Tutorial

Use the following steps to create a new C++ application from scratch. In this short tutorial we will create a simple application that tells the time and responds to clicks.

1. Create a new project

From the command line start a new project as usual:

> pebble new-project helloworld
> cd helloworld

2. Install the pebble-cpp package

Then use the pebble package install command to install the pebble-cpp package. Execute a pebble build to initialize the package.

> pebble package install pebble-cpp
> pebble build

3. Overwite the wscript file

The wscript file located in the project root contains the instructions for the Pebble build system to compile the source files. This file needs to be modified to add commands to build C++ *.cpp files.

You can copy an updated version of this file from the package folder node_modules/pebble-cpp/dist/include/pebble-cpp/wscript. Execute the following command in the root of your project to copy this file over the existing wscript file.

> cp node_modules/pebble-cpp/dist/include/pebble-cpp/wscript .

Alternatively you can view and download the updated wscript file from here.

4. Create a new C++ file

We've now added the ability to build C++ files but we haven't changed the ability to build C files. In fact, you can freely mix C and C++ files. But for the purposes of this tutorial we will erase the default C file and create a new single-file C++ application:

Remove the existing source file:

> cd src/c
> rm helloworld.c

And now in your favorite text editor, create a new file called helloworld.cpp in the src/c folder. In that file add the following contents:

#include <pebble-cpp/pebble.hpp>
 
using namespace Pebble;
 
class MainWindow : public AppWindow, public TickTimer
{
protected:
    void OnLoad()
    {
        SetClickConfigProvider(CALLBACK(OnClickConfig));
        textLayer.SetFrame(0, 55, 144, 50);
        textLayer.SetBackgroundColor(GColorClear);
        textLayer.SetTextColor(GColorBlack);
        textLayer.SetFont(FONT_KEY_BITHAM_42_BOLD);
        textLayer.SetTextAlignment(GTextAlignmentCenter);
        AddChild(textLayer);
        TickTimerStart(MINUTE_UNIT);
        UpdateTime();
    }        
    
    void UpdateTime()
    {
        DateTime date = DateTime::Now();    
        // Use 24 hour format
        date.Format(buffer, sizeof("00:00"), "%H:%M");
        textLayer.SetText(buffer);
    }    
    
    void OnTick(tm &tick_time, TimeUnits units_changed)
    {
        UpdateTime();
    }    
    
    void OnClickConfig(const ClickConfig& clickConfig)
    { 
        clickConfig.SingleClick(BUTTON_ID_SELECT, CALLBACK(OnSelectClick));
        clickConfig.SingleClick(BUTTON_ID_UP, CALLBACK(OnUpClick));
        clickConfig.SingleClick(BUTTON_ID_DOWN, CALLBACK(OnDownClick));
    }    
    
    void OnSelectClick(const ClickRecognizer& recognizer)
    {
        textLayer.SetText("Select");
    }    
 
    void OnDownClick(const ClickRecognizer& recognizer)
    {
        textLayer.SetText("Down");
    }    
 
    void OnUpClick(const ClickRecognizer& recognizer)
    {
        textLayer.SetText("Up");
    }    
 
private:
    char buffer[5];
    Pebble::TextLayer textLayer;   
};
 
extern "C" int main(void) 
{
    MainWindow window;
    window.StackPush(true);
    app_event_loop();
}

Build and Run

With all that code in the helloworld.cpp file we just need to build the project and run it in the emulator:

> pebble build
> pebble install --emulator basalt

If you have problems with the build, check the Known Issues.

Congradulations – You've done it.