Get FPC on iPhone - once and for all

[qdos]

Hi!

I am currently working on an iPhone app using mono C# and Delphi prism.
I dont think i can come up with the words to describe how much I hate it, I mean - there has to be something better than this. 20 years of Delphi and now C#?

Could anyone who knows "how" to compile for iOS help me get the FPC cross compiler working on my Mac? (or could i use my PC? That would be even cooler),
I am ofcourse willing to write an article about how to do it afterwards - and help others as I was helped.

Also, must the GUI be setup through NIBS? I realize that the "nextstep interface builder" system is bolted into iOS & OS X - but from what i understand from the SDK it's also possible to create gui objects by code (like Lazarus does). If so, could it be possible to wrap the typical iPhone objects, like Window. Views, Viewcontroller etc. etc. in "our way of doing things" ?

It angers me so much. FPC is a ten times the better product than C#.... GRRRR!

NOTE: Im not asking for Lazarus here, just FPC.

1. Being able to compile for the iOS target
2. Some overview of the methods i can use (i found some examples @ pascal central)

I could then be willing to create a free "mini vcl" for iOS. Classes that wrap common iOS objects in typical Delphi fashion.

[felipemdc]

You should try asking in the Mac Pascal mailling list: http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/mac-pascal

Most people using FPC on iPhone are there, not many follow the posts here.

Also you could try the instructions in the wiki: wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/iPhone/iPod_development

[Ingemar]

Have you solved this yet? It seems like you wanted to do pretty much exactly what I am doing now. I have installed FPC for iPhone, written my own installation instruction document which I believe is pretty complete, I can compile for simulator and device, I can run in simulator and device. And I am running nibless as much as I like, no nibs around unless I want to.

Not that everything is perfect, I have problems using GLES, I don't know how to make debugging work, and the relevance for this for Lazarus is pretty close to none. But... well, it works for me and I need to find others who are interested in working in similar ways.

[jmLandsvik]

Have you solved this yet? It seems like you wanted to do pretty much exactly what I am doing now. I have installed FPC for iPhone, written my own installation instruction document which I believe is pretty complete, I can compile for simulator and device, I can run in simulator and device. And I am running nibless as much as I like, no nibs around unless I want to.

Not that everything is perfect, I have problems using GLES, I don't know how to make debugging work, and the relevance for this for Lazarus is pretty close to none. But... well, it works for me and I need to find others who are interested in working in similar ways.

I'd be interested... 

//JM

[Ingemar]

I'd be interested... 

Since you said so, I'd better follow up on this.

I hesitated to post this, because I don't want to mess with the work of the FPC developers by posting my own information, but OTOH, if this can help someone, then it might be a good thing. Here is a link to my preliminary but AFAIK fairly complete and working installation instructions. Please note the system I used and be careful to modify as needed if you have something else.

http://www.ragnemalm.se/lightweight/iphone-install/iphone-installation.html

Absolutely no guarantees. Well, I do guarantee one thing: This is written to describe the process I used, which works for me. There may be errors or unclear steps. Anyone going there should consider him/herself a beta tester for the page.

[Ingemar]

There was a post in the MacPascal list this morning that seems to relate to this. Phil Hess said he had built rev 17550 successfully, including crossarm, I suppose it was for iPhone. It hardly makes my document obsolete, but the newer revision can be interesting. As noted in my document, I used rev 17214, while I could not build with rev 17324.

[jmLandsvik]

I'd be interested... 

Since you said so, I'd better follow up on this..

http://www.ragnemalm.se/lightweight/iphone-install/iphone-installation.html

After reading your page, I get the distingt feeling that I need a Mac of some sort! 

//JM

[Ingemar]

After reading your page, I get the distingt feeling that I need a Mac of some sort! 

//JM

You are right, that was a prerequisite I forgot to mention!