ScriptForge.UI service /text/sbasic/shared/03/sf_ui.xhp

UI service

ScriptForge.UI service

The UI (User Interface) service simplifies the identification and the manipulation of the different windows composing the whole %PRODUCTNAME application: Windows selection Windows moving and resizing Statusbar settings Display of a floating progress bar Creation of new windows Access to the underlying "documents"

The UI service is the starting point to open, create or access to the content of new or existing documents from a user script.

Definitions

WindowName

A window can be designated using various ways: a full path and file name the last component of the full file name or even only the last component without its suffix the title of the window for new documents, something like "Untitled 1" one of the special windows "BASICIDE" and "WELCOMESCREEN" The window name is case-sensitive.

Document object

The methods CreateDocument, CreateBaseDocument, GetDocument and OpenDocument, described below, generate document objects. When a window contains a document, an instance of the Document class represents that document. A counterexample the Basic IDE is not a document but is a window in our terminology. Additionally a document has a type: Calc, Impress, Writer, ... The specific properties and methods applicable on documents are implemented in a document class. The implementation of the document objects class is done in the SFDocuments associated library. See its "Document" service.

Service invocation

Dim ui As Variant GlobalScope.BasicLibraries.LoadLibrary("ScriptForge") Set ui = CreateScriptService("UI")

from scriptforge import CreateScriptService svcUI = CreateScriptService("UI")

Properties

Name ReadOnly Type Description ActiveWindow Yes String a valid and unique WindowName for the currently active window. When the window cannot be identified, a zero-length string is returned. Documents Yes String array The list of the currently open documents. Special windows are ignored. This list consists of a zero-based one dimensional array either of filenames (in SF_FileSystem.FileNaming notation) or of window titles for unsaved documents.

Constants

Name Value Description MACROEXECALWAYS 2 Macros are always executed MACROEXECNEVER 1 Macros are never executed MACROEXECNORMAL 0 Macro execution depends on user settings

The examples below show a MsgBox with the names of all currently open documents.

Dim openDocs as Object, strDocs as String Set openDocs = ui.Documents() strDocs = openDocs(0) For i = 1 to UBound(openDocs) strDocs = strDocs & Chr(10) & openDocs(i) Next i MsgBox strDocs

svcUI = CreateScriptService("UI") sBasic = CreateScriptService("Basic") openDocs = svcUI.Documents() strDocs = "\n".join(openDocs) sBasic.MsgBox(strDocs) List of Methods in the UI Service Activate
CreateBaseDocument
CreateDocument (*)
GetDocument Maximize
Minimize
OpenBaseDocument
OpenDocument (*) Resize
SetStatusBar (*)
ShowProgressBar
WindowExists

Note, as an exception, that the methods marked (*) are not applicable to Base documents.

Activate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;Activate

Activate

Make the specified window active. The method returns True if the given window is found and can be activated. There is no change in the actual user interface if no window matches the selection.

svc.Activate(windowname: str): bool

windowname: see the definitions above.

ui.Activate("C:\Documents\My file.odt")

svcUI.Activate(r"C:\Documents\My file.odt")

CreateBaseDocument -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;CreateBaseDocument

CreateBaseDocument

Creates and stores a new %PRODUCTNAME Base document embedding an empty database of the given type. The method returns a Document service instance.

svc.CreateBaseDocument(filename: str, embeddeddatabase: str = 'HSQLDB', registrationname: str = ''): svc

filename : Identifies the file to create. It must follow the SF_FileSystem.FileNaming notation. If the file already exists, it is overwritten without warning embeddeddatabase : Either "HSQLDB" (default) or "FIREBIRD". registrationname : The name used to store the new database in the databases register. When = "" (default), no registration takes place. If the name already exists it is overwritten without warning.

Dim myBase As Object Set myBase = ui.CreateBaseDocument("C:\Databases\MyBaseFile.odb", "FIREBIRD")

myBase = svcUI.CreateBaseDocument(r"C:\Databases\MyBaseFile.odb", "FIREBIRD")

CreateDocument -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;CreateDocument

CreateDocument (*)

Create a new %PRODUCTNAME document of a given type or based on a given template. The method returns a document object.

svc.CreateDocument(documenttype: str = '', templatefile: str = '', hidden: bool = False): svc

documenttype : "Calc", "Writer", etc. If absent, the TemplateFile argument must be present. templatefile : The full FileName of the template to build the new document on. If the file does not exist, the argument is ignored. The FileSystem service provides the TemplatesFolder and UserTemplatesFolder properties to help to build the argument. hidden: if True, open the new document in the background (default = False). To use with caution: activation or closure afterwards can only happen programmatically.

In both examples below, the first call to CreateDocument method creates a blank Calc document, whereas the second creates a document from a template file.

Dim myDoc1 As Object, myDoc2 As Object, FSO As Object Set myDoc1 = ui.CreateDocument("Calc") Set FSO = CreateScriptService("FileSystem") Set myDoc2 = ui.CreateDocument(, FSO.BuildPath(FSO.TemplatesFolder, "personal/CV.ott"))

myDoc1 = svcUI.CreateDocument("Calc") FSO = CreateScriptService("FileSystem") myDoc2 = svcUI.CreateDocument(templatefile = FSO.BuildPath(FSO.TemplatesFolder, "personal/CV.ott"))

GetDocument -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;GetDocument

GetDocument

Returns a document object referring to either the active window or the given window.

svc.GetDocument(windowname: str = ''): svc

windowname: See the definitions above. If this argument is absent, the active window is used.

Dim myDoc As Object Set myDoc = ui.GetDocument("C:\Documents\My file.odt")

myDoc = svcUI.GetDocument(r"C:\Documents\My file.odt") To access the name of the currently active window, refer to the ActiveWindow property.

Maximize -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;Maximize

Maximize

Maximizes the active window or the given window.

svc.Maximize(windowname: str)

windowname: see the definitions above. If this argument is absent, the active window is maximized.

ui.Maximize("Untitled 1")

svcUI.Maximize("Untitled 1")

Minimize -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;Minimize

Minimize

Minimizes the active window or the given window.

svc.Minimize(windowname: str)

windowname: see the definitions above. If this argument is absent, the active window is minimized.

ui.Minimize()

svcUI.Minimize()

OpenBaseDocument -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;OpenBaseDocument

OpenBaseDocument

Open an existing %PRODUCTNAME Base document. The method returns a document object.

svc.OpenBaseDocument(filename: str = '', registrationname: str = '', macroexecution: int = 0): svc

filename : Identifies the file to open. It must follow the SF_FileSystem.FileNaming notation. If the file already exists, it is overwritten without warning registrationname : The name to use to find the database in the databases register. It is ignored if FileName <> "". macroexecution: 0 = behaviour is defined by the user configuration, 1 = macros are not executable, 2 = macros are executable.

Dim myBase As Object Set myBase = ui.OpenBaseDocument("C:\Documents\myDB.odb", MacroExecution := ui.MACROEXECALWAYS)

svcUI.OpenBaseDocument(r"C:\Documents\myDB.odb", macroexecution = svcUI.MACROEXECALWAYS) To improve code readability you can use predefined constants for the macroexecution argument, as in the examples above.

OpenDocument -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;OpenDocument

OpenDocument (*)

Opens an existing %PRODUCTNAME document with the given options. Returns a document object or one of its subclasses. The method returns Nothing (in Basic) / None (in Python) if the opening failed, even when the failure is caused by a user decision.

svc.Opendocument(filename: str, password: str = '', readonly: bool = False, hidden: bool = False, macroexecution: int = 0, filtername: str = '', filteroptions: str = ''): svc

filename: Identifies the file to open. It must follow the FileNaming notation of the FileSystem service. password: To use when the document is protected. If wrong or absent while the document is protected, the user will be prompted to enter a password. readonly: Default = False. hidden: if True, open the new document in the background (default = False). To use with caution: activation or closure afterwards can only happen programmatically. macroexecution: 0 = behaviour is defined by the user configuration, 1 = macros are not executable, 2 = macros are executable. filtername: The name of a filter that should be used for loading the document. If present, the filter must exist. filteroptions: An optional string of options associated with the filter.

Dim myDoc As Object, FSO As Object Set myDoc = ui.OpenDocument("C:\Documents\myFile.odt", ReadOnly := True)

svcUI.OpenDocument(r"C:\Documents\myFile.odt", readonly = True)

Resize -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;Resize

Resize

Resizes and/or moves the active window. Absent and negative arguments are ignored. If the window is minimized or maximized, calling Resize without arguments restores it.

svc.Resize(left: int = -1, top: int = -1, width: int = -1, height: int = -1)

left, top: Distances of the top-left corner from top and left edges of the screen, in pixels. width, height: New dimensions of the window, in pixels.

In the following examples, the width and height of the window are changed while top and left are left unchanged.

ui.Resize(, ,500, 500)

svcUI.Resize(width = 500, height = 500) To resize a window that is not active, first activate it using the Activate method.

SetStatusbar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;SetStatusbar

SetStatusbar (*)

Display a text and a progressbar in the status bar of the active window. Any subsequent calls in the same macro run refer to the same status bar of the same window, even if the window is not visible anymore. A call without arguments resets the status bar to its normal state.

svc.SetStatusbar(text: str = '', percentage: int = -1)

text: An optional text to be displayed in front of the progress bar. percentage: an optional degree of progress between 0 and 100.

Dim i As Integer For i = 0 To 100 ui.SetStatusbar("Progress ...", i) Wait 50 Next i ' Resets the statusbar ui.SetStatusbar

from time import sleep for i in range(101): svcUI.SetStatusbar("Test:", i) sleep(0.05) svcUI.SetStatusbar()

ShowProgressBar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;ShowProgressBar

ShowProgressBar

Displays a non-modal dialog box. Specify its title, an explicatory text and a percentage of progress to be represented on a progressbar. The dialog will remain visible until a call to the method without arguments or until the user manually closes the dialog.

svc.ShowProgressBar(title: str = '', text: str = '', percentage: str = -1)

title : The title appearing on top of the dialog box. Default = "ScriptForge". text: An optional text to be displayed above the progress bar. percentage: an optional degree of progress between 0 and 100.

Dim i As Integer For i = 0 To 100 ui.ShowProgressBar("Window Title", "Progress ..." & i & "/100", i) Wait 50 Next i ' Closes the Progress Bar window ui.ShowProgressBar

from time import sleep for i in range(101): svcUI.ShowProgressBar("Window Title", "Progress ... " + str(i) + "/100", i) sleep(0.05) # Closes the Progress Bar window svcUI.ShowProgressBar()

WindowExists -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UI service;WindowExists

WindowExists

Returns True if the given window could be identified.

svc.WindowExists(windowname: str): bool

windowname: see the definitions above.

If ui.WindowExists("C:\Document\My file.odt") Then ' ...

if svcUI.WindowExists(r"C:\Document\My file.odt"): # ...