The ClarionMag Library (CML) on GitHub

The ClarionMag Library (CML) is available by download from GitHub. 

There are several ways you can get the library, but the two easiest are to clone the repository using GitHub for Windows or download the library as a zip file:

Downloading the zip

Downloading the zip is dead easy - just click on the Zip button. But you won't get any automatic notifications of changes, and you won't be able to see what those changes are unless you download the zip again, extract it to a new location, and use a comparison tool to view the differences. 

Cloning the repository with GitHub for Windows solves those problems.

Cloning the repository

Dealing with Git repositories in Windows can be a royal pain. Happily, GitHub for Windows (released May 2012) makes Git a whole lot easier to use. 

If you don't have GHfW installed, go to http://windows.github.com/ and click the download link. When you run GHfW for the first time it will ask you to log in to GitHub.com. If you don't have a login click on the link in GHfW to register. After you've registered, log in using GHfW. 

At that point you can go to the CML page at https://github.com/clarionmag/ClarionMagLibrary and click on the Clone in Windows button. GHfW will clone the CML repository, and you should see something like this in GHfW:

You may want to check out the June 8 2012 ClarionLive webinar recording, where I went through the process with Arnold and Lisa. NOTE: At that time this site was still called DevRoadmaps and the library was the DevRoadmaps Clarion Library (DCL), so be sure you download the current ClarionMag Library (CML) instead.

About repositories

So here's the thing about Git repositories. Git is a distributed version control system, meaning that there doesn't have to be just one repository somewhere that everyone uses. Git is capable of synchronizing between repositories. 

When you clone the CML you get the repository with all of its history. There's a good chance that will be a one-way street - when the CML gets updated, you'll use GHfW to synchronize your copy with the GitHub repository. But you can also make changes to your own code, commit those changes to your local repository, and take advantage of Git's ability to merge the GitHub changes with your local repository commits. Of course if you do go down this route you'll want to build any needed binary files yourself.  

Getting CML updates

Getting library updates is easy. Just run GHfW and bring up the CML repository. If there are pending updates the sync button will be enabled - click on it to bring your local copy up to date. 

Moving the repository

Chances are GHfW has put CML under your documents folder, and you probably want to move it to somewhere more Clarion-friendly. 

To move a repository just move the entire ClarionMagLibrary folder tree to its new location. GHfW will notice that it can no longer find the files. Using Windows Explorer, drag and drop the ClarionMagLibrary folder onto the GHfW application. That's all you need to do. 

Using the library

Once you have the CML where you want it, you're ready to start using it.