Compiling XFCE4 panel plugin - c

Question

I am converting a gnome panel applet to xfce panel plugin. I have so far removed the few gnome specific parts in the source and replaced them with xfce specific source as appropriate.
I created makefile.am and configure.ac files using templates such as the weather plugin and the example plugin. However I am unsuccessful in getting it compiled properly. I am probably missing something obvious, but I double checked the examples with my own files and found no obvious problems.
I have attached the appropriate files as well as output of the errors in the hope someone has an idea. I don't think the problem is in the actual source, but I can add some of that later if necessary.
Errors while compiling:
make all-recursive
make[1]: Entering directory `/source/my_example_xfce'
Making all in panel-plugin
make[2]: Entering directory `/source/my_example_xfce/panel-plugin'
gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I.. -I.. -DTHEMESDIR=\"/usr/local/share/xfce4/my_example/icons\" -DPACKAGE_LOCALE_DIR=\"/usr/local/share/locale\" -DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"my_example\" -DNDEBUG -pthread -I/usr/include/xfce4/libxfce4panel-1.0 -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gtk-2.0/include -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/include/gdk-pixbuf-2.0 -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/include/gio-unix-2.0/ -I/usr/include/pixman-1 -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/libpng12 -I/usr/include/xfce4 -pthread -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gtk-2.0/include -I/usr/include/gio-unix-2.0/ -I/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/include/gdk-pixbuf-2.0 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/pixman-1 -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/libpng12 -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/xfce4 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/xfce4 -pthread -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gtk-2.0/include -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/include/gdk-pixbuf-2.0 -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/include/gio-unix-2.0/ -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/pixman-1 -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/libpng12 -g -O2 -MT xfce4_my_example_plugin-my_example.o -MD -MP -MF .deps/xfce4_my_example_plugin-my_example.Tpo -c -o xfce4_my_example_plugin-my_example.o `test -f 'my_example.c' || echo './'`my_example.c
my_example.c:25:25: warning: ‘struct Example_Data’ declared inside parameter list [enabled by default]
my_example.c:25:25: warning: its scope is only this definition or declaration, which is probably not what you want [enabled by default]
my_example.c: In function ‘setdefaults’:
my_example.c:28:3: warning: incompatible implicit declaration of built-in function ‘strncpy’ [enabled by default]
my_example.c:28:21: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type
my_example.c:28:45: warning: incompatible implicit declaration of built-in function ‘strlen’ [enabled by default]
my_example.c:28:3: warning: passing argument 1 of ‘strlen’ makes pointer from integer without a cast [enabled by default]
my_example.c:28:3: note: expected ‘const char *’ but argument is of type ‘int’
my_example.c:28:3: warning: passing argument 2 of ‘strncpy’ makes pointer from integer without a cast [enabled by default]
my_example.c:28:3: note: expected ‘const char *’ but argument is of type ‘int’
my_example.c:30:21: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type
my_example.c:30:42: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type
my_example.c:30:67: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type
my_example.c:31:3: warning: incompatible implicit declaration of built-in function ‘strncat’ [enabled by default]
my_example.c:31:21: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type
my_example.c:31:32: error: ‘SIGFILE’ undeclared (first use in this function)
SIGFILE is one of the defines in my header files. Then it goes on as if it never read my header files with all the declarations.
Last bit:
my_example.c:248:17: error: unknown type name ‘XfcePanelPlugin’
my_example.c:248:42: error: unknown type name ‘GtkWidget’
my_example.c:248:60: error: unknown type name ‘GtkWidget’
make[2]: *** [xfce4_my_example_plugin-example.o] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/source/my_example_xfce/panel-plugin'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/source/my_example_xfce'
make: *** [all] Error 2
Below I pasted Makefile.am, configure.ac and panel-plugin/Makefile.am which are required for xfce4 xdt-autogen tool, which when run in the source directory will generate the appropriate make and configure files.
***************
* Makefile.am *
***************
SUBDIRS = \
panel-plugin \
po
AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = \
1.8 \
dist-bzip2
*****************
* configure.ac *
*****************
dnl Version information
m4_define([my_example_version_major], [1])
m4_define([my_example_version_minor], [3])
m4_define([my_example_version_micro], [0])
m4_define([my_example_version], [my_example_version_major().my_example_version_minor().my_example_version_micro()])
dnl Initialize autoconf
AC_COPYRIGHT([Copyright (c) 2013
Example <bug#example.org>])
AC_INIT([xfce4-my_example-plugin], [my_example_version()], [bug#example.org])
AC_PREREQ([2.50])
dnl Initialize automake
AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.8 dist-bzip2 tar-ustar])
AM_CONFIG_HEADER([config.h])
AM_MAINTAINER_MODE()
dnl Check for basic programs
AC_PROG_CC()
AC_PROG_LD()
AC_PROG_INSTALL()
AC_PROG_INTLTOOL()
AC_PROG_LIBTOOL()
AM_PROG_CC_C_O()
dnl Check for standard headers
AC_HEADER_STDC()
AC_CHECK_HEADERS([string.h fcntl.h errno.h sys/socket.h netdb.h \
netinet/in.h sys/types.h time.h unistd.h stdio.h \
sys/stat.h stddef.h stdlib.h netinet/in.h])
dnl Check for i18n support
XDT_I18N([])
dnl Check for required packages
XDT_CHECK_PACKAGE([GTK], [gtk+-2.0], [2.6.0])
XDT_CHECK_PACKAGE([GTHREAD], [gthread-2.0], [2.6.0])
XDT_CHECK_PACKAGE([LIBXFCE4UTIL], [libxfce4util-1.0], [4.3.90.2])
XDT_CHECK_PACKAGE([LIBXFCEGUI4], [libxfcegui4-1.0], [4.3.90.2])
XDT_CHECK_PACKAGE([LIBXFCE4PANEL], [libxfce4panel-1.0], [4.3.99.1])
dnl Check for debugging support
XDT_FEATURE_DEBUG()
AC_OUTPUT([
Makefile
po/Makefile.in
panel-plugin/Makefile
])
****************************
* panel-plugin/Makefile.am *
****************************
INCLUDES = \
-I$(top_srcdir) \
-DTHEMESDIR=\"$(datadir)/xfce4/my_example/icons\" \
-DPACKAGE_LOCALE_DIR=\"$(localedir)\" \
-DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"my_example\"
plugin_PROGRAMS = \
xfce4-my_example-plugin
plugindir = $(libexecdir)/xfce4/panel-plugins
xfce4_my_example_plugin_SOURCES = \
my_example_dat.h \
my_example_func.h \
my_example_images.h \
my_example_applet.c \
my_example.c \
my_example_processdata.c \
my_example_menu.c
xfce4_my_example_plugin_CFLAGS = \
$(LIBXFCE4PANEL_CFLAGS) \
$(LIBXFCEGUI4_CFLAGS) \
$(LIBXFCE4UTIL_CFLAGS) \
$(GTK_CFLAGS)
xfce4_my_example_plugin_LDADD = \
$(LIBXFCE4PANEL_LIBS) \
$(LIBXFCE4UTIL_LIBS) \
$(LIBXFCEGUI4_LIBS) \
$(GTK_LIBS)
desktopdir = $(datadir)/xfce4/panel-plugins
desktop_DATA = \
my_example.desktop
#INTLTOOL_DESKTOP_RULE#
EXTRA_DIST = \
my_example.desktop.in
CLEANFILES = \
$(desktop_DATA)
# vi:set ts=8 sw=8 noet ai nocindent syntax=automake:
I do have the right header files included in my source files in addition the source files compile fine before making the xfce4 related changes.
Makefile.am
xfce4_my_example_plugin_SOURCES = \
example_dat.h \
example_func.h \
example_images.h \
example_applet.c \
example.c \
example_processdata.c \
example_menu.c
From example_applet.c which is the first source file entered. Originally I only had "xfce4_my_example_plugin_SOURCES = example_applet.c" since the rest would be found through that file. It gave the same error.
#include <gtk/gtk.h>
#include <glib-object.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <libxfce4util/libxfce4util.h>
#include <libxfce4panel/xfce-panel-plugin.h>
#include <libxfce4panel/xfce-hvbox.h>
#include "example_dat.h" /* contains all structures */
#include "example_func.h" /* contains all function prototypes used in this program */
#include "example_images.h"
#include "example.c"
#include "example_processdata.c"
#include "example_menu.c"
/* register the xfce plugin */
XFCE_PANEL_PLUGIN_REGISTER_EXTERNAL(example_applet_fill);

Answer 1

It looks like I solved the problem. The build process for xfce is slightly different than what I am using to build the gnome panel applet.
For the gnome applet I use one source file to include all other source and header files.
In xfce it appears, after having looked over various plugin source trees, each source file includes the necessary headers, however none of the source files include other source files.
The fix was to not include any other source files at all and change each source file to include the header files.