NewProject Application

Version 2 Beta, 1/27/2007

By James Brink, Pacific Lutheran University

NewProject is a Java application that creates a project for assembly language programs that can be used with Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express 2005 or Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Requires: Java 5.0 JDK or JRE installed on the user's computer. Recommended: Visual Studio 2005 or Visual C++ Express 2005

The GUI interface allows the user to supply the project's name and folder. The main program can be either a .asm or .cpp file. Optionally, the user can specify the source file name and any additional .asm, .cpp, or .obj files that are used. Browse buttons are available to allow browsing to pick the project folder and additional files in that folder (if any).

After the files are generated, clicking the "Start IDE" button will start the IDE and load the .sln project solution. Alternatively double clicking the project's .sln file will start Visual C++ Express or Visual Studio and load the project. To start NewProject, one can type 

 java NewProject

at the prompt in a DOS window. If this is done, NewProject will (normally) allow the user to browse to the project folder starting at My Documents. If assembly projects are normally stored in another location, one can use the optional format:

 java NewProject [startup_folder [IDE_path]]

The parameters must be enclosed in quotes if they contain blank spaces. For example,

 java NewProject C:\assembly\programs

causes browsing for the project folder to begin in C:\assembly\programs.

 java NewProject C:\ "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe"

causes browsing for the project folder to begin in C:\ and the IDE is Visual Studio in its default location.

NewProject.bat can be used to make it easy to start NewProject. Click on NewProject.bat in a Windows Explorer or My Computer window to start NewProject. NewProject.bat can be customized to specify the folder in which to start browsing for the project folder and the complete path name of the the IDE. See NewProject.bat for instructions.

The following files are included in NewProject.zip:

  • NewProject.java (Java source file)
  • NewProject.class (main Java class file)
  • NewProjectConsole.class (required subclass)
  • FrameListener.class (required subclass)
  • template.sln (template .sln file for "assembly only" projects)
  • template.vcproj (template .vcproj file for "assembly only" projects)
  • template.asm (template for an assembly main program)
  • cppTemplate.sln (template .sln file for projects with C++ main program)
  • cppTemplate.vcproj (template .vcproj file for projects with C++ main program)
  • template.cpp (template for a c++ main program)
  • NewProject.bat (.bat file for starting NewProject)
  • ReadMeFirst.txt (a text version of this file)

Comments, questions, or bug reports? Contact

James Brink
Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering
Pacific Lutheran University
brinkje@plu.edu