Creating an Example IFM Module with FEFLOW 5.4 and Microsoft ...

Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Creating an Example IFM Module with
FEFLOW 5.4
and
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
(Standard/Professional or Express Edition)
1 Introduction
The following introduction is a guide to the setup of a first own IFM module.
The example is based on Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard/Professional
Edition and the free Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition. The
approach slightly differs for older versions of Microsoft Visual Studio. In case
of any problems, please contact the DHI-WASY support team (support@dhiwasy.de).
Before starting the module development, the following items have to be
installed:
• FEFLOW IFM Development Kit (the respective package in the FEFLOW
setup has to be selected)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard/Professional with C++ support
or
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition with C++ support
(free download available from http://www.microsoft.com/express/)
Figure 1-1: Installing the X64 compilers
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Only for users of the 64-Bit
Edition of FEFLOW:
To create IFM modules for the
usage with the 64-bit Edition
of FEFLOW, it is necessary to
include the X64 Compilers and
Tools in the installation of
Visual Studio 2008 as shown
in Figure 1-1).

Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
2 Create your own module
2.1 Open FEFLOW and select the IFM | Configure menu entry (IFM-
Configure…)
Figure 2-1: FEFLOW IFM - Configure menu entry
2.2 Choose the interface Simulation and press the New Module button
to create a new module
Figure 2-2: Interface Manager
The additional columns Modules and Callbacks are not used at this point.
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 2-3: IFM menu Step 1
2.3 Specify a name for the new module and a base directory for the
module files (typically with the same name). By default, FEFLOW will
store new modules in My documents\FEFLOW IFM Projects.
2.4 Define the module properties (Language, GUI support, and the
description). The names and Register procedure are set
automatically.
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 2-4: IFM menu Step 2
Figure 2-5: IFM menu Step 3
2.5 Decline to edit the copyright file now. A default copyright text file
will be generated for your module.
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 2-6: Alert Box
2.6 Read the information about the following file generation carefully.
You can make changes by going back with the Prev button.
Figure 2-7: IFM menu Step 4
2.7 Press Finish to close the dialog
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
2.8 Click close in the information box
Figure 2-8: Information about IFM project generation
The source code and the related files of the module are created.
The new module (HelloWorld) appears in the column Modules.
Figure 2-9: Interface Manager
2.9 Close the dialog by hitting Close
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
3 Add the generated files to a new Visual C++
project
Open Visual Studio and add the generated files to a new project.
3.1 Select File |New | New project From Existing Code…
3.2 Choose the type of your project (Visual C++) and click Next
Figure 3-1: Definition of the project file location
3.3 Define the project file location (see chapter 2.7, in our example
“G:\Development\HelloWorld”), type in the Project name
HelloWorld and click Next
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 3-2: Definition of the project type
3.4 Define the Dynamically linked library (DLL) project as Project
type.
3.5 Press Finish (The next two pages are accepted without changes).
Figure 3-3: Add Existing Project
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 3-4: Add the ifm project
3.6 Select File | Add | Existing project and add the prepared IFM
library project (\sdk\lib\vc9\ifm.vcproj) to
the Visual Studio project.
You will commonly find the under
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\
Shared Documents\WASY FEFLOW 5.4\ (Windows XP) or
C:\Users\Public\Documents\WASY FEFLOW 5.4\ (Windows Vista).
Depending on the system language, these paths may be slightly
different.
Adding the ifm library source code to the solution ensures that the
library is always up-to-date and allows the use of Microsoft’s
IntelliSense for IFM functions.
If using Visual Studio 2005, use \sdk\lib\vc8\ifm.vcproj instead.
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
4 Define solution and project settings
4.1 In the Solution Explorer, click on your project with the right mouse
button (“HelloWorld”) and select Project dependencies
.
Figure 4-1: Select project dependencies
Activate the dependency for your project “HelloWorld” on the ifm project.
Figure 4-2: Definition of the project dependencies
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
4.2 Open the project properties (right mouse click on the project
HelloWorld). Open the Configuration Properties | C/C++ | General
and add the following folders to the list of Additional Include
Directories
- \sdk\ifm\include
- \sdk\ifm\include\xdk
Figure 4-3: Adding of include directories
4.3 In Configuration Properties | Debugging define the debug executable
(\bin32\feflow.exe) and define –ifmdebug
as Command Arguments. This will tell Visual Studio to start FEFLOW
in debug-mode to test your module.
Use \bin64\feflow.exe if using the 64-bit
Edition of FEFLOW.
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 4-4: Command and Command arguments definition
4.4 Define Multi-threaded Debug (/Mtd) as runtime library in C/C++
| Code generation
Figure 4-1: Runtime library definition
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
4.5 Switch to release configuration and repeat the steps 4.2 and 4.4 for
the release configuration if you want to build release versions of
your module
Figure 4-5: Switching Configurations
4.6 For users of the 64-bit Edition of FEFLOW only:
Right-click on Solution and choose Configuration manager from the
context menu.
Choose from the Active solution platform dropdown menu.
Figure 4-2: Configuration manager
Confirm the upcoming dialog (Figure 4-3) with OK and exit the
configuration manager with close. You can now switch between the
Win32 (x86) and x64 platform as shown in Figure 4-4.
Figure 4-3: New solution platform
Figure 4-4: Switching the target platform
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
5 Compile the module
5.1 Compile the module by hitting F7 or using menu Build
5.2 Start debugging hitting F5 or opening the menu Debug | Start
debugging
5.3 Open IFM|Configure
5.4 Define a Callback (OnEditDocument) to be used by clicking on the
corresponding entry in the Callbacks column and hitting Add (or
double-click the list entry). A plus is shown, indicating that the
OnEditDocument callback is used in the HelloWorld module. Close
the dialog.
Figure 5-1: IFM dialog
5.5 Close FEFLOW.
5.6 Go back to the Visual C++ solution and accept reloading the file.
The source code of the module has been changed by FEFLOW,
adding the callback.
5.7 Add your own code in the callback function OnEditDocument,
replacing the entire comment TODO: Add your own code here:
IfmInfo(pDoc,”Hello World...”);
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 5-2: Microsoft Visual C++
5.8 Build the module (F7) and start debugging again (F5)
5.9 Open the IFM Configure menu and select the module (Hello Word)
5.10 Press Properties and define the path of the created debug dll as
Target(debug). Close the dialog with Okay.
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 5-3: Definition of the module path
5.11 Close FEFLOW and accept reloading the source file in VC++
5.12 Compile (F7) and start debugging again (F5)
5.13 Load an arbitrary fem file (e.g.,
\demo\exercise\femdata\demo_flow_3d.fem)
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 5-4: FEFLOW fem file
5.14 Open the Problem Editor | IFM modules | Manage modules…
5.15 Load the IFM module and close the dialog
Figure 5-5: Loading of the IFM module
5.16 Click on the module button in the lower left corner. The IFM
information should appear in the Log Messages box.
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Example IFM module using MS Visual Studio 2008
Figure 5-6: FEFLOW Problem Editor
For programming more complex modules, please see Appendix B of the
FEFLOW Online Help for a complete list of all available IFM API functions. You
might also wish to have a look at the description of all available callbacks in
the IFM dialog to see where you can add your own code. In case of any
problems or questions, please do not hesitate to contact the FEFLOW support
staff (support@dhi-wasy.de).
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