WARNING: This is a work in progress, it is not complete

JInput

Project: net.java.games.jinput Purpose: Open source game libraries

Authors

Input API design:

• Michael Martak, Sun Microsystems
• Thomas Daniel, Sony Computer Entertainment

Input API original author:

• Michael Martak, Sun Microsystems

Input API original release author:

• Jeff Kesselman, Game Technology Architect, Advanced Software Technologies Group, Sun Microsystems.

Introduction:

This is the source tree for the Java Game Initiative (JGI) Open Source client game programming APIs.

Build Requirements:

This project has been built in the following environment.

• Win32 (Win 2000 in the case of our machine)
• Sun J2SDK 1.4 (available at java.sun.com)
• MinGW 2.0.0 plus the following updates: (all available at www.mingw.org) -- binutils 2.13.90 -- w32api-2.2 -- mingw-runtime-2.4 -- "Peter Puck's" directx8 binding (http://www.urebelscum.speedhost.com/download.html, file: dx8libs.zip (Copy all of his *.a library files into the MingW "lib" directory) -- The DirectX 9 SDK available at the Microsoft DirectX site. (http://www.microsoft.com/directx) The Win32 plug-in build.xml file expects this to be installed in c:\dx9. You can install it elsewhere but then you will have to modify the reference in that build.xml ant script.
• ANT 1.4.1 (available at apache.org)

Directory Organization:

The root contains a master ANT build.xml and the following sub directories:

• coreAPI: The actual API
• plugins: Directories for building controller plugins. (Currently the only plug in is the Win32 DX8 plugin.)

Build instructions:

Clean:

ant clean

Build:

ant all (or just ant)

Build Docs

ant javadoc

Test

First cd to coreAPI. There are currently 2 tests there.

• Textest: A simple discovery test that dumps the data about the discovered controllers to stdout To run: ant textest
• Readtest: A test that creates a window for each discovered controller (or sub-controller) which displays the current state of all the controller's axes. (Note: The windows currently all open at the same place on the screen so you will have to move them to see them all.) Run: ant readtest

Release Info:

• Initial Release:

  • This release contains an implementation of the input API designed by Mike Martak of Sun and Thomas (?) of Sony CEA for the WIn32 platform. All the code in src/input is cross platform. The Win32 code is segregated to the DirectX plugin (src/DXplugin) which depends on DirectInput from DX7 (or later).

• 05/09/2003:

  • A number of bugs and problems with the DXPlugin are fixed in this release. This release also brings the code up to date using the DI8 interface. This thus is the first release that requires Peter Puck's DX8 bindings to compile with MinGW.

• 05/09/2003 (second update):
  • This version adds a new standard value type to the API.
  • Axis.POV holds standard definitions for values for POV (hat) switches
    • Axis.POV.CENTER and Axis.POV.OFF are synonymous and are the center position.
    • Axis.POV.UP, Axis.POV.DOWN, Axis.POV.LEFT and Axis.POV.RIGHT should be self explanatory.
  • Any hat that claims to be "normalized" will return these values. (It is recommended that all hats be normalized by the system specific plugins.)