SFML Project Wizard for Visual Studio 2010

[naraku9333]

I made a custom wizard for VS2010 which creates a console project with the correct compile and linker settings for an SFML project. The wizard then adds a simple source file and image to test the install, create the project and press F5. It also copies the required  dll's into the output directory so manually copying the sfml or libsnd/openal dlls is unnecessary.

Project wizard requires the path to SFML root directory and gives choice of dynamic or static linkage. The project is located at http://code.google.com/p/sfml-project-wizard/ there is an msi installer under downloads.

I used the Ogre project wizard ( http://bitbucket.org/jacmoe/ogreappwizards ) as a guide to make this, primarily the JScript which I was completely unfamiliar with. I'm also not good with html so the wizard UI needs work. I do plan to add functionality to the wizard (choice of empty project, windows project, etc...) recommendations and any feedback in general is appreciated.

This was my first attempt at a custom wizard and making an installer package so they are far from perfect. I tested the install on a non-development system, and the entire process was pretty easy. Install VC++ express, download and extract SFML2 VS2010 package, install the wizard, create project and compile. I'm just hoping it goes that smoothly on other users systems.

Any/all feedback is greatly appreciated.

[Rosme]

This is SOOO great! I've been trying to make one myself, never ended well. It's just a little bit faster than manually, and it's so great! Thank you!

[BillH]

I'm quite new to sfml so please could you tell me how to use the wizard after it's downloaded and installed?

[zsbzsb]

I'm quite new to sfml so please could you tell me how to use the wizard after it's downloaded and installed?

If your new to SFML I highly recommend you learn how to do your own linking and compiling of SFML before you start letting a wizard do it for you. You can find the tutorials on linking and compiling SFML on the main website.

[Nexus]

To be honest, I have only made negative experience with such wizards. They tend to have bugs and be out of date, and in the end they create much more issues than they solve. For example, I don't know whether your wizard allows to link only some modules of SFML. Or to choose between static/dynamic linking.

With CMake and the official tutorial it is very easy to setup SFML. If people use precompiled SFML binaries (either the official ones or the nightly builds), it's even easier.

Every C++ developer must be able to link a library, this is one of the tasks one will encounter again and again. I don't see why so many people want to relieve the developer of these very basic tasks. This just leads to users that don't understand the backgrounds of the C++ compilation and linkage model, and to hundreds of related questions in this forum.