ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting - Software News - News

Software News : ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting

Posted by broadblues on 2012/7/27 18:55:47 (2912 reads) News by the same author

I'm pleased to announce the release of my new application,
ProAction!

It's purpose is to provide script authors with a mechanism for creating GUIs based on the Reaction / BOOPSI toolkit. (Hence the name, sorry bad pun )

It's uses an unique two way ARexx system, with the script sending commands to ProAction, and ProAction sending commands back to the script to reflect the user interaction with the GUI. As such it can be used via any scripting language that can send ARexx commands an supports creating an ARexx port, eg python using the arexx.so module, or ARexx (with rexxsupport.library).

The inetrface builds up the GUI with commands very similar to the underlying Intuition commands and uses a TagList based system. There are something in excess of 1500 tags defined in the system includes (not all GUI related) and ProAction will support as many as possble, but it's quite abig job!

Currently the tags for

window.class
gadget.class
image.class

layout.gadget
string.gadget
integer.gadget
button.gadget
checkbox.gadget

label.image

are supported.

Resized Image Here's a GUI created with ProAction.

ProAction is in the upoad queue at os4depot at the moment, in the mean time read the online docs:>ProAction Docs

The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.

Author	Thread
cha05e90	Published: 2012/7/27 19:43 Updated: 2012/7/27 19:43
Quite a regular Joined: 03/10/2009 From: Germany Comments: 651	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Wow! Thanks!

kas1e	Published: 2012/7/27 20:43 Updated: 2012/7/27 21:06
Home away from home Joined: 09/11/2007 From: Russia Comments: 9109	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Strange that so little comment so far, as seems not everyone understand how good and necessary such kind of software is it. I feel that while Andy works on sketchblock, he will fill all the other gaps in all the areas. Big fat +1 from me and donation done (as everyone else should do).

nubechecorre	Published: 2012/7/27 21:21 Updated: 2012/7/27 21:21
Just can't stay away Joined: 11/24/2006 From: Sanremo Comments: 1899	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting ok don't shoot at me but i do not fully understand what it does.. It creates gui using arexx language?..

kas1e	Published: 2012/7/27 21:31 Updated: 2012/7/27 21:33
Home away from home Joined: 09/11/2007 From: Russia Comments: 9109	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Quote: ok don't shoot at me but i do not fully understand what it does.. It creates gui using arexx language?.. Can be any scripting language: python , perl and anything else which just can send arexx commands and make own arexx port. I.e. arexx commands are as basis, but can be used from any scripting language with which you familiar. Right now python, perl, arexx! can be used, but i assume other ones can be easy to add. In other words, you for example want to make some programm with gui, but do not want to write all that reaction-based gui code, but you still want fast, good and native gui (just like you write all from scratch, without any "alien" look and feel) - and there is Andy's work can help.

eliyahu	Published: 2012/7/27 22:07 Updated: 2012/7/27 22:07
Not too shy to talk Joined: 06/17/2010 From: Waterbury, Connecticut (USA) Comments: 427	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting this is exactly what i asked steve solie for last year at amiwest. having two scripting systems in amigaOS (REXX and python) is terrific, but there were no reaction bindings. and this is an especially elegant solution. a huge thanks, andy! i'll give this a spin this weekend and try to give some feedback. -- eliyahu

broadblues	Published: 2012/7/27 22:27 Updated: 2012/7/27 22:34
Home away from home Joined: 12/04/2006 From: Comments: 2371	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting "this is exactly what i asked steve solie " Glad to give you want wanted even if you got it from me instead I may have found an issue with usng it from python though, python is rejecting it's ARexx messages. ProAction uses arexx.class for the arexx support, one of python arexx.so or arexx.class appears to have bug. My bet is on arexx.class. If it is I'll have to use arexx.class for incoming and do the outgoing by hand. (after reporting the bug ofcouse) [edit] It would appear that it may be python as it rejects messages sent from another python arexx port too... [/edit]

samo79	Published: 2012/7/28 1:54 Updated: 2012/7/28 1:56
Home away from home Joined: 12/02/2006 From: Italy, Perugia Comments: 3786	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting It look like Emperor but maybe even better http://os4depot.net/index.php?functio ... pment/guitool/emperor.lha Still very intersting, i always plan to add a small GUI for DCRaw but i was always blocked by my nearly to zero knowledge about programming .. maybe this new tool by Andy can simplify my project

broadblues	Published: 2012/7/28 3:47 Updated: 2012/7/28 3:47
Home away from home Joined: 12/04/2006 From: Comments: 2371	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting It looks nothing like Emperor, Emperor seems to be a GUI for generating C code, for reaction GUIs and other stuff. ProAction allows script authoras to to write GUIs in ARexx or python or any language... Totally different things.

broadblues	Published: 2012/7/28 4:01 Updated: 2012/7/28 4:01
Home away from home Joined: 12/04/2006 From: Comments: 2371	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting I just uploaded version 1.2 which works arround an issue with python. A python example is in the works ....

gregthecanuck	Published: 2012/7/28 4:12 Updated: 2012/7/28 4:12
Just popping in Joined: 12/05/2006 From: Vancouver, Canada Comments: 192	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Sweet! Dynamic UI generation will come in handy for many chores!

cha05e90	Published: 2012/7/28 17:49 Updated: 2012/7/28 17:49
Quite a regular Joined: 03/10/2009 From: Germany Comments: 651	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Just played a littlebit with it - very, very nice! Just some remarks: - Some more standalone (i.e. non-SketchBlock) examples would be a nice addition (ARexx, Python, Perl). - I tried to start ProAction from within user-startup, but that failed. I already have an "ARexx server start" block inside my user-startup which for example starts the ARexx XML server (ARexxXML). It would be handy to start ProAction at the very same place.

broadblues	Published: 2012/7/28 20:13 Updated: 2012/7/28 20:13
Home away from home Joined: 12/04/2006 From: Comments: 2371	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Quote: Just played a littlebit with it - very, very nice! Thanks. Quote: - Some more standalone (i.e. non-SketchBlock) examples would be a nice addition (ARexx, Python, Perl). Yes more examples are needed. I've got a python one i the works, again a SketchBlock related one, but after that I'll write some generic examples. Quote: - I tried to start ProAction from within user-startup, but that failed. I already have an "ARexx server start" block inside my user-startup which for example starts the ARexx XML server (ARexxXML). It would be handy to start ProAction at the very same place. Can you tell me how you started it, and how it failed? Did it crash? Hang?

cha05e90	Published: 2012/7/28 21:09 Updated: 2012/7/28 21:09
Quite a regular Joined: 03/10/2009 From: Germany Comments: 651	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Quote: Can you tell me how you started it, and how it failed? Did it crash? Hang? No, no, it behaves nicely! I must admit that I didn't really put to much afford into "debugging", but it seems that it just doesn't start. The line in my user-startup says: run >NIL: Work:Development/ProAction/ProAction After Workbench comes up Ranger reports no "ProAction" and no "PROACTION" ARexx port. Double clicking it's icon afterwards starts ProAction normally, so I assume ProAction needs some enviroment that isn't there during user-startup execution time (ports? libs? tasks?). RexxMast should be up and running at that time 'cos it is started before user-startup.

jaokim	Published: 2012/7/29 12:35 Updated: 2012/7/29 12:35
Just popping in Joined: 07/30/2007 From: Sweden Comments: 192	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting This is great! Been thinking about this myself, and this truly seems easy, yet powerful! Keep it up!

xenic	Published: 2012/7/29 17:51 Updated: 2012/7/29 17:51
Just can't stay away Joined: 01/06/2008 From: Pennsylvania, USA Comments: 1356	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting @chao5e90 Quote: After Workbench comes up Ranger reports no "ProAction" and no "PROACTION" ARexx port. I added ProAction to the end of my user-startup and Ranger shows a "PROACTION" port after booting. I tried to make it fail by commenting out the RexxMast startup line in the startup-sequence but that didn't work. I did get some ARexx related messages in consoles after WorkBench started but Ranger showed the ARexx ports and ProAction port being present. I'm guessing that some program in the OS startup launches RexxMast even if it's not started in the startup-sequence. Maybe there is some sort of conflict between your ARexx XML server and ProAction.

cha05e90	Published: 2012/7/29 18:51 Updated: 2012/7/29 18:52
Quite a regular Joined: 03/10/2009 From: Germany Comments: 651	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting @xenic Mysterious... In the meantime I disabled the ARexxXML server and moved the "run...ProAction" to the end of the user-startup - but no avail, it doesn't seem to run anywhere. I even redirected any output from ProAction itself into a file, but it says only "[CLI3]" which indicates that it is somehow started as an CLI process during user-startup execution...but it doesn't survive Workbench launch... sigh

jaokim	Published: 2012/7/29 19:08 Updated: 2012/7/29 19:08
Just popping in Joined: 07/30/2007 From: Sweden Comments: 192	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting Doesn't [CLI3] only means that Run started a CLI process (number 3) and tried to start ProAction? Trying with: "run somethingthatdoesntexist" I also get a "[CLIX]", followed by "somethingthatdoesntexist: unknown command" Could it be that ProAction isn't found correctly? Is it in path, or do you use APPDIR:? Does it start if you "execute S:user-statup" manually in a CLI?

cha05e90	Published: 2012/7/29 19:35 Updated: 2012/7/29 19:35
Quite a regular Joined: 03/10/2009 From: Germany Comments: 651	Re: ProAction - ARexx GUIServer for scripting @joakim Yes, no, yes (but), full (correct) path (=no), yes. I just investigated some more and, hey, it works now. But don't ask me why, I don't know. I moved my ARexx server start block to the end of the user-startup again and now the CLI process survives the startup - it shows up in Ranger and Scout and the ARexx port is there. ? It puzzles me, 'cos I really would like to know why it didn't work in the first time. Outsourcing the ProAction start into an own start script, completlely disabling WBStartup stuff etc. didn't make a difference... As I said...mysterious...