How to develop a Horos/Osirix Plugin - new tutorial

Do you want to write an Horos/Osirix plugin? Basic tutorials you have found so far in the internet are confusing? Try this one!

Useful resources

Osirix plugins Github repository
OsiriX website
OsiriX plugin basics website
OsiriX plugin by osirixnewby
OsiriX plugin development tutorial by Kyung Hyun Sung
OsiriX ITK plugin development tutorial by Brian Jensen

Basic configuration

  1. Get a copy of Plugin Template from osirix plugin github repository.
  2. (Optional) Rename the plugin in XCode:
    • Project name on in the left panel.
    • Target name in the left panel of general setting of the projects.
    • In Build settings of the Target change product name.
    • Select class name in .h file, Edit->Refactor the name.
    • Replace all occurrences in xxx_Prefix.pch file and folder names.
    • Change name is Mange schemes.
    • Verify everything is working.
  3. In XCode click Edit Scheme. As executable choose Horos/Osirix (you can choose the one in Application directory).
  4. Go to Arguments, Arguments Passed on Launch and add
    --LoadPlugin $(BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR)/$(PRODUCT_NAME).$(WRAPPER_EXTENSION)
  5. Verify that everything is working.

ITK configuration

  1. (If you do not have ITK installed already).
    • In terminal navigate to the directory where you want to have ITK code, for example you can use ~ (your home directory) as <myCodeDir>. 
       cd <myCodeDir>  
 git clone git://itk.org/ITK.git  
 cd ITK  
 git checkout --track -b release origin/release
    • In CMake use source code directory <myCodeDir>/ITK and build the binaries directory you can use for example <myCodeDir>/ITK_bin. Configure. As generator for the project select Unix Makefiles. Uncheck Build_Tests. Select Module_ITKVtkGlue if you have VTK. Select Module_Revision if you want to use Elastix. Generate. 
       cd <myCodeDir>/ITK_bin  
 make
 sudo make install
  2. In your project in XCode rename your filter file extension to .mm.
  3. Create a symbolList file, and fill it with .objc_class_name_<myPluginFilter> . Replace <myPluginFilter> with your filter class name (see also OsirixPluginBasics).
  4. In build settings:
    • Set Other Linker Flags to -undefined dynamic_lookup -exported_symbols_list symbolList (see also OsirixPluginBasics).
    • Add ITK header paths. Check your ITK installation directory. If you did not change it during the ITK installation, it should be /usr/local. Go there to confirm (Command Shift G in Finder). Set Header Search Paths to /usr/local/include/ITK-4.12 or similar.
    • Add ITK library paths. Set Library Search Path to /usr/local/lib/. Add ITK library files (.a extension) to your project for example by dragging and dropping it from Finder.
  5. Add some ITK code to verify if everything works. For example code from here.

CorePlot

  1. (If you do not have CorePlot).
    • In terminal navigate to the directory where you want to have CorePlot code, for example you can use ~ (your home directory) as <myCodeDir>. 
       cd <myCodeDir>  
 git clone git@github.com:core-plot/core-plot.git  
 cd ITK  
 git checkout --track -b release origin/release-2.3
  2. Annoyingly, following CorePlot instructions does not do the job (XCode cannot localize CorePlot.h) as far as I tried it. To make CorePlot work you can try the following steps:
    • Open CorePlot project and build it. You can build Release version by Edit Scheme -> Build Configuration -> Deployment.
    • CorePlot is build to /core-plot/build/ folder. Drag and drop CorePlot.framework to your project opened in XCode. Select 'Copy files if needed'.
    • Add #import <CorePlot/CorePlot.h> in your code to verify everything works.
    • It is time to display something with CorePlot. Copy Controller.h and Controller.m from MinorTickLabels example in CorePlot.
    • If you are getting error messages about the code, update project setting to recommended by XCode and in Build settings set macos deployment target to a current one (for example 10.12).
    • Create a new window xib, call it Window.xib. Add a Custom View. Set the Custom View class to CPTGraphHostingView.
    • Add following lines to your plugin: 
        NSWindowController *mywindow = [[NSWindowController alloc] initWithWindowNibName:@"Window" owner:self];
  [mywindow showWindow:self];
    • Still in xib editor, add a new object and set its class to Controller.
    • In connections inspector connect hostView outlet to the Custom View.
    • Everything should compile but you can run into a problem with loading your plugin Library not loaded, Reason: image not found. In build settings set Runpath search paths to LD_RUNPATH_SEARCH_PATHS = @loader_path/../Frameworks. In build phases add New copy files phase using + at the top of the screen. Change Destination to Frameworks and drag and drop CorePlot.framework from the left panel.

Troubleshooting

Typeinfo file not found

Error: ` /usr/local/include/ITK-4.12/itkMacro.h:45:10: ‘typeinfo’ file not found ` Solution: change file extension from .m to .mm

[top]