https://github.com/kb2ma/cotel
CoAP messaging GUI tool
https://github.com/kb2ma/cotel
coap gui
Last synced: 2 months ago
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CoAP messaging GUI tool
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/kb2ma/cotel
- Owner: kb2ma
- License: apache-2.0
- Created: 2020-10-31T13:25:25.000Z (over 4 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2021-01-15T13:21:44.000Z (over 4 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-28T21:46:44.740Z (4 months ago)
- Topics: coap, gui
- Language: Nim
- Homepage:
- Size: 1.28 MB
- Stars: 4
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 2
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
Cotel provides a desktop GUI for exploration of CoAP messaging, and includes these features:
* [Client requests](doc/snap-request.png)
* [PSK security](doc/snap-setup.png)
* [Networking log](doc/snap-netlog.png)
* [Experimental server for testing](doc/snap-server.png)
Cotel runs as a native executable. We have created an AppImage based installer for Linux, available from the repository [Releases](https://github.com/kb2ma/cotel/releases) page.
Of course you also may build and run from source. See *Development* below. We have not attempted to build for Windows or OSX.
Cotel uses [libcoap](https://libcoap.net/) for CoAP messaging, and [Dear ImGui](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui) for its UI library.
# Installation
The AppImage installer for Linux is a single file. Simply mark it executable and run it. AppImage is designed to be agnostic to a user's particular distro. It's also possible to integrate Cotel into the desktop environment. See the AppImage [Running](https://docs.appimage.org/user-guide/run-appimages.html) page for details.
See Cotel's [user guide](doc/user-guide.md) for details on how to use it.
# Development
Required elements:
|Name |Notes
|-----------|---------|
|libcoap| Use commit 1739507 of the library, from 2020-08. At time of writing, v4.2.1 from 2019-11 is the most recent tag, but we need the more recent commit.|
|Nim | Use v1.4.2 of the language, or higher. See [install page](https://nim-lang.org/install.html).|
|imgui | Nim module for GUI. Use v1.78 or higher. We currently build with v1.79. Also requires the shared library for cimgui. See details below.|
|parsetoml| Nim module to read TOML configuration file. v0.5.0|
|tempfile| Nim module to create temporary directory for logging. v0.1.7|
### libcoap
You must build libcoap from source for development, using either autotools or CMake. See [BUILDING](https://github.com/obgm/libcoap/blob/1739507a1eee6f8831ca7221adaa8d5413527b7f/BUILDING). libcoap supports several TLS libraries. We have tested only with [TinyDTLS](https://github.com/eclipse/tinydtls), which may be installed as a submodule of libcoap, as described in the build instructions.
### Nim
The core of Cotel is written in Nim. It generates C code internally, which it then compiles to generate the executable. For Nim I find it easiest to install from the *choosenim* utility, as described on the Nim install page. For Nim modules, I use the *Nimble* installer, which is bundled with Nim.
### imgui
[imgui](https://github.com/nimgl/imgui) is the Nim binding module for the [Dear ImGui](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui) GUI library. See the imgui module [README.md](https://github.com/nimgl/imgui/blob/master/README.md) for installation.
In addition, you must compile the *cimgui* shared library, which provides a C interface to Dear ImGui, which itself is written in C++. The imgui module includes the required source. Simply run `make` in the imgui module `src/imgui/private/cimgui` directory.
Finally, make the cimgui library visible to the generated Cotel executable -- via either copy/symlink to the same directory or with `ldconfig`.
## Building
To build Cotel, execute the command below from the top level directory. The compiled executable will be available in the `build/bin` directory.
```
$ nim build src/gui/main
```
## Running
Install the generated `cotel` executable, the `cotel.conf` configuration file, and the `cimgui.so` shared library into a directory. Start Cotel in development mode with:
```
$ ./cotel --dev
```
In development mode, all resources are in the startup directory. `cotel.conf` is generated with reasonable property defaults, but please review the Local Setup view for specifics.
## Hacking
If you'd like to make improvements to Cotel, see the [architecture](./doc/architecture.md) document to get started.