Componentes

A 4D component is a set of 4D code and/or 4D forms representing one or more functionalities that you can add and use in your projects. For example, the 4D SVG component adds advanced commands and an integrated rendering engine that can be used to display SVG files.

You can develop and build your own 4D components, or download public components shared by the 4D community that can be found on GitHub.

When developing in 4D, the component files can be transparently stored in your computer or on a Github repository.

Componentes interpretados e compilados

Components can be interpreted or compiled. A pasta do pacote de um componente pode conter:

• either a Project folder (interpreted component)
• ou um arquivo .4DZ (componente compilado)

A 4D project running in interpreted mode can use either interpreted or compiled components. A 4D project running in compiled mode cannot use interpreted components. Por isso não pode ser usado em um componente.

Loading components

nota

This page describes how to work with components in the 4D and 4D Server environments. In other environments, components are managed differently:

• in 4D in remote mode, components are loaded by the server and sent to the remote application.
• in merged applications, components are included at the build step.

Visão Geral

To load a component in your 4D project, you can either:

• copy the component files in the Components folder of your project,
• ou declare o componente no arquivo dependencies.json.

Components declared in the dependencies.json file can be stored at different locations:

• at the same level as your 4D project's package folder: this is the default location,
• anywhere on your machine: the component path must be declared in the environment4d.json file
• on a GitHub repository: the component path can be declared in the dependencies.json file or in the environment4d.json file, or in both files.

If the same component is installed at different locations, a priority order is applied.

dependencies.json vs environment4d.json

dependencies.json

O arquivo dependencies.json faz referência a todos os componentes necessários em seu projeto 4D. This file must be located in the Sources folder of the 4D project folder, e.g.:

	/MyProjectRoot/Project/Sources/dependencies.json

Pode conter:

• names of components stored locally (default path or path defined in an environment4d.json file),
• names of components stored on GitHub repositories (their path can be defined in this file or in an environment4d.json file).

environment4d.json

O arquivo environment4d.json é opcional. It allows you to define custom paths for some or all components declared in the dependencies.json file. This file can be stored in your project package folder or in one of its parent folders, at any level (up to the root).

The main benefits of this architecture are the following:

• you can store the environment4d.json file in a parent folder of your projects and decide not to commit it, allowing you to have your local component organization.
• if you want to use the same GitHub repository for several of your projects, you can reference it in the environment4d.json file and declare it in the dependencies.json file.

Prioridade

Since components can be installed in different ways, a priority order is applied when the same component is referenced at several locations:

Prioridade mais alta

1. Components stored in the Components folder of the project.
2. Componentes declarados no arquivo dependencies.json.
3. Internal User 4D components (e.g. 4D NetKit, 4D SVG...)

Prioridade mais baixa

When a component cannot be loaded because of another instance of the same component located at a higher priority level, it is given the Overloaded status. The loaded component has the Overloading status.

(the environment4d.json declared path overrides the dependencies.json path to configure a local environment).

Declarando componentes locais

You declare a local component in the dependencies.json file in the following way:

{
    "dependencies": {
        "myComponent1" : {},
        "myComponent2" : {}
    }
}

... where "myComponent1" and "myComponent2" are the name of the components to be loaded.

By default, if "myComponent1" and "myComponent2" are not declared in an environment4d.json file, 4D will look for the component's package folder (i.e. the project root folder of the component) at the same level as your 4D project's package folder, e.g.:

	/MyProjectRoot/
	/MyProjectComponentRoot/

Thanks to this architecture, you can simply copy all your components at the same level as your projects and reference them in your dependencies.json files.

nota

If you do not want to benefit from the dependencies.json architecture, you can install local components by copying their files in the Components folder of your project.

Personalizando caminhos dos componentes

If you want to customize the location of local components, you declare the paths for the dependencies that are not stored at the same level as the project folder in the environment4d.json file.

You can use absolute or relative paths, expressed in POSIX syntax as described in this paragraph. Relative paths are relative to the environment4d.json file.

Exemplos:

{
	"dependencies": {
		"myComponent1" : "MyComponent1",
		"myComponent2" : "../MyComponent2",
        "myComponent3" : "file:///Users/jean/MyComponent3"
    }
}

nota

If a component path declared in the environment4d.json file is not found when the project is started, the component is not loaded and gets the Not found status, even if a version of the component exists next to the project's package folder.

Declarando componentes armazenados no GitHub

4D components available as GitHub releases can be referenced and automatically loaded in your 4D projects.

nota

Regarding components stored on GitHub, both dependencies.json and environment4d.json files support the same contents.

Configurando o repositório GitHub

To be able to directly reference and use a 4D component stored on GitHub, you need to configure the GitHub component's repository:

• Compacte os arquivos de componentes no formato ZIP.
• Name this archive with the same name as the GitHub repository.
• Integrate the archive into a GitHub release of the repository.

These steps can easily be automated, with 4D code or using GitHub Actions, for example.

Declaring paths

You declare a component stored on GitHub in the dependencies.json file in the following way:

{
	"dependencies": {
		"myGitHubComponent1": {
			"github" : "JohnSmith/myGitHubComponent1"
		},
		"myGitHubComponent2": {}
	}
}

... where "myGitHubComponent1" is referenced and declared for the project, although "myGitHubComponent2" is only referenced. Você precisa declará-lo no arquivo [environment4d.json] (#environment4djson):

{
	"dependencies": {
		"myGitHubComponent2": {
			"github" : "JohnSmith/myGitHubComponent2"
		}
	}
}

"myGitHubComponent2" can be used by several projects.

Tags and versions

When you create a release in GitHub, you specify a tag and a version.

• Tags are texts that uniquely reference a release. In the dependencies.json file and environment4d.json files, you can indicate the release tag you want to use in your project. Por exemplo :

{
	"dependencies": {
		"myFirstGitHubComponent": {
			"github": "JohnSmith/myFirstGitHubComponent",
			"tag": "beta2"
		}
	}
}

• Uma versão também é identificada por uma versão. The versioning system used is based on the Semantic Versioning concept, which is the most commonly used. Each version number is identified as follows: majorNumber.minorNumber.pathNumber. In the same way as for tags, you can indicate the version of the component you wish to use in your project, as in this example:

{
	"dependencies": {
		"myFirstGitHubComponent": {
			"github": "JohnSmith/myFirstGitHubComponent",
			"version": "2.1.3"
		}
	}
}

The version is used to define which versions can be used. A standard semantic version is used. A range is defined by two semantic versions, a min and a max, with operators '< | > | >= | <= | ='. O * pode ser usado como um espaço reservado para todas as versões. ~ and ^ prefixes define versions starting at a number, and up to respectively the next major and minor version.

Eis alguns exemplos:

• "latest": the version having the “latest” badge in GitHub releases.
• "*": a versão mais recente lançada.
• "1.*": todas as versões da versão principal 1.
• "1.2.*": todos os patches da versão menor 1.2.
• "^1.2.3" or ">=1.2.3": the latest version 1, starting with the 1.2.3 version.
• "~1.2.3" or ">1.2.3": the latest major version 1, starting with the version just after the 1.2.3.
• "<=1.2.3": a versão mais recente até a 1.2.3.
• "1.0.0 – 1.2.3" or ">=1.0.0 <=1.2.3": version between 1.0.0 and 1.2.3.
• "<1.2.3 || >=2": versão que não está entre 1.2.3 e 2.0.0.

If you do not specify a tag or a version, 4D automatically retrieves the "latest" version.

Repositórios privados

If you want to integrate a component located in a private repository, you need to tell 4D to use a connection token to access it.

To do this, in your GitHub account, create a classic token with access rights to repo.

nota

For more information, please refer to the GitHub token interface.

Then insert the "github" key in your environment4d.json file:

{
	"github": {
		"token": "ghpXXXXXXXXXXXXUvW8x9yZ"
	},
	"dependencies": {

		"mySecondGitHubComponent": {
			"github": "JohnSmith/mySecondGitHubComponent"
		}
	}
}

Cache local para dependências

Referenced GitHub components are downloaded in a local cache folder then loaded in your environment. The local cache folder is stored at the following location:

• en macOs: $HOME/Library/Caches/<app name>/Dependencies
• no Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\<app name>\Dependencies

...onde <app name> pode ser "4D", "4D Server" ou "tool4D".

dependency-lock.json

A dependency-lock.json file is created in the userPreferences folder of your project.

This file logs information such as the state of dependencies, paths, urls, loading errors, as well as other information. It could be useful for component loading management or troubleshooting.

Monitoramento das dependências do projeto

In an opened project, you can get information about dependencies and their current loading status in the Dependencies panel.

Para exibir o painel Dependências:

• with 4D, select the Design/Project Dependencies menu item (Development environment),
  

• with 4D Server, select the Window/Project Dependencies menu item.
  

O painel Dependência é então exibido. Dependencies are sorted by name in alphabetical order:

Origem da dependência

The Dependencies panel lists all project dependencies, whatever their origin, i.e. wherever they come from. The dependency origin is provided by the tag under its name:

As seguintes origens são possíveis:

Origin tag	Descrição
Componente 4D	Componente 4D incorporado, armazenado na pasta Components da aplicação 4D
dependencies.json	Component declared in the dependencies.json file
Environment	Componente declarado no arquivo environnement4d.json
Componente do projeto	Componente localizado na pasta Components

Right-click in a dependency line and select Show on disk to reveal the location of a dependency:

nota

This item is not displayed if the dependency is inactive because its files are not found.

Component icon and location logo provide additional information:

• The component logo indicates if it is provided by 4D or a third-party developer.
• Local components can be differentiated from GitHub components by a small icon.

Filtragem de dependências

By default, all dependencies identified by the Dependency manager are listed, whatever their status. You can filter the displayed dependencies according to their status by selecting the appropriate tab at the top of the Dependencies panel:

• Active: Dependencies that are loaded and can be used in the project. Isso inclui dependências overloading, que são de fato carregadas. Overloaded dependencies are listed in the Conflicts panel, along with all conflicting dependencies.
• Inactive: Dependencies that are not loaded in the project and are not available. There are many possible reasons for this status: missing files, version incompatibility...
• Conflict: Dependencies that are loaded but that overloads at least one other dependency at lower priority level. Overloaded dependencies are also displayed so that you can check the origin of the conflict and take appropriate actions.

Status de dependência

Dependencies requiring the developer's attention are indicated by a status label at the right side of the line and a specific background color:

Estão disponíveis as seguintes etiquetas de status:

• Overloaded: The dependency is not loaded because it is overloaded by another dependency with the same name at a higher priority level.
• Overloading: The dependency is loaded and is overloading one or more other dependencies with the same name at a lower priority level.
• Not found: The dependency is declared in the dependencies.json file but is not found.
• Inactive: The dependency is not loaded because it is not compatible with the project (e.g. the component is not compiled for the current platform).
• Duplicated: The dependency is not loaded because another dependency with the same name exists at the same location (and is loaded).

A tooltip is displayed when you hover over the dependency line, provding additional information about the status: