I need to create a customized graphical flowchart builder. There are only three classes of connectable components, and two kinds of connectors from which the flowchart is constructed. Each component and connector class, though, needs to have a tailored set of properties associated with the instances of their class.
So I'm looking for a "flowchart builder" builder that lets me configure the types of components, the associated properties, and has all the plumbing already in place to handle drag/drop, resizing, drawing, connecting, load/save, and so on.
Ideally the resulting application would save diagrams in an XML-based format, but anything parsable would be fine.
Dia has the capabilities I'm looking for, however, customizing it for a new type of diagram requires coding up the specifics of the component set. I'm looking for something that on a much shorter timeframe constructs a flowchart application ideally based on the content of component and connector configuration definitions.
If you want to use Dia: It might not be necessary to "code" your components. Maybe you can simply "draw" them:
http://dia-installer.de/howto/create_shape/index.html.en
Such shapes can also be equipped with attributes (you'll have to do some XML-Editing for this):
http://git.gnome.org/browse/dia/tree/doc/custom-shapes#n260
I'm not sure if you were aware of this information.
Related
TL;DR: I'd like to have a tool that receives an RESTful schema as input and provides a pyqt dialog/UI as output. Preferably with automatic submission/validation.
I'm working on a PyQt5 application that interacts with a remote Django server using django-rest-framework.
I find that I define most of my models/views/serializers quite quickly as they neatly extend one another. After writing a proper model, generating serializer and view is very easy and I end up with fully functioning server-side fast.
The client/GUI side is a different matter. I have to define the available fields again, their type and order. I have to define widgets for viewing a single object and a list of objects. I have to define edit interfaces and handle permissions.
This all seems like it could use some sort of automation.
Ideally, I could point a smart widget or form to a REST endpoint, and it'll automatically fetch the schema and allowed actions. Automatically create a GUI and the necessary error handling.
Ideally, this shouldn't depend on server side technology, and simply use a schema.
I've googled and couldn't find anything like that. Can someone point me at something similar? Is there a deeper issue with creating such a tool I'm missing?
Thanks!
I'm creating a bukkit plugin that's making a world in Minecraft outside the ordinary and that includes having NPCs (bots) entities that look like actually players and not villagers. I've already got the bots working programming wise but I want to have each bot have a different skin based upon it's name. Can I do this with maybe a resource pack or something? currently they take the names of Minecraft players with the same name but I'd like to override this.
TL;DR
Can I change the appearance of player entities by name with:
a Resourcepack?
a server side command?
playerConnection.sendPacket?
This is currently not possible without modifications to the client. If you want to, you can use Spoutcraft, but this requires users of the plugin to have the Spoutcraft launcher for the textures to show correctly.
There's no way to do this with the vanilla client, however, short of buying a bunch of Minecraft accounts and assigning them appropriate skins.
You should try out the DisguiseCraft plugin for a quick fix. DisguiseCraft is currently available on the Bukkit website. Do keep in mind that it also requires ProtocolLib to function properly, and you will need to have both installed on your server. You may find a link for ProtocolLib through the DisguiseCraft page. I currently use the two on my server and have had no issues with functionality.
If you would prefer a more direct approach however, since you are coding your own plugin, consider looking over the Lib's Disguises Developer API. Like DisguiseCraft, it too requires ProtocolLib, but the source for Lib's is publicly available and is intended to target developers. Just like DisguiseCraft, you may find a link for ProtocolLib through the Lib's page.
I am not fluent in UML, but I would like to create a class diagram based on existing C++ code. Other StackOverflow questions have indicated that two programs - Enterprise Architect and Rational Software Architect - are fairly good at "reverse engineering" C++ code (i.e., creating UML class diagrams based on existing C++ code).
I have downloaded the trial version for both of these applications. However, I cannot make any headway into understanding what to do to create a class diagram in either of these applications.
In Rational Software Architect, I have created a UML project, but I cannot find any way within the program to select, and reverse engineer, my existing C++ code.
In Enterprise Architect, I was able to import my C++ code, but all the elements (classes) appeared in a useless, overlapping diagonal line within the diagram. I attempted other settings, such as circle, but these were equally impossible to read because the diagrams were so large (due to the attributes and methods taking up alot of space) that no amount of panning and zooming was useful. What I would like is to hide everything except the class names (i.e., not display any methods or attributes) so that all 20 classes appear conveniently and legibly in one screen.
However, I am unable to find a way to hide everything except the class names. Rather, when I found an option (in Enterprise Architect) that seemed like it might hide everything but the class names, for some reason the elements all vanished in the class diagram, and no amount of repeating the steps & deleting and re-adding packages made the class diagram reappear.
Note: My C++ code (at least those files I selected for import into Enterprise Architect) amount to only about 20 classes.
Sadly, a very careful search of the documentation for both of these programs provides only generalities - no specific instructions are given regarding reverse engineering for either of these programs, so far as I could find.
I would be grateful if someone could tell me the basic steps to create a legible, easy-to-navigate diagram via. reverse engineering (i.e., C++-to-UML) that shows only the class names, so that about 20 classes fit (legibly) on one screen, using either Enterprise Architect, or Rational Software Architect - OR any other tool whatsoever that is capable of doing this (I suggest EA and Rational only because they have been highlighted in other StackOverflow answers as the best programs available for this purpose).
This answer applies to EA.
You can import individual files or whole directories, recursively or no. Directory import is by far the most common case; single file import does not allow you to create a diagram automatically.
When you import a source directory, you have the option of creating diagrams for each UML package, or no diagrams at all. You also decide whether to create packages for each source code directory, namespace (default) or file.
If your code constists of only 20 classes then it's likely they're in a single directory and/or namespace, so play around with that option (Package Structure in the Import Source dialog) to get the right number of diagrams.
In the same dialog, there's a button "New Diagram Options," which opens another config dialog where you can choose whether the diagrams should contain the classes' attributes and/or operations. You can also make the decision on a visibility basis, eg show public members only.
This dialog only affects what's shown in the diagrams when they are created. The members are still imported, just not displayed. This sounds like what you're after.
You can change the display options for any diagram by double-clicking an empty area of it, or right-clicking and selecting Properties. It sounds like you got into this dialog and changed something around, but I can't really tell what. The situation you describe, where you can't get the display back the way it was, is not one I've ever encountered in EA.
It is also possible to select display options on a per-class basis by right-clicking it in the diagram and selecting Feature Visibility. I don't recommend you use this in reverse-engineered diagrams, I'm just mentioning it for completeness.
The layout you describe, with all classes in a meaningless diagonal, suggests to me that the diagram isn't being laid out properly after creation. The diagram creation is a two-step process; first all the classes are dropped onto it, then the layout is applied.
This is strange, as EA automatically lays out generated diagrams and I haven't been able to find an option which allows you to deselect this behaviour. If this persists, send a bug report to Sparx Systems. You can always lay out the diagram by opening it and selecting Layout Diagram from the top-level Diagram menu.
If, finally, your classes are spread out among different packages and namespaces so that EA generates multiple diagrams for them, you'll have to merge them manually. Do this by opening both diagrams, selecting all (Ctrl-A) in one, copying (Ctrl-C) and pasting (Ctrl-V) into the other, then ask EA to Layout Diagram again.
So:
Right-click an empty package in the project browser, select Code Engineering - Import Source Directory.
In the dialog, select the root directory and source type.
Tick "Create Logical Diagram for Each Package" and select the Package Structure which best fits your source structure.
Click "New Diagram Options" and in the new dialog untick "Show Attributes," "Show Operations" and "Show Property Methods" if applicable.
OK both dialogs.
If multiple diagrams have been created, copy all classes into a single diagram.
If the layout looks bad, select Diagram - Layout Diagram.
Hope this helps.
Historically operating system directory-structures have been trees:
C:
Windows
System32
Program Files
Common Files
Internet Explorer
And the REST architecture emulates the same thing:
http://...//Thomas/
http://...//Thomas/Mexico/Year2003/Photos
http://...//Thomas/Mexico/Year2007/Photos
http://...//Thomas/Finland/Year2005/Photos
http://...//Thomas/Finland/Year2010/Photos
http://...//Thomas/Finland/Year2010/Videos
http://...//Thomas/USA/Year2005/Photos
But, looking the current structure, I need to make searches:
All pictures that are not from
Finland?
All pictures taken in 2005?
All pictures in timeline?
It is not efficient to do a REST-interface with every tree-hierarchy combinations. You need more efficient information management; you need an attribute-system rather than a tree-structure.
(Oh, why the operating systems are not based on attributes?)
StackOverflow and Google seem to use attributes and syntax with "+"-marks like:
http://www.stackoverflow.com/Tags/asp.net+iis7
http://www.google.com/search?&q=iis7+asp.net
Today's frameworks like WCF and ASP.NET MVC have a good support for RESTful tree-structures. But is there support for attribute-structures? Wouldn't you call an attribute-structure still REST?
I would like to make an attribute-WebService and use it with a LINQ in Silverlight-client... Which is the best way to start? :-)
In order to create an effective REST interface you need to identify the resources that make sense for your client application. If you look at you use cases:
All pictures that are not from Finland?
All pictures taken in 2005?
All pictures in timeline?
The question you need to answer, is if this requires three resources or just one. I am assuming you want to have more than just these three queries, so therefore the most flexible solution is to define a generic resource which is a "collection of pictures".
/Thomas/pictures
From here, you want to be able limit contents of this resource by using query parameters.
/Thomas/pictures?country=not-finland
/Thomas/pictures?year=2005
In the case of the third item it may make sense to create a separate resource for that item.
/Thomas/PictureTimeline
There are other scenarios where it may make sense to create additional resource such as
/Thomas/FavouritePictures
The important thing is to identify what key concepts of your application you want to model as resources and then assign those resources an URL. Trying to do REST design via the URL space is going to make you bang your head against the wall.
What you are looking for are URI matrix parameters:
http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/MatrixURIs.html
When to use query parameters versus matrix parameters?.
I want to display a map in a MFC application (Visual Studo 2008 with MFC Feature Pack).
Off the top of my head I have the following requirements:
I have to be able to add my own markers (plain lat/lon positions), preferrably with different colors/icons so one can distinguish between different types of markers.
If the map data is fetched from an online source, it has to be cache-able, i.e. I can pre-load maps for an area at a certain (or several) zoom-level(s) and then switch to "offline mode". Alternatively all map data is installed together with the application.
The standard operations like zoom in/out and pan should be possible for the user.
The user has to be able to select my markers, preferably by dragging a rectangle around them.
Since the whole app is written in C++/MFC I don't want to have to use the .NET runtime for this plugin.
It shouldn't cost a fortune.
I am currently using an ActiveX plugin called "ESRI MapObjects LT2" which can do all that in some way but it's very tedious to implement, the development seems to have stopped around the time when Visual Studio 6 was available and map material is either very basic or very expensive.
I thought about using Google Maps or Google Earth but I think they don't really support being used by non-web based applications.
I found ArcView to be some sort of successor of the plugin I use currently but I don't think I belong to the target audience since the functionality it offers is way more than what I need. Also I didn't find any information on pricing.
I have written an open-source Geocaching app ( it's in c++ ) that renders maps, the source is at:
http://code.google.com/p/gpsturbo/
It uses my own custom rendering but you could rip out the map parsing if you want. It renders map using google tiles ( and caches the tiles for offline use), as well as Garmin format GPS maps, there is also an Openstreetmap format renderer as well.
Reconsider google if you have internet access. You can make an instance of the IE browser appear in a frame within your application. I believe you can use an ActiveX control. Also Google Earth has a way to embed itself into a web page, and possibly an application as well.
Another option is Global Mapper which is not anywhere near as nice as Google Maps or Google Earth.
We used ESRI for a long time before abandoning it due to a lack of performance and lack of support. It was such a big pain to pay $10k for a license, and then be told they need $2k more so that we can actually use the thing. Oh, and then $2k more to add some extra functionality. Even when it didn't work, their support was dismal to lack-luster.
If you are not bound to Google Maps, you could choose OpenStreetMap.
There are couple of known applications for rendering OSM maps:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Cobra
Kosmos
osmclient (on SourceForge)
First two render map directly, last one uses OpenStreetMap.org tiles.
You can cache as many tiles or data as you want, you are not restricted to do so.