow to get started.

[valley]

I want to get started too. I wish they had an easy to find sticky there for folks with little or no experience where it would list the steps to follow to get started.

Done.


See haydxn's get-you-started in the general forum.

[Rellik]

I haven't gotten TOO far into JUCE (making my first audio app with it), but I think it would be wise to learn Java before getting into JUCE, if you don't know C++.

1. The syntax of both languages are practically the same except for a lot of stuff you don't need to know ALL that much about if you're using JUCE (just a one/two new concepts and a few new things like * and -> and ::)
2. Java will help you get a definite idea of what OO is about, which is important if you're working with an OO library
3. JUCE itself handles graphics and interaction in a very similar way to how Java handles it

Plus, it's not so bad to know some Java anyway

On the other hand, I imagine it would be frustrating trying to switch from Java's conveniences and orderly structure to C++'s lawless wild west world of code, except for the STL which I urge you to actually use and not just ignore like I used to somebody who's had to make this switch will be better able to comment - I imagine there are advantages to my suggestion, but it might just be waaaaaaay too far out of the way for what you want.

I haven't actually gotten JUCE up and running on Windows, but I am going to have to port my project to Windows eventually, and I've heard that VC++ Express is a pretty great IDE and compiler, so it should work out fine (definitely nice that a free piece of software like that is out there now...)

[Karbon L. Forms]

hmmm. used to agree but I'm not sure now.

I went that route (not by design) and when I switched to C++, I "newed" EVERYTHING! lol. And I had other misconceptions too.

And these good folks probably want to work with DSP/ASIO/MIDI/VST. No much use with Java. Java's for web apps , distributed business systems and Java productivity tools!

Get some good books, read haydxns tutorial, look at the juce sources, and get stuck right in.

[haydxn]

yeah, my tutorial is basically a from-the-ground-up introduction to programming in JUCE; while you should really have a knowledge of C++ before you take it on, i've actually tried to explain all the concepts used as and when they occur.

i've not had time to write the guide on getting everything you need in order to get started (which is actually what my tutorial was supposed to be in the first place!) and i've also had no time (exams/work) to finish the tutorial (the last chapter i wrote isn't finished yet!) BUT it has proved useful in getting people started, which is great news!

by the end of chapter 6, after starting out with no juce knowledge at all, you will have made a functional notepad application, and will know how to place buttons/controls on a GUI. you'll also have an understanding of the messaging/component systems. here is the thread with my tutorial files on. [incidentally, the pdf link is always the same so you don't have to find the most recent link]

i hope it proves useful. i also hope that i get some time soon to work on it some more! and my last hope is that jules' latest changes haven't made some of my tutorial code invalid because that would certainly be a bugger!

[time to do some checking i guess...]

[valley]

hmmm. used to agree but I'm not sure now.

I went that route (not by design) and when I switched to C++, I "newed" EVERYTHING! lol. And I had other misconceptions too.

I did that coming from Delphi too. I'm still overly inclined to create objects on the heap, even though I know I shouldn't.