AutoIt GUI Creators (Designers)

[TheDcoder]

39 minutes ago, DFerrato said:

I also believe (and i may be wrong) that the major guideline on the changes to be made could be discussed here

Yes, we can create a topic in the AutoIt Technical Forum to discuss major things .

 

I cannot contribute to the code because I already have too much to work on .

[DFerrato]

2 hours ago, TheDcoder said:

Yes, we can create a topic in the AutoIt Technical Forum to discuss major things .

 

I cannot contribute to the code because I already have too much to work on .

 

Thank you for your recommendation, I am going to visit that page

[TheSaint]

Work has progressed far enough, for me to feel happy creating an entry here, so GUIBuilder Project has been added to the first post in this topic.

It is a work in progress, solely by me at this point, TheSaint, but based on CyberSlug's original ... and later versions, that were updates by Roy, TheSaint & others.

I am dragging GuiBuilder, kicking & screaming, into the 2010's, to be reborn as GUIBuilder or even GUIBuilder Reborn perhaps.

Providing all goes to plan of course.

I have already fixed/improved a few issues, including upgrading 16 bit icons to 32 bit ones ... even if they do look a bit crappy now ... at least they work.

Edited January 19, 2017 by TheSaint

[Skeletor]

I've used the Form Builder and I must say its an awesome tool to use. However, once I got use to KODA, even the Autoit IDE Studio didn't have much on KODA. 
However, I would like the IDE Studio or Form Builder to rise above this. 

[ibrahem]

That is great 

Thanks 🌺 

[TheSaint]

A new and improved version of his The GuiBuilder Return by DFerrato, has been added to the GUI Creator list in the first post.

A new screenshot and download can be found at this post.

[matwachich]

Hi!

I'm very frustrated that there is no GUI builder really easy et appreciable to use for AutoIt.

I tried many of them :

• ISN is very slow and laggy
• Form Builder seemed excellent at first time, but also really buggy when you use it, and the code is SUPER MESSY (everything in one file, global variables everywhere...) and nearly impossible to enhance
• The only one that works well is Koda. But the problem is that when you modify something in your GUI, you must re-import and past it in your script.

What one needs, is something like ISN (I mean seamless integration with your script), but with the ease of use of Koda. Or a bug-free Form Builder.

All this to say that I have an idea, but I want to have your thoughts before starting work on this idea :

What about creating an UDF that will parse a KXF (Koda) file and handles all the creation of the GUI. Something like Glade for GTK+ (GtkBuilder).

Thanks

Edited October 6, 2019 by matwachich

[mLipok]

1 hour ago, matwachich said:

What about creating an UDF that will parse a KXF (Koda) file and handles all the creation of the GUI. Something like Glade for GTK+ (GtkBuilder).

Go for it.... do not hestitiate.

 

[DFerrato]

On 10/6/2019 at 4:48 PM, matwachich said:

Hi!

I'm very frustrated that there is no GUI builder really easy et appreciable to use for AutoIt.

I tried many of them :

• ISN is very slow and laggy
• Form Builder seemed excellent at first time, but also really buggy when you use it, and the code is SUPER MESSY (everything in one file, global variables everywhere...) and nearly impossible to enhance
• The only one that works well is Koda. But the problem is that when you modify something in your GUI, you must re-import and past it in your script.

What one needs, is something like ISN (I mean seamless integration with your script), but with the ease of use of Koda. Or a bug-free Form Builder.

All this to say that I have an idea, but I want to have your thoughts before starting work on this idea :

What about creating an UDF that will parse a KXF (Koda) file and handles all the creation of the GUI. Something like Glade for GTK+ (GtkBuilder).

Thanks

Hi

I tried the IDE Glade (http://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/binaries/win32/glade/3.14/)

i found interesting your point of view.

Yes, it is possible to translate the XML file produced by the Glade and convert it into autoit code.

But what would happen when we need a code AUTOIT CONVERTIT (created by another) to Glade XML format or .kXF Koda?.

Regards Daniel

 

[TheDcoder]

3 hours ago, DFerrato said:

Yes, it is possible to translate the XML file produced by the Glade and convert it into autoit code.

I think @matwachich was refering to the KXF files produced by koda, not the XML files produced by Glade

Glade is a GUI Designer for GTK+, and it is a lot different from WinAPI GUI (native) which is what AutoIt uses. To begin with, GTK+ doesn't use a coordinate based approach, it uses a layout based approach similar to HTML, it even has support for CSS! And also WinAPI doesn't provide all controls which GTK+ provides.

[matwachich]

On 10/8/2019 at 4:43 AM, TheDcoder said:

I think @matwachich was refering to the KXF files produced by koda, not the XML files produced by Glade

Glade is a GUI Designer for GTK+, and it is a lot different from WinAPI GUI (native) which is what AutoIt uses. To begin with, GTK+ doesn't use a coordinate based approach, it uses a layout based approach similar to HTML, it even has support for CSS! And also WinAPI doesn't provide all controls which GTK+ provides.

Totally true.

----

I also thought about making a GTK like layout system for AutoIt, but this is way TOO big work for my skills and my free time

Anyway, I made something similar but very simpler (search the forum for my Extended InputBox UDF)

Edited October 17, 2019 by matwachich

[TheDcoder]

5 hours ago, matwachich said:

I also thought about making a GTK like layout system for AutoIt, but this is way TOO big work for my skills and my free time

Same here! I actually began some work on a UDF which is supposed to make creation of GUIs more easier, the plan was to make it layout based (just like GTK, but I did not know about it back then) so that I don't have to keep updating coordinates whenever I need to extend the GUI

You can still find the work I started here: https://github.com/AutoIt4Life/GUIFrame/blob/master/GUIFrame.au3

6 hours ago, matwachich said:

Anyway, I made something similar but very simpler (search the forum for my Extended InputBox UDF) 

It was called "Advanced Input Box", not extended!

It is a very handy function that you have made, many scripters can make use of it. I see that you drew inspiration from IUP, I like IUP and use it a lot myself, it is one (and maybe only) of the sane libraries I have seen which can do cross-platform (native) GUIs in C

I recall that @Xandy might have also made a similar UDF to get different kinds of paramateres/configurations via a GUI.

[matwachich]

On 10/6/2019 at 10:28 PM, mLipok said:

Go for it.... do not hestitiate.

Here it is

[Dajax]

I found an old AutoEdit program after cataloging my old software  Dated 4/11/2001 .Version 2.51 of the Script Editor supports AutoIt version 2.51.

Not sure if this was Retail but it introduced me the first ~88  Autoit commands and had an GUI interface.

Made me love Autoit for sure

Can not find any reference to it so I created a .CHM help file from  WinHlp to show its features. ( or it had both)

Maybe related to your amazing history  TheSaint

AutoEdit.chm

[TheSaint]

36 minutes ago, Dajax said:

Maybe related to your amazing history

Thanks for sharing, and that certainly predates my use of AutoIt, and from what I recall, the ability to create a GUI with AutoIt.

So as such I imagine it would just a be GUI to compile AutoIt scripts, and not an actual GUI creator.

Do you have a screenshot you can post for us?

[Dajax]

It only used the "basic" functions. And yes a GUI to create script and compile.

"Could send more.  I always need more sometimes."

[TheSaint]

36 minutes ago, Dajax said:

And yes a GUI to create script and compile.

Goodo. Thanks.

So a GUI that creates scripts but not a creator of GUI.

[TheSaint]

Added GuiBuilderPlus by kurtykurtyboy to the first post, as an update to GUIBuilder. Its a new and improved version with more to come.

Can be found here, along with a screenshot.

[philpw99]

I admit ISN AutoIt Studio is a little buggy, but once you use more of it, you will find it easy to make multiple GUIs and change them easily later on.

For example I can have a test form like "test.isf". I can set it to "generate the GUI in a function", then put it into my program like:

#include xxx
mainloop

func mainloop()
    runTestGUI()
    ...
endfunc
...

func runTestGUI()
    $myGui = _test_form()  ; _test_form() is generated by ISN in "test.isf"
    guisetstate()
    ; Test Gui loop here
    ...
    guidelete($myGui)
endfunc

#include "test.isf"

The benefit is that now you can change the design by opening "test.isf" in a graphical design way. After you made all the changes, just save it, and the new design will immediately take  effect.

I can even test-run the form without running the whole program. It saves me lots of time.

So guys, please give ISN AutoIt studio a little more chances. The program itself is pretty ambitious.

[TheSaint]

@philpw99 - Great to see your inspiration at work.