4dstudio-localserver

4dstudio-localserver

This implements the local server for 4dstudio by DAQRI. It provide additional features to 4dstudio such as native editor.

Native editor allow you to edit scripts with a native editor (e.g. sublime text). It is likely more confortable than editing within the browser. It is intended to power user and has to be run on the user computer. Please note that it is optional and not at all required to use 4dStudio.

here is native editor feature in actions.

Getting Started

It is published on npm as usual. So you first install it

$ npm install -g 4dstudio-localserver

And then launch it via

$ 4dstudio-localserver

To tune your own editor, you need to have a blocking command line to launch it. Pass it to the server via EDITOR_4DSTUDIO environment variables.

• For atom, use export $EDITOR_4DSTUDIO='atom --wait'.
• For sublime text, use export $EDITOR_4DSTUDIO='subl --wait --new-window'

You are free to define it for the editor you like.

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How to install from git

You simply clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/DAQRI/4dstudio-localserver.git

Go in the directory, and start the server on your computer with

npm start

Internal Workflow

Here are the step followed when 4dstudio is using native editor in 4dstudio-localserver

1. User click on 'native editor' button above the js editor in 4dstudio
2. 4dstudio webpage get the content of the codemirror content via javascript
3. 4dstudio contacts the local server with this content from codemirror, and a fake basename.
   • This basename will be used to create a temporary file, which will be passed to the editor itself.
   • Thus the user get a expected name (e.g. script.js)
   • Based on the file extensions, the editor will provide contextual help, code colorisation, autocompletion etc...
4. When the text is saved, the local server get the content of the provided files, and reply that to 4dstudio
5. On reception of the new content, 4dstudio update the proper codemirror instance with the new content

Implementation Details

• the server will bind the port 5000 on 127.0.0.1
• it is implemented as a express server in node.js