GuiBuilderPlus [updated March 24, 2024]

[mLipok]

@jaberwacky 
Please take a look here.
 

Are you still going to create GUIBuilderNxt under your banner or can we consider the source here as the main one?

Can we go with the development of this program on GitHub, e.g. using the MIT license?

 

[kurtykurtyboy]

I wasn't aware that anyone was still developing GUIBuilderNxt since I hadn't seen any updates since 2016, or I might not have picked it up to bring back to life..
 

I'm not sure if this was directed towards me or jaberwacky specifically, but I wouldn't mind working out of GitHub. I already have a local git repository set up anyway - I just didn't think anyone would be interested enough to contribute.

[mLipok]

19 minutes ago, kurtykurtyboy said:

I wasn't aware that anyone was still developing GUIBuilderNxt since I hadn't seen any updates since 2016

I'm not suer if @jaberwacky is still developiong this program.
I just ask to be sure.

19 minutes ago, kurtykurtyboy said:

I'm not sure if this was directed towards me or jaberwacky specifically, but I wouldn't mind working out of GitHub. I already have a local git repository set up anyway - I just didn't think anyone would be interested enough to contribute.

Hope it will be possible to migrate your GIT to GitHub?

I think that it would be nice to have possibility to contribute, via GitHub
 

Edited May 24, 2022 by mLipok

[kurtykurtyboy]

A small but mighty update found in the first post. I spent a lot of time on the selection handles AKA grippies. Now when you select multiple controls either by drag-selecting or Ctrl+select, each selected control will show a set of grippies. Conversely, holding Ctrl and clicking on a control that is already selected will DEselect that control. There are a few things I'd like to iron out, such as scaling the controls proportionally when dragging to resize multiple controls, but overall I am quite happy with where it is at now. Selecting and interacting with controls is much more stable now as well.
Other than some miscellaneous bug fixes and maintenance items, you can now add menu items to the main menus. It is a little quirky and requires using the object explorer to add and delete items. But that was the best solution I could come up with without adding a ton more work.

• FIXED:    Array subscript error when closing tool windows.
• FIXED:    Multiple selection while holding Ctrl key now works properly.
• FIXED:    Save/load GUI height with menus
• ADDED:    Show grippies on each selected control! Each control object now has a built-in grippy object
• ADDED:    Menu items can now be added and removed from the object explorer only
• REMOVED:    Prompt to save to au3 file. User can always use File menu to save/export
• UPDATED:    modified the About dialog text for a more detailed description and naming history
• MAINT:    cleaned up more global variables
• MAINT:    made control selection much more robust and consistent
• Also added a link to the Github repo per the suggestion of @mLipok

Edited June 3, 2022 by kurtykurtyboy
Spelling

[mLipok]

2 hours ago, kurtykurtyboy said:

Also added a link to the Github repo per the suggestion of @mLipok

Github Repository:
https://github.com/KurtisLiggett/GuiBuilderPlus

[kurtykurtyboy]

Yes, the link is also at the very end of the first post. Maybe hard to see if you're not looking for it.

[mutleey]

I downloaded build 25 and it's giving the error "error: IsMap(): undefined function."

[argumentum]

4 hours ago, mutleey said:

"error: IsMap(): undefined function."

really ?. Use a newer version of AutoIt 

[kurtykurtyboy]

I thought I had gotten rid of all the maps, but I guess maybe I liked that one enough to leave it.. or maybe just too lazy to change it 😅

[argumentum]

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Title...........: _main
; Description.....: run the main program loop
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Func _main()
    GUISetState(@SW_SHOWNORMAL)

    While 1
        Sleep(100)
        ;
    WEnd
EndFunc   ;==>_main


;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Title...........: _onExitMain
; Description.....: Clean up and exit the program
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Func _onExitMain()
    GUIDelete()
    Exit
EndFunc   ;==>_onExitMain

..I know users should know what they are doing but the additions shown above are good to have.
Also, if you develop for HiDpi/Scale, you should test your code in those environments.

when AutoIt3 is not found, you can test for ConsoleWrite(@AutoItExe & @CRLF).

The X,Y for $hToolbar = GUICreate("Choose Control Type", ... is not good when first staring.

...and that's my 5 cents 

[kurtykurtyboy]

@argumentum Thanks I very much appreciate the feedback. That's the only way I know about issues unless I accidentally stumble upon them myself.

• I can't believe I missed the Sleep! - maybe because I've had an increased lack of sleep myself lately. 😏
• I'm not sure I am in complete agreement about the necessity of using GUIDelete before Exit as general practice, but the customer is always right so I will do it your way. 😜

Quote

Also, if you develop for HiDpi/Scale, you should test your code in those environments.

• Surely you aren't suggesting there are any issues with DPI scaling... Do you have any examples or screenshots?

Quote

when AutoIt3 is not found, you can test for ConsoleWrite(@AutoItExe & @CRLF).

• I'm not sure what mean. Could you elaborate?

Quote

The X,Y for $hToolbar = GUICreate("Choose Control Type", ... is not good when first staring.

• Someone just reported that on GitHub, so I've got a fix for it and was creating a new release right now. I will sneak in your above suggestions as well before releasing.

[argumentum]

3 minutes ago, kurtykurtyboy said:

when AutoIt3 is not found, you can test for ConsoleWrite(@AutoItExe & @CRLF).

sure. @AutoItExe is the executable, so it can be the AutoIt3.exe or CompiledScript.exe. if the user is using your uncompiled script from a portable setup, @AutoItExe is Autoit3(_x64).exe

5 minutes ago, kurtykurtyboy said:

Surely you aren't suggesting there are any issues with DPI scaling

I've got 2 PCs, each with dual monitors. I don't expect you to have such setup. I've fund a world of trouble with scaling and even to find a suitable font size.
I'm not sure that inviting the user to do scaling without a proportion based GUI is wise in the long run, ( and proportion based is explained in "Layout Specifications: Win32" ) but with regular monitors we are used pixel based GUIs and a multiplier may not be the best  way to  design a GUI with scaling, but I'm not sure yet. Don't quote me on that.

Above all, thank you for taking on this project. Is not a small thing  

PS: I'll put together a DLU based ( loosely based ) on a font. I'm working on it for a project. Maybe some one can make a nice UDF out of it, if it passes the "forum filter" of those that unlike me, know what they are doing😅

[kurtykurtyboy]

First post has been updated for v0.26 which includes a couple important bug fixes and a few new features.
 

What's changed?

• FIXED:    Window position bugs when no INI file. Also better handling of off-screen situations
• FIXED:    Primary and secondary mouse clicks not detected outside default area if GUI is resized
• ADDED:    Setting to create GUI as a function, called inside the main function
• ADDED:    Property to declare control as Global or Local
• ADDED:    Listview control
• ADDED:    IP Address control
• ADDED:    Changed code generation preview to Rich Text with syntax highlighting using RESH UDF by Beege (resize not yet working)
• UPDATED:    Updated menu layout - settings under tools, About under help, added online support
• UPDATED:    Added Sleep(100) to generated code While loop

[argumentum]

..actually https://autoit.de/thread/86505-guiscaler-guis-automatisch-zur-dpi-skalieren-lassen-windows-7-und-windows-10-per/ show to have a solution for the scaling.
My approach is quite complicated.

[argumentum]

30 minutes ago, kurtykurtyboy said:

I'm not sure what mean. Could you elaborate?

Global $au3InstallPath = @ProgramFilesDir & "\AutoIt3\AutoIt3.exe"
If Not FileGetSize($au3InstallPath) And Not @Compiled Then $au3InstallPath = @AutoItExe

..this is a better answer

[kurtykurtyboy]

...deleting my long-winded reason for the AU3 exe path. Thanks for the example, that makes a lot of sense now.

[kurtykurtyboy]

Believe it or not, I've tried going down the DPI rabbit hole before and ended up at that same German forum topic, but have not taken the time to look through the posted code yet.

Doesn't scaling the GUI have the side-effect of creating a proportional based GUI? How else do you achieve DPI awareness if you don't scale the GUI? If you let Windows do it, it gets all blurry.

Keep in mind, I'm only talking about System DPI awareness and not per-monitor awareness.

[argumentum]

1 minute ago, kurtykurtyboy said:

and not per-monitor awareness

..the world is going "per-monitor awareness", so that's what should be coded for and there is where a UDF would be needed for resizing all the controls or, count'em all reapply the resizing, resize them and reapply the original resizing. A UDF would be faster.

I'd keep the code generator simple ( without the GUI scaling ). In the long run, I believe that everyone ends up hand coding the GUI. Is easier to modify. At least that's me.
But code generators are very welcomed by those new at AutoIt. Hence the asking for the GuiDelete() or Sleep(100). A newbie will need it.

[kurtykurtyboy]

Quote

..the world is going "per-monitor awareness", so that's what should be coded for

Point taken.. I'm not old enough to be stuck in my ways. I poked around that UDF and can see how that would be a lot simpler/cleaner than the user manually scaling each control. The idea is you feed it all your controls and let the UDF do the resizing as needed.

I'm starting to see your point. If this is done via a UDF, then there is no point in scaling each control, which means I can remove that functionality from GuiBuilder, which means that picking up this project was pointless since that was my whole reason for starting this! You've now convinced me to quit.

Just kidding, I'll keep going. I've been growing quite fond of it as things become more and more stable.

 

Now to decide if that existing DPI UDF is good enough or if we need to enhance or improve it... but that's for another discussion I suppose.

[jaberwacky]

This is beautiful! Thank you.