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kst4contest/README.md
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Rsclub2_2 fe4215bce9 Remove JavaFX
The second half of Etappe 6 (61 commits). grep -rl "javafx\." over both main
source trees is empty, nothing imports javafx, neither classpath resolves it,
and org.openjfx is out of the build and the version catalog.

The finding that shaped the work: the JavaFX main window was built on every
start and never shown -- primaryStage's setScene and show were both commented
out. Most of those 11,655 lines were dead weight rather than a port. But not
all of them, and that is the trap this commit is really about: dead-looking
methods still fed live Compose sinks. They were cut at their seams instead of
deleted, and a sweep script that follows calls was written to find them,
because reading the code does not reveal them.

In order: the colour derivation frozen as checked-in test data, so the pin
survives JavaFX being removed instead of silently comparing against itself;
the live feeds lifted out of the never-shown window and given names and tests;
the dead scaffolding deleted in slices; then the lifecycle. UiDispatcher now
delivers to the AWT event dispatch thread, the ten Alerts are modal Compose
dialogs, HostServices gives way to java.awt.Desktop with the mailto/http split
JavaFX did not need, and extends Application, start(Stage), stop and launch are
gone -- main builds the runtime and a shutdown hook replaces stop().

An independent review found two deadlocks in that move, both the same failure
class, both invisible to the build: a blocking wait on the event thread for
work that can only advance on the event thread. The profile picker waited on a
latch and froze the client for good; ComposeWindowHost.close waited on
Thread.join and returned with the window still marked open, which made a
profile switch raise the dead runtime's window and leave the rebuilt profile
without its Connect button. A third came out of fixing them: a ComposeDialog
built off the event thread cannot create its GL context and never paints.

Three defects only a GUI run showed, never the build: an NPE on a deleted
field, a Compose menu still hanging on deleted MenuItems, and a category
bookkeeping field that looked dead but is read by the outgoing-message category
resolution -- deleting it would have sent messages in the wrong category.

The binding docs and the manual no longer describe a JavaFX client.
2026-10-05 22:36:01 +02:00

4.2 KiB
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KST4Contest

KST4Contest is a Java-based client for the ON4KST chat, developed for coordinated VHF, UHF and microwave contest operation.

The application is developed by Marc Fröhlich (DO5AMF) and since 2026 Philipp Wagner (DN9APW).

Start here

What KST4Contest does

KST4Contest combines the ON4KST chat with information that is useful when coordinating contacts during a contest.

Among other things, it can:

  • display and filter stations from the supported ON4KST chat categories;
  • derive band and frequency information from chat messages and station names;
  • maintain Worked and NOT QRV information for the available bands;
  • calculate station priorities from distance, activity and other available information;
  • manage internal skeds and received Win-Test skeds;
  • use AirScout information when evaluating possible aircraft-scatter contacts;
  • display stations, paths and additional propagation information on maps;
  • exchange information with supported logging programs, Win-Test, PSTRotator and a local DX Cluster interface;
  • provide configurable automatic replies for recurring chat requests.

Calculated scores, aircraft-scatter information and path assessments are operating aids. They depend on the available data and should not be treated as guarantees that a contact is possible.

Installation

Ready-to-use packages are available for Windows, Linux and macOS. These packages include the required Java runtime, so a separate Java installation is normally not necessary.

Use the central download page to select the appropriate build:

  • Stable is intended for normal contest operation.
  • Beta contains changes that are being prepared for a stable release.
  • Nightly contains the latest automated development build and is mainly intended for testing.

Open the download page

Documentation

The documentation is available in German and English:

The Markdown sources used for the wiki and the generated PDF manuals are stored in github_docs.

Changes to operating behaviour should be documented together with their purpose and limitations. This is especially important for functions whose result depends on external data, heuristics or information derived from chat messages.

Building from source

Building KST4Contest requires JDK 21. The Gradle Wrapper included in the repository should be used, so a separate Gradle installation is not required.

Linux and macOS:

./gradlew clean build

Windows:

.\gradlew.bat clean build

Repository structure

  • core/ – domain, controller and network code, free of user-interface technology
  • app-desktop/ – the Compose Multiplatform user interface and the packaging tasks
  • github_docs/ – German and English manual sources
  • website/ – project website sources
  • packaging/ – platform-specific packaging files

CI status

Documentation

Publish wiki

Docs PDF

Builds

Nightly Runtime Artifacts

License

KST4Contest is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.