Gtkdialog Development

[thunor]

Added a fontbutton widget

Widget reference: fontbutton widget
Example: examples/fontbutton/fontbutton

[thunor]

Added "activate" action function

Example: examples/miscellaneous/activate
Description: Allows activation of compatible widgets programatically in a similar way to the user pressing Enter on a focused widget. Can be used as a shortcut for changing the state of toggling widgets, executing the code attached to another widget to eliminate code duplication, activating invisible/insensitive widgets and likely lots of other things I haven't thought of yet.

[zigbert]

Added "activate" action function

Wonderful!!!
This will for sure be useful.


Sigmund

[zigbert]

Is it possible to add mouse-right-click to <table> widget?


Sigmund

[thunor]

Is it possible to add mouse-right-click to <table> widget?


Sigmund

I'm guessing that you want to modify the behaviour of the widget beyond that which the gtk developers have allowed, so maybe if you state what exactly you want to happen on right-click then I could research that.

[thunor]

Fixed button image with label alignment

Widget reference: button widget
Example: examples/button/button_image_horizontal_alignment
Description: Images with labels are now centred by default as you'd expect from a stock button, but I've offered an additional method of packing them uniformly with homogeneous="true" declared within the button tag.

[technosaurus]

Is it possible to add mouse-right-click to <table> widget?


Sigmund

would that just be (an event box?), button-press-event and a check to see which button? If so, may as well add middle and scrolls.

[zigbert]

I like the button label/image alignment - always been a struggle to get around this .... Thank you.

When is comes to mouse-right-click in <table>, I think of some similar to <tree><action signal="button-release-event">. My intention is to build a right-click menu in the Pmusic left-pane. Today, <table> is the only widget that renders fast enough for huge amount of data. But (compared to <tree>), it lack fetaures like signals, icons and sort when click on column-header.

In addition to a right-click menu, <action signal=...> is the way I move items in playlist.


Sigmund

[BarryK]

gtkdialog is getting so powerful!

What you guys need now is a GUI layout designer, that presents all the features/options in a GUI and generates XML.

Like the RAD Tool that alexfish, vovchik and others are developing for BaCon:

http://basic-converter.proboards.com/in ... board=code

...hmmm, I wonder if that could be adapted as a RAD tool for gtkdialog?

[zigbert]

The <input> doesn't like files that are written to - see example. Doesn't matter if using <input>command or <input file>
The <entry> does not refresh each second.
My feeling says that this issue has become worse in the 0.8.1 branch. It is the same problem for <checkbox> (I haven't tested more).

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash

echo false > /tmp/TestExit

functionA (){
	while [ "$(</tmp/TestExit)" != "true" ]; do
		date > /tmp/test
	done
}

functionA &

echo '<vbox>
 <timer><action>refresh:ENTRY</action></timer>
 <entry><variable>ENTRY</variable><input file>/tmp/test</input></entry>
</vbox>' | gtkdialog -s

echo true > /tmp/TestExit

[technosaurus]

The image auto-refresh could just as easily be applied to any tag that reads a file. BTW,I used inotify directly because puppy has had issues with gio due to interconnection with gvfs and/or dbus, but I don't specifically know that it won't work.

[thunor]

The <input> doesn't like files that are written to - see example. Doesn't matter if using <input>command or <input file>
The <entry> does not refresh each second.
My feeling says that this issue has become worse in the 0.8.1 branch. It is the same problem for <checkbox> (I haven't tested more).

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash

echo false > /tmp/TestExit

functionA (){
	while [ "$(</tmp/TestExit)" != "true" ]; do
		date > /tmp/test
	done
}

functionA &

echo '<vbox>
 <timer><action>refresh:ENTRY</action></timer>
 <entry><variable>ENTRY</variable><input file>/tmp/test</input></entry>
</vbox>' | gtkdialog -s

echo true > /tmp/TestExit

That's an interesting problem.

The gtkdialog function that reads the file and sets the text is fill_entry_by_file .

I placed some test messages into the function so I can see why it's not updating: the file /tmp/test always opens for reading but it hasn't always got something in it. Ocassionally there will be the date inside it but the majority of the time it's empty. So why would that be the case? I'm guessing that /tmp/test is being recreated very speedily by functionA and when the timer refreshes ENTRY once per second, it opens it for reading but it's just been recreated so it's empty. In fact you can see this behaviour by placing <action>echo tick; cat /tmp/test</action> immediately following the <timer> tag.

You can solve this by placing "sleep 1" or "sleep 0.5" inside functionA.

So I can confirm that the timer is ticking every second and that the file is being opened for reading every second but the file is mostly empty so the entry widget isn't being written to which causes it to appear stuck at the last date/time.

The checkbox: can you give me an an example please and I'll look into it. The example I wrote based on your method here, which you said remove <action>if true refresh:chkSwitch</action> from the checkbox because the timer will do it, well that can cause the checkbox to be stuck to true so if you're using that method somewhere then you're going to have problems with it.

[thunor]

Sigmund

Here's a version of the conditional widget refreshing method that I've been using in my PlayMusic example application. It refreshes on the toggle and you write the inverse of the checkbox's current state to the input file so it doesn't require resetting.

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

GTKDIALOG=gtkdialog

export TMPDIR=/tmp/gtkdialog/examples/"$(basename $0)"
mkdir -p "$TMPDIR"

echo false > "$TMPDIR"/chkCheck

export MAIN_DIALOG='
<window title="Conditional Widget Refreshing">
	<vbox>
		<hbox>
			<timer>
				<action>refresh:chkCheck</action>
			</timer>
			<checkbox sensitive="false">
				<variable>chkCheck</variable>
				<input file>'"$TMPDIR"'/chkCheck</input>
				<action>refresh:entDate</action>
			</checkbox>
		</hbox>
		<entry editable="false">
			<variable>entDate</variable>
			<input>date</input>
		</entry>
		<button>
			<label>"Write the inverse of the checkbox'"'"'s current state to its input
file causing it to refresh the date and time via the timer."</label>
			<action>"if [ $chkCheck = true ]; then
						echo false > '"$TMPDIR"'/chkCheck
					else
						echo true > '"$TMPDIR"'/chkCheck
					fi"</action>
		</button>
		<hseparator></hseparator>
		<hbox homogeneous="true" space-expand="false" space-fill="false">
			<button use-stock="true" label="gtk-quit"></button>
		</hbox>
	</vbox>
</window>
'

case $1 in
	-d | --dump) echo "$MAIN_DIALOG" ;;
	*) $GTKDIALOG --space-expand=true --space-fill=true --program=MAIN_DIALOG ;;
esac

[smokey01]

Thunor is there an IDE tool/interface for developing gtkdialog code similar to glade?

I really struggle sometimes although there is a lot of good advice here?

I see Barry is asking for the same tools a couple of posts back.

It would be great.

[zigbert]

Thunor
The issue with <checkbox> is similar to the <entry> - You can't actually rely on that it refreshes EVERY time.

Code: Select all

echo false > /tmp/TestExit
echo > /tmp/test

functionA (){
	while [ "$(</tmp/TestExit)" != "true" ]; do
		echo true > /tmp/test
	done
}

functionA &

echo '<vbox>
 <timer><action>refresh:CHK</action></timer>
 <checkbox><variable>CHK</variable><input file>/tmp/test</input><action>if true echo false > /tmp/test</action><action>refresh:CHK</action></checkbox>
</vbox>' | gtkdialog -s

echo true > /tmp/TestExit 

This is no big issue, and I guess we talk about complexity when this troubles in 'real' code (and not a built example). It hit badly in pMuisc because the refreshing of Trackinfo uses the same <checkbox> for all trackinfo items. And pMusic won't wait until all items are found until it refreshes. When lyrics is found - refresh. When metainfo is found - refresh. and so on... It might happen that input file are written to at the same time as it tries to read from it. Here follows the refresh-code for trackinfo.

Code: Select all

<timer visible="false" milliseconds="true" interval="'$UPDATE_INTERVAL_TRACKINFO'">
 <variable>TRACKINFO_TIMER</variable>'
 <action>refresh:UPDATE_TRACKINFO</action>
</timer>
<togglebutton visible="false">
 <variable>UPDATE_TRACKINFO</variable>
 <input>cat '$WORKDIR'/UPDATE_TRACKINFO</input>
 <action>if true refresh:ID3_ARTIST</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ID3_TITLE</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ID3_ALBUM</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ID3_YEAR</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ID3_TRACK</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ID3_GENRE</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ICON_ID3_ARTIST</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ICON_ID3_TITLE</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ICON_ID3_ALBUM</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ICON_ID3_YEAR</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ICON_ID3_TRACK</action>
 <action>if true refresh:TXT_ID3_INFO</action>
 <action>if true refresh:EDIT_LYRICS</action>
 <action>if true refresh:LYRICS_SOURCE</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ALBUMART</action>
 <action>if true refresh:ALBUMART_SOURCE</action>
 <action>if true refresh:EDIT_ALBUM</action>
 <action>if true refresh:EDIT_DISCOGRAPHY</action>
 <action>if true refresh:TREE_URLS</action>
 <action>if true refresh:RATING</action>
 <action>if true refresh:STREAMINFO</action>
 <action>if true echo false > '$WORKDIR'/UPDATE_TRACKINFO</action>
 <action>if true refresh:UPDATE_TRACKINFO</action>
</togglebutton>

I have made some extras in pMusic to overcome this issue. It now very seldom occur.
- For some reason <input>cat works better than <input file>
- Ensure to kill already running trackinfo processes and set input file to false before EVERY trackinfo start. It happens more often if clicking rapidly on tracks and open/closing the trackinfo gui
- Use <togglebox> instead of <checkbox> (I assume it should be faster)

[thunor]

The issue with <checkbox> is similar to the <entry> - You can't actually rely on that it refreshes EVERY time.
...
I have made some extras in pMusic to overcome this issue. It now very seldom occur.
- For some reason <input>cat works better than <input file>
...

I tried other widgets such as edit and text and the same thing happened so if the input file is being updated regularly then developers will have to accept that there could be conflicts depending on the frequency.

You can duplicate this behaviour by running these two lines in separate terminals:

Code: Select all

while [ true ]; do date > /tmp/test; sleep 0.1; done

while [ true ]; do echo /tmp/test="`cat /tmp/test`"; sleep 1; done

If you increase "sleep 0.1" more and more towards 1 then you'll experience fewer errors.

Everybody's going to have to design around minimising conflicts because otherwise I'm going to have to offer file locking.

Anyway, it's good that you have worked around it for pMusic

[8-bit]

In the example /usr/share/doc/gtkdialog/examples/text/text_advanced, how would one get fileselect to display the contents of the file selected in the txt0 windows instead of just the file name with path of the file?
I am open to a how to from anyone on how to do this.

[thunor]

Thunor is there an IDE tool/interface for developing gtkdialog code similar to glade?

I really struggle sometimes although there is a lot of good advice here?

I see Barry is asking for the same tools a couple of posts back.

It would be great.

Gtkdialog-IDE

Gtkdialog apps are quite oftenly constructed using shell script so you may as well use Geany and get stuck in writing by hand from the outset. If you want to see what it looks like just run it

[smokey01]

Thunor is there an IDE tool/interface for developing gtkdialog code similar to glade?

I really struggle sometimes although there is a lot of good advice here?

I see Barry is asking for the same tools a couple of posts back.

It would be great.

Gtkdialog-IDE

Gtkdialog apps are quite oftenly constructed using shell script so you may as well use Geany and get stuck in writing by hand from the outset. If you want to see what it looks like just run it

I have already looked at Gtkdialog-IDE and its not as intuitive as I would like.
I am currently using Geary to write bash and gtkdialog but I was hoping to find something that would help me develop scripts much faster.

Thanks

[thunor]

Added a terminal widget

Widget reference: terminal widget
Example: examples/terminal/terminal
Description: A VteTerminal widget that requires libvte support be built into gtkdialog at compile time although it's not mandatory.

You're going to need to know which version of gtk+ and glib you're running on your computer so that you can download the correct version of libvte. "pkg-config --modversion gtk+-2.0" will assist you with gtk+ and for glib use "pkg-config --modversion glib-2.0". I'm using lupu 520 and I discovered that I needed vte-0.27.2 by trial and error, but I have some information that might assist you:

The last version supporting GTK_REQUIRED=2.14.0 with GLIB_REQUIRED=2.22.0 is vte-0.24.3

The last version supporting GTK_REQUIRED=2.20.0 with GLIB_REQUIRED=2.22.0 is vte-0.27.2 (suitable for lupu 520)

The last version supporting GTK_REQUIRED=2.20.0 with GLIB_REQUIRED=2.26.0 is vte-0.28.2

vte-0.29.0 and above are for gtk+3.

You can locate GTK_REQUIRED and GLIB_REQUIRED in "configure.in" within the libvte package.

Within gtkdialog's configure.in I have set the minimum version of libvte to be 0.24.3, but if you need to go back further than that then change it to the version that you've downloaded and let me know and I'll update the code. You're going to want to run "make clean && make" after editing configure.in to be certain everything is up-to-date.

Compiling and Installing libvte
It's the usual "./configure --prefix=/usr && make && make install". It'll install lots of "vte-0.0.mo" files into /usr/share/locale so you might want to be selective about those, and docs into /usr/share/gtk-doc/html/vte-0.0 which is 556kB you can purge there, or make your own pet package or get someone else to do it The Beyond Linux From Scratch page for libvte has some interesting configure options.