1 % # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
3 % # Copyright (c) CREATIS (Centre de Recherche en Acquisition et Traitement de l'Image
5 % # Authors : Eduardo Davila, Frederic Cervenansky, Claire Mouton
6 % # Previous Authors : Laurent Guigues, Jean-Pierre Roux
7 % # CreaTools website : www.creatis.insa-lyon.fr/site/fr/creatools_accueil
9 % # This software is governed by the CeCILL-B license under French law and
10 % # abiding by the rules of distribution of free software. You can use,
11 % # modify and/ or redistribute the software under the terms of the CeCILL-B
12 % # license as circulated by CEA, CNRS and INRIA at the following URL
13 % # http://www.cecill.info/licences/Licence_CeCILL-B_V1-en.html
14 % # or in the file LICENSE.txt.
16 % # As a counterpart to the access to the source code and rights to copy,
17 % # modify and redistribute granted by the license, users are provided only
18 % # with a limited warranty and the software's author, the holder of the
19 % # economic rights, and the successive licensors have only limited
22 % # The fact that you are presently reading this means that you have had
23 % # knowledge of the CeCILL-B license and that you accept its terms.
24 % # ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
28 % ==========================================
29 \documentclass[11pt,final,a4paper]{article}
32 \bbtkGuide[User's Guide]
33 % ==========================================
36 % ==========================================
39 \section{Introduction}
40 Note: pdf version of this User's Guide can be retrieved from the following URL:\\
41 \url{http://www.creatis.insa-lyon.fr/site/en/CreatoolsDocumentation}
42 % ==========================================
43 \subsection{What is bbtk?}
44 % ==========================================
45 \BBTK(\bbtkns) is a set of tools (\CPP libraries and executables)
46 providing a \CPP framework for the definition of elementary processing \emph{units}, called {\bf black boxes}, and the definition and execution of processing \emph{chains}
47 made up of these black boxes. \\
49 %It's a part of the \texttt{Creatools suite} composed mainly of :
57 %which depend on the OpenSource libraries:
65 % ==========================================
66 \subsubsection{The black box philosophy}
67 % ==========================================
69 \href{http://www.answers.com/topic/black-box-theater}{The Answers Dictionary} defines a {\bf black box} as
70 \emph{``A device or theoretical construct with known or specified performance characteristics
71 but unknown or unspecified constituents and means of operation''} \\
72 \href{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_\%28disambiguation\%29}{Wikipedia}
73 defines a {\bf black box} as
74 \emph{``any component in a system in which only the input and output
75 characteristics are of interest, without regard to its internal mechanism
77 We should merge these definitions:
78 not only the inputs and outputs are of interest but also
79 \emph{what the box does!}
80 Hence, we would say that a black box is any \emph{\bf documented}
81 component of a system, letting the user know
82 \emph{\bf what} the box is supposed to do and
83 \emph{\bf how to use it}
84 but not \emph{\bf how it does it}. \\
86 \BBTK provides a systematic framework
87 to encapsulate (or ``wrap'') any
88 existing \texttt{C} or \CPP processing code into an object
89 (a black box) having a {\bf generic symbolic interface}, where
92 \item{\bf generic} means that the interface is \emph{the same}
93 for all boxes. Hence one does not need to know which particular
94 method allows, say, to set a particular input or
95 get a particular output of the box.
96 One can use a black box in a purely abstract way.
97 \item{\bf symbolic} means that a particular
98 input or output is referenced by a 'name', that is by a symbol
99 which identifies the input or output.
100 It also means that symbolic information (text) is
101 attached to a box: description of the box, author,
102 description of its inputs and outputs, etc.
105 (Actually, genericity is achieved because the interface is symbolic.
106 We let you think about this\dots)
108 Of course, symbolic data attached to a box may be
109 {\bf queried}: what are the inputs/outputs of the box?
110 what are their type? their description? etc.
111 This allows {\bf automatic documentation} of boxes.
113 The abstract definition of black boxes is the most basic
114 aspect of \BBTK architecture.
115 Another key aspect is the grouping of black boxes into
116 so called {\bf packages},
117 which are \emph{dynamic libraries} that can also
118 be queried, in particular about the boxes they provide.
119 The package structure then offers a mechanism similar to \emph{'plug-in'} mechanism.
120 \BBTK provides the methods to load a package at run-time,
121 and create instances of the boxes it contains.
123 These two mechanisms (black boxes and packages)
124 then give the way to:
127 \item The definition of an {\bf interpreted script language},
128 which allows to manipulate packages and boxes very easily in symbolic way.
129 \BBTK provides one: \bbs (the Black Box Script language) and its interpreter
130 \bbi (the Black Box Interpreter).
131 \item {\bf Automatic documentation} of existing packages.
132 \texttt{html} documentation of packages is proposed by
136 Finally, these different components allow {\bf efficient}:
139 \item {\bf capitalization and reuse} of existing processing units,
140 including {\bf documentation}
141 \item {\bf testing, prototyping} in a very simple script language
142 \item {\bf inter-operability} between atomic processings that
143 have been written by different persons, using different libraries, etc.
147 % ==========================================
151 A \texttt{black box}:
153 \item has a name (this is actually a type name),
154 \item has a description and an author,
155 \item belongs to categories (keywords that allow to index it
156 into automated documentation, and that are specified in the box definition),
157 \item has inputs and outputs that in turn have their:
160 \item types (any C++ type),
163 \item does something and can be executed, i.e. outputs are updated according to inputs.
167 \item is a ``plug-in'' in the \bbtk framework,
169 \item has a description and an author.
172 \item a dynamic library (dll/so/dylib) that contains compiled
173 black boxes (e.g.: dynamic library name of the package `std' is `bbstd.dll', `libbbstd.so' or `libbbstd.dylib' depending on the platform),
174 \item bbs scripts: script-defined boxes, examples, applications,
175 \item data: test data, resources.
177 \item is automatically documented.
180 % ==========================================
182 % ==========================================
183 \subsubsection{{\bbtk} components}
184 % ==========================================
187 \item A \CPP {\bf\emph{library}} - called \bbtk - which defines a framework
188 (abstract classes) to develop black boxes and store them into
189 dynamic libraries, called black box \emph{packages}.
190 \item Different {\bf\emph{"core" black box packages}}:
192 \item {\bf\emph{std}}: the 'standard' package including basic useful boxes.
193 \item {\bf\emph{wx}}: basic graphical interface elements (widgets: sliders, buttons, etc. based on the \texttt{wxWidgets} library).
194 \item {\bf\emph{itk}}: the basic image processing package, based on the \itk library.
195 \item {\bf\emph{vtk}}: the basic images and surfaces processing and visualization package, based on the \vtk library.
196 \item {\bf\emph{wxvtk}}: widget boxes based on the \vtk library (2D and 3D visualization and
198 %\item {\bf\emph{creaImageIO}}: Provides hight level widgets to read images, including DICOM.
199 \item {\bf\emph{itkvtk}}: adaptors permitting to connect \itk boxes to \vtk boxes and conversely.
200 \item {\bf\emph{kw}}: widgets based on \texttt{KWWidgets} library (medical-image oriented:
201 slicer, transfer function editors, etc.).
202 \item {\bf\emph{demo}}: some black-box based demos.
203 \item {\bf\emph{appli}}: some black-box based standalone applications.
204 \item {\bf\emph{toolsbbtk}}: tools for bbtk administration and package development.
206 \item A {\bf\emph{development environment}}, called \bbStudio, which provides:
208 \item An online {\bf\emph{script editor and interpreter}}
209 \item A powerful html {\bf\emph{help environment}}, integrating:
211 \item Online documentation scanning
212 \item Retrieving boxes on various criteria
213 \item Checking demos and examples
216 \item A standalone {\bf\emph{interpreter}}, called \bbins, which allows to
217 execute \bbs scripts.
218 \item {\bf\emph{Various development utilities}}:
220 \item \bbfy generates the \CPP code of a black box from a
221 description file written in \texttt{xml}.
222 %\item \bbdoc generates the html documentation of a black box package
223 %(author, description, description of its black boxes :
224 %author, description, inputs, outputs, and so on).
225 \item \bbCreatePackage allows to create the basic file architecture
226 to start the development of a new black box package.
227 \item \bbCreateBlackBox allows to create the basic file architecture
228 to start the development of a new black box, that will be included in an already existing package.
229 \item \texttt{bbs2cpp} translates a \texttt{.bbs} script into a \CPP file.
230 \item \bbc (sorry: Linux only, for the moment) that compiles \texttt{.bbs} scripts into executables.
231 \item \bbRegeneratePackageDoc which creates the html documentation of the Package.
232 \item \bbRegenerateBoxesLists which creates the html pages of the various lists of all the currenly installed boxes.
233 \item \bbPlugPackage which automatically incorporates a new package.
235 \item A full {\bf\emph{documentation}} that can be printed (pdf), browsed (html) and
236 queried through keywords.
239 The general architecture of \BBTK
240 is shown in figure \ref{bb-architecture}.
243 \caption{\BBTK architecture}
245 \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{bb-architecture.png}
247 \label{bb-architecture}
252 % ==========================================
253 \subsection{Content of this guide}
254 % ==========================================
256 Read this \texttt{Users' Guide} if you want to learn how to use
257 \bbtk development environnement \bbStudio and how to write black box scripts.\\
258 If your aim is to write your own Packages and Black Boxes, you have to read the
259 \texttt{Package Developper's Guide}.
261 % ==========================================
264 \section{Getting started with bbStudio}
266 % ==========================================
269 % ==========================================
270 \subsection{The interface}
271 % ==========================================
274 %\vspace{0.5cm}\hrule
275 %\section{The Development environment (bbStudio)}
278 Just run it, typing in a console \bbStudio
279 or clicking on its icon or its menu entry.
280 You'll get something like in figure
281 \ref{bbi-fig-bbStudio-gui}
282 (the exact appearance of \bbStudio is Operating System and \bbtk version dependent).
284 %At start, \bbStudio opens with a very minimal 'How to use' in the middle.
285 %Don't forget to read it: it will vanish at the first mouse click.
289 %\caption{The bbStudio Development environment interface at start time}
291 %\includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{bbStudioMainPageStart.png}
293 %\label{bbi-fig-bbStudio-gui-start}
296 %Let's have a look at the resized window :
298 \caption{The bbStudio Development environment interface}
300 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{bbStudioMainPage.png}
302 \label{bbi-fig-bbStudio-gui}
305 The interface is divided into four parts: \texttt{Files}, \texttt{Messages},
306 \texttt{Command}, \texttt{Help}.
307 It is written using the Advanced User Interface library of wxWidgets
309 whose 'docking manager' allows windows and toolbars to be floated/docked
311 Feel free to resize/reposition any part you want.
312 Your preferences will be kept next time you run again \bbStudions.
314 %Please don't use this feature at learning time
315 %(the snapshots of this document wouldn't match with your screen ...)
317 \subsubsection{'Files' part}
318 \label{bbi-FilesPart}
320 It is the \bbs script editor (see section \ref{Scripting} to learn about scripting).
322 If you load a file holding a script, it will be displayed in this area, and you will be
323 able to modify it, to save it, to save-as it and to run it, using the respective
324 lower-toolbar buttons (see figure \ref{lowertoolbar}).
327 \caption{The 'Files' lower toolbar}
329 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{lowertoolbar2.png}
336 % \item {\bf\emph{New file}}: Create a new file to hold a script
337 % \item {\bf\emph{Open file}}: Open an already existing file holding a script
338 % \item {\bf\emph{Close file}}: Close a file holding a script
339 % \item {\bf\emph{Save file}}: Save he current file (if modified)
340 % \item {\bf\emph{Save file as}}: Save he current file under a different name
341 % \item {\bf\emph{Run file}}: Execute the script you just loaded/modified/written
342 % \item {\bf\emph{cursor position}}: column number : line number
346 \subsubsection{'Messages' part}
347 \label{bbi-MessagesPart}
349 Two kinds of messages will be output here:\\
351 \item {\bf\emph{System messages:}} produced by the kernel, in case of a user mistyping, or an execution error.\\
352 \item {\bf\emph{Script messages:}} produced by the \bbtk equivalent of \texttt{printf}
353 or \texttt{std::cout} in user programs.
357 \subsubsection{'Command' part}
358 \label{bbi-CommandPart}
360 You can type here \bbs commands which are executed on the fly.
361 The buttons are shortcuts to the most frequently used commands.
362 The command (or button) \texttt{help} permits to print in the \texttt{Message} zone the list of all recognized commands, while the command \texttt{help} \emph{command\_name} provides the help on the selected command.
364 \subsubsection{'Help' part}
365 \label{bbi-HelpContentsPart}
367 The 'Help' part of \bbStudio is used to browse the html help of \BBTKns. You can find there various guides (see section~\ref{sec:guides}) and detailed information about each black box available (see section~\ref{sec:boxes_help}). They can be browsed alphabetically, by package and by category. Two special categories, demos and examples, are available via direct links (see section~\ref{sec:demos_examples}).
370 % ==========================================
375 % ==========================================
376 % ==========================================
377 % ==========================================
378 % ==========================================
379 % ==========================================
383 % ==============================================
384 \subsection{Online Help}
385 % ==============================================
387 Various levels of help are supplied by \bbStudions.
389 % ==========================================
390 \subsubsection{Command-line help}
391 % ==========================================
394 The 'working' area (the left one, as opposed to the (\texttt{Help}) area, on the right side) is composed of:
395 one single line area (\texttt{Command}), at the bottom, in which you can enter your commands, and
396 a multiple line zone (\texttt{Messages}) in which the command interpreter prints out the result of your commands.
397 %The upper part contains the script editor; we shall not use it right now, you may reduce it.
398 Command-line help for the black box scripting language \bbs (see section \ref{Scripting}) can be obtained in this zone. \par
399 As mentioned above, the command (or button) \texttt{help} permits to print in the \texttt{Message} zone the list of all recognized commands, while the command \texttt{help} \emph{command\_name} displays in this zone the help about the selected command.\par
400 The command \texttt{help} \emph{package\_name} displays in the \texttt{Message} zone a short information about the selected package, provided that this package was previously loaded (Note that you can know which packages were loaded by executing the command \texttt{help packages}). Furthermore, it simultaneously displays in the right zone (\texttt{Help}) the corresponding full html help available.\par
401 In a similar way, one can obtain the information about any box from the loaded packages, by executing the command \texttt{help} \emph{box\_name}. Note that some boxes may be unavailable if the command \texttt{load} was used to load the package, since this command only loads the boxes defined in binary files (dynamic libraries). Some boxes are defined in script files. To be sure that all the boxes from the package are loaded the command \texttt{include} is to be preferred.\par
403 It is important to note that the black boxes are implemented and have to be used according to the {\bf\emph{object-oriented}} programming principles. This means that you have to make difference between a black box {\bf\emph{type}} and an {\bf\emph{instance}} of the given black box type. The former defines a ``pattern'' (a mold), according to which are formed the actual objects. If you query for help on a black box type, you learn about its purpose, its author, the boxes it contains (if it is a complex black box) and the types of its inputs/outputs. The user-defined black box types belong to the package \texttt{user} and can be listed by use of the command \texttt{help user}. If you query for help on a black box instance, you learn about the values and the state of its inputs/outputs. The currently existing black box instances belong to the complex black box \texttt{workspace} and can be listed by use of the command \texttt{help workspace}.
405 % ==========================================
406 \subsubsection{Guides}
408 % ==========================================
410 All the guides can be browsed in html version in the \texttt{Help} part of \bbStudions. Their pdf versions (except Doxygen documentation) can be retrieved from:\\
411 \url{http://www.creatis.insa-lyon.fr/site/en/CreatoolsDocumentation}
414 \item {\bf\emph{User's Guide}}: This guide!
415 \item {\bf\emph{Package Developer's Guide}}: Step-by-step "How-to" for programmers who want to create their own
416 black boxes/packages.
417 % \item {\bf\emph{Developper's Guide}}: For bbtk kernel developpers only. (This one is probably not very much
418 % up-to-date, since we spend more time in developping than writing documentation that's not of user concern).
419 % \item {\bf\emph{Reference Manual}}: Contains a exaustive description of all the features for all the commands.
420 %\item {\bf\emph{Booklet}}: Vade mecum.
421 \item {\bf\emph{Doxygen Documentation}}: Doxygen source browser.\\ Automatically generated from source files. Should only concern the kernel developers.
427 % ==========================================
428 \subsubsection{Boxes Help}
429 \label{sec:boxes_help}
430 % ==========================================
431 Lists of currently available boxes from installed packages, sorted according to the following criteria:
433 \item {\bf\emph{Alphabetical list}}%: This is the 'zero-level' of retrieving.
434 \item {\bf\emph{List by package}}%: The boxes are indexed by package they belong to
435 \item {\bf\emph{List by category}}:
436 Each box is indexed by a list of keywords, called 'categories', such as '\texttt{read/write}',
437 '\texttt{filter}', '\texttt{viewer}', ...
438 A given box may belong to more than one \texttt{category}, however some categories are mutually exclusive.
439 Standard categories are:
441 \item\texttt{atomic box}/\texttt{complex box}\\
442 Any box is either atomic or complex.\\
443 The former are 'atomic' units written in C++ and available in binary form.\\
444 Any pipeline built up as an assembly of several black boxes (atomic or complex), and described in \bbs script language is itself viewed as a complex black box, and hence tagged as belonging to the latter category.
445 \item\texttt{example} / \texttt{demo} / \texttt{application} (see \ref{sec:demos_examples})\\
446 These ones are scripts that produce a result when executed (i.e. they
447 execute a pipeline), as opposed to the scripts that only define complex boxes but do not instanciate and execute boxes.
449 \item\texttt{example}: It is just a (simple) example, for programmers, of how to use a given feature. The \texttt{Examples} link on the starting page links to the list of the boxes of this category.
450 \item\texttt{demo}: It can be a 'good looking' (a.k.a 'sexy') example of some sophisticated work, done only by using \texttt{bbtk}. The \texttt{Demos} link on the starting page links to the list of the boxes of this category.
451 \item\texttt{application}: It is a final application, end-user intended (e.g. association of a DICOM image browser, reader, viewer with some interaction and processing)
453 \item\texttt{widget}: A piece of graphical interface (based on \texttt{wxWidgets}).
454 \item\texttt{dicom}: A box related to medical images in Dicom format.
455 \item\texttt{viewer}: A box allowing to view something (e.g. an image).
456 \item\texttt{read/write}: An I/O-related box.
457 \item\texttt{mesh}: A mesh-related box.
458 \item\texttt{filter}: A filter, mainly image filters.
459 \item\texttt{image}: An image-related box.
460 \item\texttt{3D object creator}: A box which creates a 3D object to be injected into a 3D view (e.g. a plane, a surface).
461 \item\texttt{math}: Maths of course.
462 \item\texttt{misc}: Miscellaneous...
464 Remark that the list of categories is 'auto-extensible': each time a new box is created which belongs to a new category and the boxes list is regenerated, the new category appears in the list, holding the new box. The above list only contains the categories used in the packages provided with current \bbtk release.
465 \item {\bf\emph{List of adaptors}}: The adaptors are a special type of black boxes that are used internally to perform type conversions. Although they are not end user intended, you may see their list. Adaptors belong to the \texttt{adaptor} category.
467 For each box, the html \texttt{Help} provides the informations necessary to use it: its name, its purpose, the descriptions of its inputs/outputs and the name of the package (or script file) that is to be loaded. Note that for a given box only the inputs/outputs listed in white cells are of actual interest. The remaining ones, grouped after them in colored cells, are standard (have the same names and purpose) in all atomic boxes. Additionally, for all boxes but the atomic ones (i.e. for all boxes defined in \bbs script language), the corresponding script is available via [\texttt{source}] link. Actually, by clicking on this link, one loads the script into the \texttt{Files} area where it can be analyzed, edited and executed.
469 % ==========================================
470 \subsubsection{The Package Browser}
471 \label{Package_Browser}
472 % ==========================================
474 The package browser is a standalone application \texttt{bbPackageBrowser}, which
475 dynamically loads and queries the available packages.
476 It is thus a smarter tool than the static html documentation.
477 You can run it independently or from \bbStudio using either the button labeled \texttt{Start Package Browser} of the 'Command' part or the corresponding entry in the menu 'Windows'.
478 Note that it may take some time to start because it loads all available
480 Its appearance is reproduced in figure \ref{imPackage_Browser}.
483 \caption{The Package Browser}
485 \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{Package_Browser.png}
487 \label{imPackage_Browser}
490 It allows you to find boxes by use of a multi-criteria filtering principle:
491 the boxes listed are the ones the attributes of which match \emph{all} the
492 words entered in the 'Filter' part.
493 You can get the whole description of a given box by clicking on its name.
498 \item It is case sensitive, i.e '\texttt{Button}'
499 will give different results than '\texttt{button}'.
500 \item After typing a filtering string, you have to validate it by pressing the 'Enter' key, in order to update the display of the boxes list.
501 \item A filtering string only needs to match a subpart of the related attribute of a box.
502 For example, entering 'utt' in the 'Name' attribute will match a box called 'Button'.
508 \item \texttt{Package}: The name of the package to which the box belongs (e.g. \texttt{wxvtk}, \texttt{std}).
509 \item \texttt{Name}: The name of a box or an application (e.g. \texttt{Reader}, \texttt{example}).
510 \item \texttt{Description}: A part of the description of a box (e.g. \texttt{3D}, \texttt{image}).
511 \item \texttt{Category}: The categories of the box (e.g. \texttt{demo}).
512 \item \texttt{Input/Output Type}: The \CPP type of an input/output (e.g. \texttt{vtkImageData*}, \texttt{std::string}).
513 \item \texttt{Input/Output Nature}: The \texttt{nature} of an input or output (e.g. \texttt{file name}, \texttt{signal}).
516 %If 'Show widgets' is selected then
523 % ==========================================
527 % ==============================================
528 \subsection{Running Demos and Examples}
529 \label{sec:demos_examples}
530 % ==============================================
532 As previously mentioned, the links \texttt{Demos} and \texttt{Examples} in the 'Help' part (See figure \ref{HelpContents}), give access to special complex boxes from the respective categories. Here, we use an example, both to illustrate the use of this help and to explain a short \bbs script.\\
535 \caption{\bbStudio 'Help' panel}
537 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{HelpContents.png}
543 Select \texttt{Examples} link. You will get a list of examples (See figure \ref{example}).
545 Note: due to an unfixed bug in Linux, you have to click on 'reload' to get it. \\
549 \caption{Examples list}
551 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{example.png}
558 %\caption{\label{BoxCategories}Box Categories}
560 %\includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{BoxCategories.png}
565 Select \texttt{wx::exampleSlider}.
568 \caption{Html documentation of example 'exampleSlider'}
570 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{exampleSlider.png}
572 \label{exampleSlider}
575 You can see information about the example and
576 the graphical representation of the workflow defined by the script
577 (the elementary boxes that compose it, and their connections, see figure \ref{exampleSlider}).
579 Click on \texttt{[source]}, it will be loaded
580 in the 'Files' part, within the script editor (See figure \ref{exampleSliderSource});
583 \caption{Source code of 'exampleSlider'}
585 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{exampleSliderSource.png}
587 \label{exampleSliderSource}
590 Run it, using the 'Files' toolbar (see figure \ref{lowertoolbar})
592 You'll get something like in figure \ref{execSliderSource}.
595 \caption{\label{execSliderSource}Execution of 'exampleSlider'}
597 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{execSliderSource.png}
601 Feel free to move the slider, to check whether it actually works...
605 Just a few words on what you saw:
607 \item{In the source code of the script}:
612 These \bbs commands load the packages \texttt{std} and \texttt{wx}
615 set slider.ReactiveOnTrack 1
617 We create a \texttt{Slider} box called \emph{slider}.
619 We tell it to inform anybody that's interested in, that the cursor moved, each time it moved.
620 The default behaviour is to inform only when cursor is released.
624 We create an \texttt{OutputText} box called \emph{text}
625 (in which slider value will be displayed)
628 new LayoutLine layout
630 We create a \texttt{LayoutLine} box called \emph{layout},
631 a widget box designed to embed other widgets (say, a main window)
633 connect slider.Widget layout.Widget1
634 connect text.Widget layout.Widget2
636 We embed \emph{slider} and \emph{text} into \emph{layout}.
638 connect slider.BoxChange text.BoxExecute
639 connect slider.Out text.In
641 We tell \emph{slider} to inform \emph{text} every time it's modified.
643 We tell \emph{slider} to pass its output value (\texttt{Out})
644 to \emph{text} input value (\texttt{In})
648 We tell \emph{layout} to process itself.
649 This also produces the execution of the boxes connected to it (the slider, the text).
651 \item{In the Help part}
653 You can see the graphical representation of the workflow (pipeline) created by the script,
654 as in figure \ref{SmallGraph}.
658 \caption{Graphical representation of a pipeline}
660 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{SmallGraph.png}
665 The representation includes
666 both the graphical interface-related pipeline
667 (\emph{slider} and \emph{text} are embedded into \emph{layout})
668 and the data processing-related pipeline
669 (\emph{slider} warns \emph{text} immediately when it's modified,
670 \emph{slider} passes \emph{text} its output value)\footnote{Yes, we know : all the arrows (graphical interface pipeline arrows and data processing arrows)
671 are blue; using different colors is planned for next release...}.
673 You can get a much more detailed graph,
674 like in figure \ref{LargeGraph},
675 just clicking on the button
676 '\texttt{graph (detailed)}' in the toolbar of the \texttt{Command} part.
680 \caption{Detailed graphical representation of a pipeline}
682 \includegraphics[width=0.75\textwidth]{LargeGraph.png}
690 % ==============================================
691 \subsection{The Menu}
692 % ==============================================
694 At last, let us have a look at \bbStudio menu (see figure \ref{themenu}).
697 \caption{The bbStudio menu}
699 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{themenu.png}
707 \item{\texttt{Open the bbtk configuration file}}
710 \item{\texttt{Tools}}
712 \item{\texttt{Create package}}:
713 Provides a graphical interface to help package developers to create a new empty package.
714 \item{\texttt{Create black box}}:
715 Provides a graphical interface to help package developers to create a new empty black box, and add it to an already existing package.
716 \item{\texttt{Plug Package}}:
717 Incorporates a package into the list of known packages. Updates the html documentation.
718 \item{\texttt{Regenerate package doc}}:
719 If a package has changed (e.g. new boxes) this updates the package html documentation.
720 \item{\texttt{Regenerate boxes list}}:
721 Updates the boxes lists (alphabetical, by package, ...)
722 \item{\texttt{Regenerate all}}:
723 Regenerates all the packages documentations and the boxes lists (may be long...).
724 \item{\texttt{Show last graph}}:
725 Shows the last pipeline graph that was generated
727 \item{\texttt{Options}}
729 \item{\texttt{Reset before running}}: Before running a script, all the already created boxes are destroyed,
730 all the already loaded packages are unloaded (this is the recommended option).
732 \item{\texttt{Windows}}
733 User may decide, for any reason of his own, to hide one or more panels:
735 \item{\texttt{Show 'Files' panel}}
736 \item{\texttt{Show 'Help' panel}}
737 \item{\texttt{Show 'Command' panel}}
738 \item{\texttt{Show 'Messages' panel}}
739 \item{\texttt{Start Package browser}}: starts the package browser (see \ref{Package_Browser}).
741 \item{\texttt{About}}
743 \item{\texttt{About}}: Info about \texttt{bbStudio}.
750 % ==========================================
751 % ==========================================
752 % ==========================================
753 % ==========================================
756 \section{Writing black box scripts (\bbsns)}
758 % ==========================================
759 % ==========================================
760 % ==========================================
762 This section introduces how to write down black box scripts (\bbsns)
763 to create and execute pipelines.
765 % ==========================================
766 \subsection{The commands}
767 % ==========================================
768 In the sequel the commands entered by the user will be preceded by a prompt (\texttt{>}).
769 To get started, type in the \texttt{Command} area:
774 you get the following list of the commands recognized by the interpreter:
807 To get the help on a particular command, type \texttt{help <command name>}, e.g.:
814 usage : author <string>
815 Adds the string <string> to the author information
816 of the black box being defined
819 The \texttt{help} command has multiple usages.
820 It is used to get help about almost anything in the interpreter, including the \texttt{help} command itself! Indeed:
829 (2) help <command name>
830 (3) help packages [all]
831 (4) help <package name> [all]
832 (5) help <black box type>
833 (6) help <black box name>
835 (1) Lists all available commands;
836 (2) Prints help on a particular command;
837 (3) Lists the packages loaded and their black boxes.
838 Add 'all' to list adaptors;
839 (4) Prints short help on the black boxes of a package.
840 Add 'all' to include adaptors;
841 (5) Prints full help on a black box type;
842 (6) Prints information on the inputs, outputs and connections
843 of a black box instance.
846 %More information about what is a 'box' will be given in the 'Scripting' part of this manual.
849 % ==========================================
850 \subsection{Creating and executing black box instances}
851 % ==========================================
853 At start the interpreter does not know any black box.
854 If you type \texttt{'help packages'}, which is
855 the third form of the \texttt{help} command, you get:
862 which means that the interpreter only knows one package
863 (library of black boxes) called \texttt{user}
864 and which contains a black box called \texttt{workspace}.
865 The \texttt{user} package is an internal package of the interpreter,
866 which stores user-defined black box types.
867 At start, it already contains
868 one box, called \texttt{workspace},
869 which is a special type of black box,
870 called complex black box, the purpose of which is
871 to store other black boxes.
872 Any black box instance you create in \bbStudio is stored
873 in \texttt{workspace}
874 (see also section \ref{bbi-command-line-app}).
876 If you type \texttt{'help workspace'}, you get:
879 Complex Black Box <user::workspace>
882 Category(s): complex box;
888 In the text displayed,
889 the \texttt{user::} prefixed to the name \texttt{workspace}
890 means that the box \texttt{workspace}
891 belongs to the \texttt{user} package.
892 Then comes a description and three lines which
893 tell that \texttt{workspace} does not have any input
894 nor output nor boxes yet.
896 In order to let the interpreter know of some black boxes,
897 you must load another package.
898 The \texttt{std} package is the ``standard'' package,
899 which contains basic useful black box types.
911 you get something like:
934 Now the interpreter knows the package \texttt{std} and the black box types it provides,
935 such as the \texttt{Add} box, the \texttt{ConcatStrings} box, and so on. Remark that the
936 content of \texttt{std} may vary from one version to another
937 as new black box types might be added to it. Note that you will get a more detailed information about the package loaded (here \texttt{std}) if you type:
942 Indeed, each of the items listed is followed by its short description:
944 Package std v1.0.0- laurent.guigues at creatis.insa-lyon.fr
947 ASCII : ascii codes sequence to string - ...
948 Add : Adds its inputs
949 ConcatStrings : String concatenation
950 Configuration : Gets configuration informations
953 Additionally, in the right part of the screen ('Help' zone) the corresponding html page is displayed.
960 \bbStudio displays the appropriate html page in the 'Help' part (see figure : \ref{HelpAdd}), and the following text in the 'Message' part:
964 By : laurent.guigues@creatis.insa-lyon.fr
965 Categories : atomic box;math;
967 'BoxExecute' <bbtk::Void> [signal] : Any signal received ...
969 'BoxProcessMode' <String> [] : Sets the processing ...
970 (Pipeline | Always...
971 'In1' <Double> [] : First number to add
972 'In2' <Double> [] : Second number to add
974 'BoxChange' <bbtk::VoidS> [signal]: Signals modifications...
975 'Out' <Double> [] : Result
979 \caption{The html Help}
981 \includegraphics[width=0.7\textwidth]{HelpAdd.png}
987 (provided by the author of the box) include:
988 the author(s) of the box (usually e-mail address(es)) and
989 the categories to which the box belongs,
990 the lists of inputs and outputs of the box.
991 For each input or output, the help provides
993 its \emph{type} (between \texttt{<} and \texttt{>}, e.g. \texttt{<Int>})
995 Remark that the box \texttt{Add} is not a 'complex' black box
996 but an 'atomic' box, hence its help does not
997 include a pipeline graph.
999 You can see that \texttt{Add} boxes have two inputs,
1000 with name \texttt{In1} and \texttt{In2},
1001 and an output, named \texttt{Out}.
1003 After loading the package it belongs to, you can create an \emph{instance} of an \texttt{Add} box, by use of the command \texttt{new}:
1009 Here \texttt{'a'} is the \emph{name} of the instance,
1010 which will be used to reference it later.
1011 Remind that it is important to distinguish a box \emph{type}
1012 and an \emph{instance} of a box type.
1013 The \texttt{Add} box of the package \texttt{std} is actually
1014 a \emph{box type}, like \texttt{int} is a data type
1015 in \texttt{C} language. The \texttt{new} command allows to create
1016 an instance of a box type, exactly like \texttt{int i;} in
1017 a \texttt{C} code declares a variable of type \texttt{int}, the
1018 name of which is \texttt{i}.
1019 Of course, like in \texttt{C} Language, you can declare multiple boxes of the
1022 After the creation of the box instance \texttt{a} the command:
1027 gives the following result:
1029 Complex Black Box <user::workspace>
1032 Category(s): complex box;
1039 This means that the user's workspace now contains a black box named \texttt{a},
1040 of type \texttt{std::Add}. If you type:
1045 You get information about the actual instance \texttt{a} of the box type \texttt{std::Add}. It gives something like this:
1048 Black Box 'a' <std::Add>
1050 'BoxExecute' = '? (no adaptor found)' [Modified]
1051 'BoxProcessMode' = 'Pipeline' [Modified]
1052 'In1' = '0' [Modified]
1053 'In2' = '0' [Modified]
1055 'BoxChange' = '? (no adaptor found)' [Out-of-date]
1056 'Out' = '0' [Out-of-date]
1058 Note that the inputs appear as \texttt{[Modified]}, since the code defining the box type includes an initialization of the inputs. On the other hand, the outputs appear as \texttt{[Out-of-date]}, as the box has not yet been executed and therefore its outputs have not been updated. See the second part of this section to learn more about the updating. For a moment, just note that one way to process the box \texttt{a} is to use the command:
1063 This command does not display anything (except if the
1064 box itself displays something in its processing).
1065 It just processes the box if needed. In our case, the result can be seen as follows:
1069 Black Box 'a' <std::Add>
1071 'BoxExecute' = '? (no adaptor found)' [Up-to-date]
1072 'BoxProcessMode' = 'Pipeline' [Up-to-date]
1073 'In1' = '0' [Up-to-date]
1074 'In2' = '0' [Up-to-date]
1076 'BoxChange' = '? (no adaptor found)' [Up-to-date]
1077 'Out' = '0' [Up-to-date]
1079 Note the change of status of all the inputs and outputs (\texttt{[Up-to-date]}).
1080 In practice, the command \texttt{exec} is useful to execute boxes that do not have any output,
1081 such as boxes that write something to a file or, display a
1082 graphical interface, and so on.
1084 Now, let us set the input \texttt{In1}
1085 of the \texttt{Add} box \texttt{a} to the value $3.5$
1091 Similarly, setting the input \texttt{In2} of \texttt{a} to the value $4.3$
1097 And you print the output \texttt{Out} of the box \texttt{a} with:
1099 > print "result=$a.Out$"
1103 In the string passed to the \texttt{print} command,
1104 each substring enclosed between a couple of \$ is considered
1105 as the name of an output of a box.
1106 To process these special substrings, the interpreter:
1108 \item Processes the box if needed (see below)
1109 \item Converts the output of the box to a string if possible
1111 \item Substitutes the result in the string to print
1112 \item Places an implicit 'new line' character after the string
1117 Box processing is needed if:
1120 \item either at least one input has changed since last processing
1121 \item or the input \texttt{'BoxProcessMode'} of the box is set to
1122 \texttt{'Always'}, which forces box reprocessing.
1125 Note that all boxes have an input named \texttt{'BoxProcessMode'}. \newline
1127 %To exit \bbi, type :
1135 % ==========================================
1141 \item The \texttt{include} command allows to load a package, and the complex black boxes that come with it.
1142 \item \texttt{help} gives help on:
1144 \item Available commands if you just type \texttt{help}.
1145 \item A particular command if you type \texttt{help <command-name>}.
1146 \item All available packages and their boxes (without description) if you type \texttt{help packages}.
1147 \item A particular package and its boxes (with brief description) if you type \texttt{help <package-name>}.
1148 \item A particular black box type (with full description) if you type \texttt{help <box-type-name>}. In particular, \texttt{help workspace} displays information on the content of the \texttt{'workspace'} black box, which stores the boxes created by the user (by \texttt{new}).
1149 \item A particular black box instance (with full description, as well as the values and the status of the inputs/outputs) if you type \texttt{help <box-name>}.
1151 %\item \texttt{list} displays the list of black box instances created so far (by \texttt{new}).
1152 \item \texttt{new}: creates an instance of a black box.
1153 \item \texttt{set}: sets the value of an input of a black box.
1154 \item Under any component of \bbStudions, to reference the input called \texttt{i}
1155 of a black box called \texttt{b} you must type \texttt{'b.i'}.
1156 The same syntax holds for outputs.
1157 \item \texttt{print}: prints a string, substituting each substring of the form \$b.o\$ by the value of the output \texttt{o} of the black box \texttt{b}. Note that an
1158 implicit trailing 'new line character' is added at the final string.
1159 \item \texttt{exec}: runs, if needed, the process of a box.
1160 %\item \texttt{quit}: quits \bbi.
1165 %A more 'modern' way to proceed is to run \texttt{bbStudio}, drag and drop the \texttt{Command} bookmark to the lower \texttt{Welcome to bbStudio!} bar.
1166 %Wou'll get something like in figure \ref{bbCommandPlusHelp}:
1168 %\begin{figure}[!ht]
1169 %\caption{\label{bbCommandPlusHelp}
1170 %An other way to run the command interpreter}
1172 %\includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{bbCommandPlusHelp.png}
1176 % ==========================================
1178 % ==========================================
1179 \subsection{Connecting black boxes}
1180 \label{bbi-connecting-black-boxes}
1181 % ==========================================
1183 \BBTK allows to create
1184 and execute processing chains,
1185 also called \emph{pipelines},
1186 by connecting black boxes.
1187 This section explains how to do it with examples.
1188 Read section \ref{bbi-deep-box} to get
1189 more information on pipeline processing.
1191 First start \bbStudio and load the package \texttt{std}, i.e. type in the 'Command' part the following command:
1196 Assume you want to compute a sum of three numbers (e.g. $1+2+3$). You can do it by
1197 chaining two \texttt{Add} boxes, as shown in figure
1198 \ref{bbi-fig-connecting-black-boxes-1}.
1201 \caption{ A simple pipeline that adds 3 numbers}
1203 \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{1plus2plus3.png}
1205 \label{bbi-fig-connecting-black-boxes-1}
1208 The \bbs instructions to create and execute this pipeline are :
1212 > connect a.Out b.In1
1219 The first three commands build the pipeline,
1220 the next three set \texttt{a} and \texttt{b} black boxes' inputs and the last one
1221 prints the output of the black box \texttt{b}. The pipeline is executed before printing, because the interpreter 'knows' that the box \texttt{b}, the output of which is requested, is not up to date.
1223 The command \texttt{'connect a.Out b.In1'} ``plugs'' the output
1224 \texttt{Out} of the box \texttt{a} into the input \texttt{In1} of the
1226 Once the boxes are connected, the processings of the two boxes are chained:
1227 getting the output of \texttt{b} requires getting its inputs,
1228 hence getting the output of \texttt{a} which is connected to it.
1229 This pipeline mechanism can recurse into arbitrarily long
1230 chains of boxes (see \ref{bbi-deep-box}
1233 Let us consider another, more image-oriented, example :
1242 > new FileSelector fileDialog
1243 > new ImageReader reader
1244 > new Viewer2D viewer
1246 > connect fileDialog.Out reader.In
1247 > connect reader.Out viewer.In
1254 \item The \texttt{include} instructions load the necessary packages.
1255 \item \texttt{FileSelector} will pop, at run time, a File Selector dialog box that will output the user-selected file name.
1256 \item \texttt{ImageReader} will read any itk readable file, the name of which is passed as a std::string, and return a pointer on an itk image.
1257 \item \texttt{Viewer2D} will display a two-dimensional image.
1258 \item \texttt{connect fileDialog.Out reader.In} plugs the output of the File Selector (a \texttt{std::string}) to the input of the Image Reader (a \texttt{std::string}, too).
1259 \item \texttt{connect reader.Out viewer.In} plugs the output of the Image Reader \\(a \texttt{bbtk::any<bbitk::ImagePointer>} which is a type defined by the
1260 itk package, and which can hold any itk image pointer) to the input of the Viewer (a \texttt{vtkImageData *})
1261 \item \texttt{exec viewer} processes the Viewer.
1264 This would correspond to the graph in figure \ref{bbi-verysimplegraph}.
1267 \caption{\label{bbi-verysimplegraph}(Very) simple Graph of a (very) simple pipeline}
1269 \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{bbi-verysimplegraph.png}
1273 Of course, to be able to connect two boxes,
1274 the output and the input must be compatible.
1275 You can always connect an output to an input of the \emph{same} type,
1276 but you can do more, thanks to particular (hidden) black boxes called {\bf adaptors}.
1278 An adaptor is a black box that has at least one input, called \texttt{In},
1279 and at least one output called \texttt{Out} and the role of which is to convert
1280 a data of the type of \texttt{In}
1281 into a data of the type of \texttt{Out} (other inputs or outputs may serve
1282 to parameter the adaptor or retrieve other useful information). In the example above the appropriate adaptor that converts \texttt{bbtk::any<bbitk::ImagePointer>} into \texttt{vtkImageData *} is provided in the package \texttt{itkvtk}.
1284 Most of the useful standard adaptors are provided in the package \texttt{std}. Under \bbStudions, if you type :
1291 Package std v1.0.0 - laurent.guigues@creatis.insa-lyon.fr
1292 Basic useful black boxes
1294 ASCII : ascii codes sequence to string - ...
1295 Add : Adds its inputs
1296 BoolToString [DA] : Converts a Bool (bool) into a string
1297 CastBoolToChar [DA] : Static cast from Bool (bool) to ...
1298 CastBoolToDouble [DA] : Static cast from Bool (bool) to ...
1300 CastBoolToUChar [DA] : Static cast from Bool (bool) to ...
1301 CastBoolToUInt [DA] : Static cast from Bool (bool) to ...
1303 CastUIntToBool [DA] : Static cast from UInt (unsigned ...
1304 CastUIntToChar [DA] : Static cast from UInt (unsigned ...
1305 CastUIntToDouble [DA] : Static cast from UInt (unsigned ...
1310 In this long list you find many items marked \texttt{[DA]}, which stands for \emph{default adaptor}.
1312 Once you have loaded the package \texttt{std}, you can
1313 plug an output of type \texttt{char} into an input of type \texttt{double}.
1314 When the interpreter encounters the \texttt{connect} command,
1315 it looks for an adequate \emph{adaptor} in the loaded packages.
1316 In our case, as the package \texttt{std} provides the
1317 \texttt{CastUCharToDouble} adaptor, the interpreter automatically creates an
1318 instance of this adaptor and places it \emph{between}
1319 the output and the input you want to connect
1320 (however this adaptor is hidden to you,
1321 it is embedded into the created connection and does not appear
1322 as an existing black box).
1323 When the pipeline is processed the
1324 adaptor converts the output data into the required input type,
1325 in a totally transparent way.
1326 In our example, the \texttt{CastUCharToDouble} adaptor
1327 would simply cast the value of the \texttt{char} into a \texttt{double},
1328 however arbitrarily complex type conversion may be done.\\
1329 \texttt{WARNING}: these adaptors are \texttt{C++ static cast}, i.e., there is, right now,
1330 no 'intelligent' conversion (only truncation) e.g. think of \texttt{CastDoubleToUChar}!
1333 %Question (for info-dev):
1334 %if two adaptors with the same input and output types exist
1335 %in two different packages, currenly loaded,
1336 %which one is chosen by the interpreter at connection time?
1337 %A feature is missing to specify explicitely which one user wants to choose
1338 %(use a namespace notation ?)
1340 %-> Role of default adaptors
1343 Note that the \texttt{set} and \texttt{print} commands of interpreter
1344 work with adaptors from \texttt{string} to the type of the input to set
1345 or from the type of the output to print to \texttt{string}.
1346 Hence in order to \texttt{set} or \texttt{print} values the adequate
1347 adaptors must be available in the packages currently loaded. \\
1350 % ==========================================
1355 \item The \texttt{connect} command allows to connect two black boxes
1356 \item You can connect two black boxes if (and only if):
1358 \item The output and the input are of the same type, or
1359 \item There is an adaptor black box in the packages loaded which
1360 converts data of the output type into data of the input type
1362 \item \texttt{help <package name>} does not display the adaptors of the package. To see them use: \texttt{help <package name> all}
1366 % ==========================================
1368 % ==========================================
1369 \subsection{Writing scripts files}
1370 \label{bbi-writing-scripts}
1371 % ==========================================
1373 Now that you know how to connect the existing black boxes, you will soon realize that you want to save and reuse some sequences of commands that you are particularly glad of. In the following subsections you will learn how to write ``simple'' pipeline applications and new complex black boxes built of existing black boxes.
1375 % ==========================================
1376 \subsubsection{Stand-alone pipeline applications}
1377 \label{sec:pipeline-appli}
1378 % ==========================================
1380 Let us take an example similar to that from section \ref{bbi-connecting-black-boxes}:
1389 > new DirectorySelector dirSelect
1390 > new DICOMDirReader reader
1392 > new Viewer2D viewer
1394 > connect dirSelect.Out reader.In
1395 > connect reader.Out viewer.In
1396 > connect slider.Out viewer.Slice
1397 > connect slider.BoxChange viewer.BoxExecute
1398 > set slider.ReactiveOnTrack 1
1403 This is an elementary DICOM-image slicer (fig.~\ref{fig:simpleslicer}) designed to view 3D medical images slice-by-slice. The image is to be composed of a series of DICOM files contained in a separate directory. The index of the slice to be displayed is selected by means of a slider. The command \texttt{connect slider.BoxChange viewer.BoxExecute} permits the Viewer to update the display every time the output of the Slider changes. The command \texttt{set slider.ReactiveOnTrack 1} on its turn makes that the output of the Slider changes every time its cursor is moved, while the default behavior is to change only when the mouse-button is released after moving the cursor.\\
1406 \caption{ Graph of a (very) simple 3D slicer}
1408 \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{bbi-simplegraph.png}
1410 \label{fig:simpleslicer}
1413 Despite its simplicity, this application may already be useful. If you want to reuse it, you have to save the \bbs commands in a text file. The conventional (and mandatory) extension for such script files is \texttt{bbs}
1414 (black box script). For example, our elementary 3D DICOM-image slicer
1415 can be defined in the following file:
1417 \begin{file}{my\_slicer.bbs}
1419 # my_slicer.bbs: elementary 3D image slicer"
1421 the 3D image has to be stored in a separate directory
1422 as a series of DICOM files representing the 2D slices
1431 new DirectorySelector dirSelect
1432 new DICOMDirReader reader
1436 connect dirSelect.Out reader.In
1437 connect reader.Out viewer.In
1438 connect slider.Out viewer.Slice
1439 connect slider.BoxChange viewer.BoxExecute
1440 set slider.ReactiveOnTrack 1
1446 Lines starting with a \texttt{\#} character or with double slash (\texttt{\//\//}) are ignored, they
1447 are considered as comments by the interpreter. A longer comment can be placed between the marks \texttt{\//*} and \texttt{*\//}. Each of this mark is to be placed alone in a separate line, like in the example.\par
1449 To use this file in \bbStudions, click on the \texttt{include} button, and browse your filestore to find the file. You can also type the command:
1452 > include my_slicer.bbs
1455 provided that \bbStudio knows the path to the desired \texttt{bbs} file.
1456 See the section \ref{The_configuration_file} to learn about the configuration file and the way to add a new path to it. Note that, if you modify the configuration file, you will have to close \bbStudio and run it again, so that the new configuration be taken into account.
1458 Actually, since the file has the \texttt{bbs} extension, you can omit it and just type:
1463 % ==========================================
1469 \item The \texttt{include} command tells the interpreter to include a script file.
1470 \item Lines starting with \texttt{\#} or \texttt{\//\//} are considered as comments by the interpreter.
1471 \item A longer comment can be written between two empty lines only containing \texttt{\//*} and \texttt{*\//} respectively.
1475 % ==========================================
1477 % ==========================================
1478 \subsubsection{Creating complex black boxes}
1479 \label{bbi-complex-black-boxes}
1480 % ==========================================
1482 Remind the pipeline of figure
1483 \ref{bbi-fig-connecting-black-boxes-1}, which
1484 computed the sum of three doubles.
1485 You can consider it as a whole and define
1486 a new black box type, which will be a \emph{complex black box},
1487 having three inputs and one output,
1488 as shown in figure \ref{bbi-fig-complex-black-box-1}.
1491 \caption{\label{bbi-fig-complex-black-box-1} Creating the complex black box \texttt{Add3}}
1493 \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{Add3.png}
1497 The \bbs script file defining this complex black box will be as follows:
1500 # bbAdd3.bbs: defines the Add3 black box which adds 3 doubles
1505 description "adds 3 doubles"
1513 input x a.In1 "first double to add
1514 input y a.In2 "second double to add
1515 input z b.In2 "third double to add"
1517 output result b.Out "output"
1523 \item As we will use \texttt{Add} boxes, we need to load the package \texttt{std}, which is done in the first line.
1524 \item The command \texttt{define} then starts the definition
1525 of the complex box type that will be called \texttt{Add3}.
1526 \item The next three lines define the pipeline,
1527 exactly in the same way as outside of a complex box definition.
1528 \item The commands \texttt{author}, \texttt{description}, \texttt{input}
1529 and \texttt{output} are specific to complex boxes definition:
1531 \item \texttt{author}, \texttt{description} and \texttt{category} are used for the documentation of the new box. You can provide multiple \texttt{author} or \texttt{description} commands, the arguments of the commands will be concatenated to produce the final author and description strings. As for multiple \texttt{category} commands, each of them produces a separate entry for the documentation.
1532 \item \texttt{input} and \texttt{output} are used to define the inputs and outputs
1533 of the new complex box. Their syntax is the same: for each new input/output you need to say
1534 to which internal input/output it corresponds and to provide
1535 a help string documenting the input/output.
1536 In our example, we define that the box \texttt{Add3} has
1537 three inputs: \texttt{x}, \texttt{y} and \texttt{z}.
1538 The input \texttt{x} corresponds to the input \texttt{In1} of the
1539 internal box \texttt{a}.
1540 In the same way, the external input \texttt{y}
1541 corresponds to the internal input \texttt{a.In2}, and
1542 the external input \texttt{In3} to \texttt{b.In2}.
1543 The only output of the new box is called \texttt{result}
1544 and corresponds to \texttt{b.Out}.
1545 The figure \ref{bbi-fig-complex-black-box-1}
1546 illustrates the external to internal
1547 input/output correspondence.
1549 \item Finally, the \texttt{endefine} command ends the definition of the
1553 If you type the command \texttt{include bbAdd3} and then you ask for help
1554 on the contents of the \texttt{user} package, you get:
1558 Package user - internal
1559 User defined black boxes
1561 Add3 : adds three numbers
1562 workspace : User's workspace
1565 The \texttt{user} package now contains a new black box type, called
1566 \texttt{Add3}. If you ask for help on this type of box, you get:
1569 Complex Black Box <user::Add3>
1572 Category(s) : complex box;example;misc;
1574 'x' <double> [] : first double to add
1575 'y' <double> [] : second double to add
1576 'z' <double> [] : third double to add
1578 'result' <double> [] : output
1584 and you can use it like any other box, for example:
1595 As a side note, we can say that, for consistency reasons, it would have been better to name
1596 \texttt{In1}, \texttt{In2} and \texttt{In3} the inputs of the black box \texttt{Add3}. Indeed,
1597 by convention all the 'natural entries' of a box are named \texttt{In}, or \texttt{In}\emph{x} if there is more than one 'natural entry'.
1599 % ==========================================
1604 \item The \texttt{define/endefine} commands allow to define complex black box types, i.e. types of black boxes made up of other black boxes.
1605 Inside a \texttt{define/endefine} block:
1607 \item the \texttt{author}, \texttt{description} and \texttt{category} commands allow to document the new type of box,
1608 \item the \texttt{input} and \texttt{output} commands allow to define the inputs and outputs of the new type of box, that is to which inputs and outputs
1609 of internal boxes they correspond.
1613 % ==========================================
1615 % ==========================================
1616 \subsubsection{Creating complex black boxes that use complex black boxes}
1617 \label{bbi-complex-complex-black-boxes}
1618 % ==========================================
1620 Of course, you can include script files in other script files,
1621 like in the following example:
1623 \begin{file}{bbAdd4.bbs}
1625 # Defines the Add4 black box which adds 4 doubles
1630 description "adds 4 doubles"
1633 connect a.result b.In1
1634 input In1 a.x "first double to add
1635 input In2 a.y "second double to add
1636 input In3 a.z "third double to add"
1637 input In4 b.In2 "fourth double to add"
1638 output Out b.Out "output"
1643 Here we kept the \texttt{bbAdd3.bbs} file unchanged, so the inner box of type \texttt{Add3} \texttt{a} has the entries \texttt{x, y, z}, while the entries of the inner box \texttt{b} of type \texttt{Add} are \texttt{In1, In2}.\\
1644 Only the inputs \texttt{x, y, z} of box the \texttt{a} and the input \texttt{In2} of the box \texttt{b} are of interest for the end user, but he/she does not need to care neither about the inner boxes name, nor about the names of their inputs.\\
1645 The author of the complex box has the ability to give these inputs meaningful names (here \texttt{In1, In2, In3, In4}) and to properly document them.
1647 \subsubsection{Naming Conventions}
1648 \label{bbi-Naming Conventions}
1651 % ==========================================
1653 %\paragraph{Naming Conventions}
1657 % ==========================================
1661 For consistency reasons, you are requested to prefix \texttt{bb} and place an extension \texttt{.bbs},
1662 to the names of the files that hold a \texttt{complex black box} definition.
1664 For example, the \texttt{Add3} complex box we previously worked on
1665 can be defined in the \texttt{bbAdd3.bbs} file.
1668 For consistency reasons, the names of dynamic libraries holding the packages start by \texttt{bb}.
1669 For instance, the package \texttt{wx} will be in the library \texttt{bbwx.dll} (Windows) or \texttt{libbbwx.so}
1675 % ==========================================
1676 \subsubsection{Creating and using command-line applications}
1677 \label{bbi-command-line-app}
1678 % ==========================================
1680 Command-line applications are those that can be executed by typing, in a console, the name of the application and the values of its parameters. The Linux users are very familiar with this way of working, while the Windows users are not, since they are used to execute the applications by clicking on the corresponding icons. Nevertheless, the command-line execution of the applications is feasible (although not very useful) in Windows. You just need to invoke the black ``console'' available either via \texttt{Start > Execute > cmd}, or via \texttt{Start > Programs > Accessories > Invoke commands}. Furthermore, command-line execution of applications is very useful in both environments in such cases as batches.
1682 You already know how to write script files that define stand-alone pipeline applications.
1683 In fact, these applications \emph{can} be executed directly from the console by typing:
1685 > bbi <application-name>
1687 Note that this execution mode invokes the interpreter \texttt{bbi} and passes the name of the application to the interpreter.
1689 So, what more do you need to know? A command-line application may need some inputs. In order to define them, you need to use the (already known) command \texttt{input}.
1691 To understand the underlying mechanism let us think back of the \texttt{workspace} object.
1692 Remember that it is also
1693 a \texttt{complex black box}.
1694 Actually, when you write \bbs commands
1695 outside of a \texttt{define/}\texttt{endefine} block,
1696 you progressively define the \texttt{workspace}
1698 You can think of it as though at start the interpreter
1699 was issuing a command \texttt{'define workspace'}
1700 and then letting you define the interior of the box
1703 Remember that the command \texttt{input}
1704 allows to define an input of a complex box.
1705 Now, if you use the command \texttt{input}
1706 outside a \texttt{define/endefine} block then
1707 it defines an input of the \texttt{workspace} box,
1708 that is an input of the \emph{main program}.
1709 This input will then be connected to the
1710 parameters that the user passes to the command line.
1712 For example, consider the script:
1714 \begin{file}{add.bbs}
1718 input x a.In1 "first number to add"
1719 input y a.In2 "second number to add"
1724 The third and fourth lines define two inputs \texttt{x}
1725 and \texttt{y}. When you execute this script,
1726 you can pass these two arguments in the command-line,
1734 You can also note that, in the command-line context, you can invoke \bbi with the option \texttt{-h},
1735 which gives help on the \texttt{workspace} box:
1742 'x' <double> : first number to add
1743 'y' <double> : second number to add
1746 This is particularly useful to learn about the usage of the application, namely about the inputs that are to be set at execution. To improve the help provided, use the \texttt{description}, \texttt{author} and \texttt{category} commands at the beginning of the script file defining the application:
1749 \begin{file}{add.bbs}
1751 description "Adds two numbers"
1752 author "foo@bar.com"
1753 category "example;math"
1756 input x a.In1 "first number to add"
1757 input y a.In2 "second number to add"
1762 Note that (at least for the moment and contrary to the definition of complex black boxes) you cannot use here multiple \texttt{description}, \texttt{author} and \texttt{author} commands. If the application belongs to several categories, you have to write a single string listing the categories separated by semi-colons, like in the example above. Now if you ask for help on the \texttt{add} script, you get :
1768 Category(s) : example;math;
1770 'x' <double> : first number to add
1771 'y' <double> : second number to add
1774 Rather than getting the inputs of a script
1775 from the command line, you can ask \bbi to
1776 prompt the user for the values, using the \texttt{-t}
1781 x=[the program waits for user answer]2
1782 y=[the program waits for user answer]5
1786 You can also use the \texttt{-g} commutator.
1787 \bbi then prompts the user in graphical mode,
1788 displaying a dialog box for each input,
1789 like in fig. \ref{bb-input-dialog-box}.
1792 \caption{\label{bb-input-dialog-box}Input dialog box}
1794 \includegraphics[width=0.6\textwidth]{enter-the-value-of-x.png}
1798 Note that for both \texttt{-t} and \texttt{-g} options,
1799 the input from the user is a \texttt{string} and
1800 \bbi converts it to the right input type using
1801 an \texttt{adaptor}, hence the right adaptors must be previously loaded.
1803 % ==========================================
1808 \item The \texttt{input}, \texttt{description} and \texttt{author} commands,
1809 when they are used outside a \texttt{define/endefine} block allow
1810 to define the inputs, description and author of the main program.
1811 \item Inputs of the main program can be passed on the command line
1812 using the syntax \texttt{<input-name>=<value>}.
1813 No white space is allowed, if the value or the input name
1814 contains white spaces, enclose them
1815 between double quotes, e.g. \texttt{"parameter with white spaces = gnu's not unix"}.
1816 \item The \texttt{-h} option of \bbi prints help on the main program.
1817 \item The \texttt{-t} option of \bbi orders the program to prompt for its inputs in text mode.
1818 \item The \texttt{-g} option of \bbi orders the program to prompt for its inputs in graphical mode.
1821 % ==========================================
1823 % ==========================================
1824 \subsection{Using graphical interface boxes (widget boxes)}
1826 % ==========================================
1828 % ==========================================
1829 %\subsubsection{Overview}
1830 %\label{bbi-overview}
1831 % ==========================================
1833 Basic graphical interface components are provided in the package \texttt{wx},
1834 such as buttons, sliders, file open/save dialogs, etc.
1836 As first example, type the following commands in \bbStudio :
1839 > new DirectorySelector d
1843 When you hit the \texttt{enter} key after the last line,
1844 the usual directory-selection window pops up.
1845 When you validate your selection, the directory name you selected, preceded by the corresponding path, is printed by
1846 the \texttt{print} command.
1847 Note that you can determine a default directory by setting the appropriate input as follows:
1849 > set d.DefaultDir <directory-name>
1852 Now, type \texttt{help wx}, you get something like:
1854 Package wx v1.0.0- info-dev@creatis.insa-lyon.fr
1855 Basic graphical interface elements (sliders, buttons ...) based ...
1857 ColourSelector : Colour Selector dialog (bbfication of ...
1858 ColourSelectorButton : A button which displays a colour picke...
1859 CommandButton : Button which executes bbi commands
1860 DirectorySelector : Pops up a directory selection dialog (...
1861 FileSelector : Pops up a file selection dialog for re...
1862 InputText : A zone in which the user can enter a t...
1863 LayoutLine : LayoutLine widget (wxBoxSizer)
1864 LayoutSplit : Widget which splits a window in two fi...
1865 LayoutTab : LayoutTab widget (wxNotebook)
1866 OutputText : Text zone to be inserted into a window...
1867 RadioButton : RadioButton group widget 0-9 entries
1868 Slider : Slider widget (wxSlider)
1871 You can reproduce the same experiment as above using for example
1872 a \texttt{FileDialog} rather than a \texttt{DirectorySelector}.
1874 If you choose to reproduce the experiment with:\\
1875 \texttt{> new InputText t} (or \texttt{new Slider s}),
1877 you will have to precede the command:\\
1878 \texttt{> print \$t.Out\$} (or \texttt{print \$s.Out\$})
1880 by the following command:\\
1881 \texttt{> set t.WinDialog true} (or \texttt{set s.WinDialog true} respectively).
1883 This blocks the pipeline until the widget is closed. Also note that the corresponding widgets do not have a validation button. Therefore, you will have to close them by clicking in the appropriate corner.
1885 %There are two kinds of widgets : ``terminal'' widgets and ``container'' widgets.
1886 %The \texttt{InputText}, \texttt{FileDialog} or \texttt{Slider} widgets
1887 %are ``terminal'' widgets.
1888 %``container'' widgets are of another kind : they are
1889 % ==========================================
1890 %\subsubsection{Layout widgets}
1891 %\label{bbi-layout-widgets}
1892 % ==========================================
1894 There is a special kind of widget, called '\texttt{Layout}', designed to
1895 contain other widgets in order to build larger dialog boxes.
1897 For example, the \texttt{LayoutSplit} widget is a container that
1898 ``splits'' a window into two parts, either horizontally or vertically,
1899 each part including another widget.
1900 The initial size of the two parts can be fixed by the input 'Proportion'
1901 and be adjusted by the user thanks to a ``handle''.
1903 The example \texttt{exampleLayoutSplit} demonstrates its use.
1904 Run it: it displays a window with two sliders.
1905 Move the sliders and close the window.
1906 Now look at the source file to see how this is done:
1908 \begin{file}{CreaTools/bbtk-0.9.1/bbs/wx/appli/exampleLayoutSplit.bbs}
1916 connect s1.Widget s.Widget1
1917 connect s2.Widget s.Widget2
1923 First, the two sliders \texttt{s1} and \texttt{s2} are created.
1924 A \texttt{LayoutSplit} box \texttt{s} is also created.
1925 The \texttt{connect} commands then ``insert'' the sliders in the
1927 The output \texttt{Widget} is common to all widget boxes: in this way
1928 every widget can be inserted into another widget, provided that the latter has an appropriate input permitting this insertion.
1929 The inputs \texttt{Widget1}, \texttt{Widget2} of \emph{layout}
1930 widgets are precisely such special inputs used to ``host'' other widgets.
1931 In \bbStudio type \texttt{help Slider}:
1932 you will see the output \texttt{Widget};
1933 type \texttt{help LayoutSplit}:
1934 you will see the inputs \texttt{Widget1} and \texttt{Widget2}
1935 and the output \texttt{Widget}. \\
1936 \emph{Note that the information about the inputs/outputs of widget boxes in html help is displayed in tables having 3 different color cells. From top to bottom you first find the inputs/outputs specific for the given box, then those that are common for all widget boxes, finally those that are common for all black boxes.}\\
1937 When you connect the \texttt{Widget} output of a box
1938 to the \texttt{Widget}\textit{i} input of a layout widget,
1939 you order to insert the widget in the layout via its \textit{i}-th special input.
1940 Of course, the order of connection is important.
1941 In our case, the slider \texttt{s1} is inserted first,
1942 then the slider \texttt{s2}. So, \texttt{s1} will be placed
1943 on top of \texttt{s2} (the \texttt{LayoutSplit} box is
1944 implemented that way, but this is an arbitrary choice).
1946 Right now, there are only \emph{three} layout widgets in the \texttt{wx} package :
1948 \item {the \texttt{LayoutSplit} widget} we just described
1950 \item {the \texttt{LayoutLine} widget} can have multiple children
1951 (\texttt{Widget1}, \texttt{Widget2},{\dots} \texttt{Widget9} inputs) and
1952 divides its window into as much parts as children,
1953 each part of equal size.
1954 The orientation of the \texttt{LayoutSplit} or of the \texttt{LayoutLine} can be changed by the input \texttt{Orientation}.
1955 With only those two layout widgets you can already create
1956 complex dialog boxes
1957 (of course layouts can be nested, which leads to tree-like
1958 structures of widgets). \\
1959 See the script \texttt{exampleComplexLayoutSplit\_In\_LayoutSplit} for an example.
1961 \item {The \texttt{LayoutTab} widget} arranges its children
1962 in different pages or 'tabs' (based on \texttt{wxNotebook}).
1963 The label of each page is the name of the widget it contains.
1971 %One word about a special widget in the package \texttt{wx}:
1972 %the \texttt{Button}... to be continued.
1974 % ==========================================
1975 %\subsection{Deeper into the boxes}
1976 %\label{bbi-deep-box}
1977 % ==========================================
1978 % ==========================================
1979 \subsection{Default and mandatory inputs and outputs}
1980 \label{bbi-deep-box}
1981 % ==========================================
1983 %\subsubsection{Default and mandatory inputs and outputs}
1984 Any {\bf\emph{atomic}} black box has two default inputs and one default output (listed below) that are created by the system. If you create a complex boxes, it is a good idea to also define these two inputs and one output for this new box, in order to be able to use your complex box in the same way as the atomic boxes.
1988 \item {\bf\emph{BoxExecute}}: any signal received by this input executes the box.
1989 \item {\bf\emph{BoxProcessMode}}: sets the processing mode of the box:
1991 \item {\bf\emph{Pipeline}}: % bbBackwardUpdate() calls Process() only if Status == MODIFIED \\
1992 This is the normal pipeline processing mode, i.e. when an execution of \emph{my\_box} is requested (either by the command '\texttt{exec my\_box}' or because another box dependent on \emph{my\_box}'es output is to be executed), \emph{my\_box} actually executes itself only if at least one of its inputs was changed.
1993 \item {\bf\emph{Reactive}}: %bbSetModifiedStatus() calls bbUpdate() \\
1994 \emph{my\_box} re-executes itself immediately when \emph{any input} changes.
1995 To be more selective, i.e. if you want to re-execute immediately only when one specific input changes, dependent on the change of a particular \emph{other\_box}, better use
1996 '\texttt{connect other\_box.BoxChange my\_box.BoxExecute}'.
1997 \item {\bf\emph{Always}}: % bbUpdate() always calls Process. \\
1998 Useful for 'sources', that must be processed in the pipeline mode despite no input change (e.g.: FileSelector, ColorSelector).
1999 This one is not end user intended (for Package developers only).
2004 \item {\bf\emph{BoxChange}}: signals any modification of the box. This output may be connected if necessary to the \texttt{BoxExecute}
2005 input of another box: each time the box changes (e.g. a Slider is moved) the box it is connected to will be forced to update.
2009 Any {\bf\emph{widget}} box has five \emph{inputs}, that will be dealt with only if the box is not connected to the \texttt{Widget} input of any {\bf\emph{layout}} box. If you define a complex widget box, it is a good idea to define these inputs to be able to customize your window settings. It has also one mandatory \emph{output}. If you define a complex widget box, it is a good idea to use the same standard name for your window output.
2013 \item {\bf\emph{WinHeight}}: Height of the window.
2014 \item {\bf\emph{WinWidth}}: Width of the window.
2015 \item {\bf\emph{WinTitle}}: Title of the window.
2016 \item {\bf\emph{WinClose}}: Any signal received by this input closes the window.
2017 \item {\bf\emph{WinHide}}: Any signal received by this input hides the window.
2018 \item {\bf\emph{WinDialog}}: When set to \texttt{true} or $1$, the widget behaves as a \emph{dialog window} that blocks the pipeline until it is closed (\emph{modal}).
2022 \item {\bf\emph{Widget}}: Represents the \texttt{wxWindow} itself. If it is not connected to the \texttt{Widget}\emph{i} of any {\bf\emph{layout}} box, then the box will create its own window (frame or dialog) on execution. If it is connected to the \texttt{Widget}\emph{i} of a {\bf\emph{layout}} box, it will be embedded in its parent window.
2026 Any {\bf\emph{layout}} box (i.e. \texttt{LayoutLine}, \texttt{LayoutSplit} or \texttt{LayoutTab}) has one or more mandatory inputs {\bf\emph{Widget}}\texttt{i} indexed by their number \emph{i}, e.g.: a \texttt{LayoutSplit} box (widget that splits a window in two resizable parts) has two inputs \texttt{Widget1} and \texttt{Widget2}, used to embed the child windows. If you define a complex layout box, it is a good idea to use these standard names for your
2032 % ==========================================
2033 %\subsection{More on ...}
2034 %\label{bbi-more-on}
2035 % ==========================================
2037 % ==========================================
2038 %\subsubsection{Black box packages}
2039 %\label{bbi-more-on-packages}
2040 % ==========================================
2041 %There are various others user-intended packages :
2044 %---> Were moved in a 'Reference Manual' ?\\
2045 %---> Any suggestion welcome!
2053 % ==========================================
2054 %\subsubsection{Pipeline processing}
2055 %\label{bbi-more-on-pipeline-processing}
2056 % ==========================================
2058 %\item the ``control'' mechanism in bbi.
2060 %When a box is requested to update itself, it asks (recursively) each one of its inputs if it was modified.\\
2061 %In normal pipe-line mode, it will be re-processed if at least one of its imputs was actually modified, as the output of a previous box.
2063 %(switch exec commands, e.g. Button)
2064 %\item the role of ProcessMode to update widgets.
2067 %\subsubsection{Advanced issues}
2068 %\paragraph{Reducing the number of inputs of a box}
2070 % ==========================================
2071 %\subsubsection{Errors}
2072 %\label{bbi-more-on-errors}
2074 % ==========================================
2077 % ==========================================
2081 \section{Using third party Packages}
2082 \label{Third_Party_Package}
2083 % ==========================================
2084 % ==========================================
2085 \subsection{Installing a Package}
2086 \label{Installing_a_Package}
2088 % ==========================================
2089 \subsubsection{Linux users}
2090 \label{Installing_a_Package_for_Linux_users}
2092 After compiling a Package, at install time, use:
2109 otherwise package documentation will not be generated. \\
2111 Then update your environment variable LD\_LIBRARY\_PATH (in .bashrc if
2112 you are using bash), to add the path to the shared library
2113 \texttt{libbb\emph{YourNewPackageName}.so}
2116 % ==========================================
2117 \subsubsection{Windows users}
2118 \label{Installing_a_Package_for_Windows_users}
2119 % ==========================================
2120 Think of updating your environment variable LD\_LIBRARY\_PATH to add the path to the dynamic library
2121 \texttt{bb\emph{YourNewPackageName}.dll}
2123 % ==========================================
2124 \subsection{Plugging in a Package}
2125 \label{Plugging_in_a_Package}
2126 % ==========================================
2128 \bbStudio makes it easy for you: in the menu \texttt{Tools} just click on the
2129 option \texttt{Plug Package}. You will be asked to '\texttt{Select
2130 package directory}'. Browse until you find the install or the build directory,
2131 depending on whether you installed the package or not.
2133 \bbStudio will update the configuration file, generate the 'Package
2134 documentation', and update the 'Boxes Lists'.
2136 You will be able to use the new package just as you did for any other \bbtk
2139 % ==========================================
2140 \subsection{Hard incorporating of a Package}
2141 \label{Hard_incorporating_of_a_Package}
2142 % ==========================================
2144 If the Package you want to use is supplied in a non standard way (e.g.: you
2145 where given one ore more dynamic libraries (\texttt{.dll} or \texttt{.so}), and/or
2146 one or more directories containing \bbtk scripts (\texttt{.bbs})
2147 you can edit your \bbtk configuration and add the appropriate
2148 paths, see \ref{The_configuration_file}.
2151 % ==========================================
2152 \subsection{Updating the documentation}
2153 \label{Updating_the_documentation}
2154 % ==========================================
2155 You may add your own boxes (simple boxes, if you are aware enough of \CPP
2156 language, or complex boxes if you are aware enough in \bbtk scripting).
2158 To update the html help of this package,
2159 use the option \texttt{Regenerate package doc}
2160 in the menu \texttt{Tools} of \texttt{bbStudio}.
2161 You'll be prompted for the Package name.
2162 Avoid using the \texttt{-a} option (Regenerate all), since it's time consuming.
2164 To update html boxes lists with the new boxes,
2165 use the option \texttt{Regenerate Boxes Lists}
2166 in the menu \texttt{Tools} of \texttt{bbStudio}.
2168 % ==========================================
2169 \subsection{Using the package}
2170 \label{Using_the_package}
2171 % ==========================================
2173 The only thing you have to do is to \texttt{include} or \texttt{load} the package,
2174 within a script, or from the \texttt{Command} part,
2175 and enjoy the black boxes it contains.
2177 % ==========================================%\subsection{Packages you'll probably want to use }
2178 %\label{Packages_you_ll_want_to_use}
2179 % ==========================================
2181 %\item{\texttt{creaLib}} \\
2182 %a.k.a \texttt{crea}. It's a set of 'low level' utilities, needed by other
2183 %packages (an, sure, useful as well for people that doesn't use bbtkns.
2184 %\item{\texttt{creaContours}} \\
2185 %Provides sophisticated widgets for managing 3D R.O.I. (Regions of interest)
2186 %\item{\texttt{creaImageIO}} \\
2187 %Allows browsing, selectionning, ordering directories containing images of almost any type
2192 % ==========================================
2196 \section{Using black boxes in \CPP programs}
2198 % ==========================================
2200 A very useful feature is that you may use any widget
2201 black box within a \CPP program
2202 without worrying about writing a \wx main application.\\
2204 Let us have a look at the following \bbs script:
2211 # Create the Objects
2214 new LayoutLine layout
2216 # Graphical pipeline
2217 connect slider.Widget layout.Widget1
2218 connect text.Widget layout.Widget2
2220 # Execution pipeline
2221 connect slider.BoxChange text.BoxExecute
2222 connect slider.Out text.In
2228 User wants to create a slider and an output text, within a LayoutLine,
2229 and display the slider value in the output text.
2230 Think about the (little!) nightmare to code the same, in 'raw C++', using wxWidgets.
2232 The following \CPP code does the same:
2235 #include <bbtkFactory.h>
2236 #include <bbwxSlider.h>
2237 #include <bbwxOutputText.h>
2238 #include <bbwxLayoutLine.h>
2240 int main(int argv, char* argc[])
2244 /* we need to instanciate a bbtk::Factory
2245 to be aware of the adaptors*/
2247 bbtk::Factory::Pointer factory = bbtk::Factory::New();
2249 // Load the packages
2251 factory->LoadPackage("std");
2252 factory->LoadPackage("wx");
2254 // Create the Objects
2255 // ------------------
2256 bbwx::Slider::Pointer slider = bbwx::Slider::New("slider");
2257 bbwx::OutputText::Pointer text = bbwx::OutputText::New("text");
2258 bbwx::LayoutLine::Pointer layout =
2259 bbwx::LayoutLine::New("layout");
2261 // Graphical pipeline
2262 bbtk::Connection::Pointer c1 =
2263 bbtk::Connection::New(slider,"Widget",layout,"Widget1");
2265 bbtk::Connection::Pointer c2 =
2266 bbtk::Connection::New(text,"Widget",layout,"Widget2");
2268 // Execution pipeline
2269 // ------------------
2271 // We have to pass the 'factory', in order to call
2272 // automatically an adaptor, if necessary.
2273 bbtk::Connection::Pointer s2t =
2274 bbtk::Connection::New(slider,"Out",text,"In",factory);
2275 bbtk::Connection::Pointer c3 =
2276 bbtk::Connection::New(slider,"BoxChange",text,"BoxExecute");
2277 layout->bbSetInputWinDialog(true);
2281 layout->bbExecute();
2284 catch (bbtk::Exception e)
2286 bbtk::MessageManager::SetMessageLevel("Error",1);
2292 In this code, we use the headers of the \texttt{bbwx} \CPP library,
2293 which define the black boxes of the \texttt{wx} package.
2299 % ==========================================
2303 \section{\bbs language reference}
2304 \label{bbi-reference}
2305 % ==========================================
2307 % ==========================================
2308 \subsection{Pipeline creation and execution related commands}
2309 \label{bbi-reference-creation-execution}
2310 % ==========================================
2311 % See table \ref{bbi-reference-box}
2313 % ==========================================
2315 \caption{\label{bbi-reference-box} \bbs pipeline creation and execution related commands.}
2317 \begin{tabular}{|lcm{6cm}|}
2319 Command & Parameters & Effect \\ \hline
2321 \texttt{new} & \texttt{<box-type>} \texttt{<box-name>}&
2322 Creates a box of type \texttt{box-type} and name
2323 \texttt{box-name}.\\ \hline
2325 \texttt{newgui} & \texttt{<box-name>} \texttt{<gui-box-name>} &
2326 Automatically creates a graphical user interface with name \texttt{gui-box-name}
2327 for the black box \texttt{box-name} and connects it to the box inputs\\ \hline
2329 \texttt{delete} & \texttt{<box-name>} &
2330 Destroys the box named \texttt{box-name}\\ \hline
2332 \texttt{connect} & \texttt{<box1.output>} \texttt{<box2.input>} &
2334 \texttt{output} of the box named \texttt{box1}
2335 to the input \texttt{input} of the box named \texttt{box2} \\ \hline
2337 \texttt{set} & \texttt{<box.input>} \texttt{<value>} &
2338 Sets the input \texttt{input} of
2339 the box named \texttt{box} to the value \texttt{value}.
2340 An \texttt{adaptor} must exist
2341 in the packages loaded, which converts a \texttt{std::string}
2342 to the type of the input \texttt{input}. \\ \hline
2344 \texttt{exec} & \texttt{<box-name>} &
2345 Executes the box named \texttt{box-name}.
2347 connected to its inputs
2348 are also processed recursively (pipeline processing).\\ \hline
2350 Allows to block execution commands while keeping definition commands active (this one is not for end user)\\ \hline
2351 & \texttt{unfreeze} &
2352 Turns back to 'normal' mode (this one is not for end user).\\ \hline
2355 % ==========================================
2359 % ==========================================
2360 \subsection{Package related commands}
2361 \label{bbi-reference-package}
2364 \caption{\label{tabbbi-reference-package_1}\bbs package related commands. }% (part 1).}
2366 \begin{tabular}{|lcm{6cm}|}
2368 Command & Parameters & Effect \\ \hline
2371 \texttt{include} & \texttt{<package-name>} &
2372 Loads the package \texttt{package-name} and includes all its complex box definition scripts. \\ \hline
2374 \texttt{load} & \texttt{<package-name>} &
2375 Loads the atomic black boxes of package \texttt{package-name}.
2376 Loads the dynamic library but not the complex boxes defined in the scripts shipped with the package.
2377 Use it only if you know that you won't work with its complex black boxes \\ \hline
2379 \texttt{unload} & \texttt{<package-name>}&
2380 Unloads the package \texttt{package-name}.
2381 The package must have been previously loaded.
2382 No box of a type defined in this package must still exist.\\ \hline
2384 \texttt{reset} & - & Deletes all boxes and unloads all packages so
2385 that the interpreter gets back to its initial state \\ \hline
2388 \texttt{package} & \texttt{<package-name>} &
2389 All complex black boxes definitions until the next \texttt{endpackage}
2390 will be stored into the package \texttt{package-name} \\ \hline
2392 \texttt{endpackage} & - &
2393 Closes a \texttt{package} command \\ \hline
2400 % ==========================================
2401 \subsection{Interpreter related commands}
2402 \label{bbi-reference-interpreter}
2403 % ==========================================
2404 %See table \ref{tabbbi-reference-interpreter_1} and \ref{tabbbi-reference-interpreter_2}
2405 % ==========================================
2407 \caption{\label{tabbbi-reference-interpreter_1}\bbs interpreter related commands. }% (part 1).}
2409 \begin{tabular}{|lcm{7cm}|}
2411 Command & Parameters & Effect \\ \hline
2415 Prints help on available commands \\ \hline
2417 & \texttt{<command-name>} &
2418 Prints help on the command \texttt{command-name} \\ \hline
2420 & \texttt{packages} &
2421 Prints help on available packages and their box types
2422 (without description)\\ \hline
2424 & \texttt{<package-name>} &
2425 Prints help on the package \texttt{package-name} and its boxes
2426 (with brief description).
2427 The package must have been previously loaded \\ \hline
2429 & \texttt{<box-type>} &
2430 Prints help (with full description) on the type of box
2432 The box type must belong to a package which has been previously loaded \\ \hline
2434 & \texttt{<box-name>} &
2435 Prints help on the existing box instance named
2436 \texttt{box-name} (i.e. created by \texttt{new} command), including the state of its inputs/outputs \\ \hline
2440 Prints information on available kinds of messages and their current level\\ \hline
2442 & \texttt{<kind>} \texttt{<level>} &
2443 Sets the level of verbosity of the interpreter for the kind of messages
2444 \texttt{kind} to \texttt{level}.\\ \hline
2447 \texttt{include} & \texttt{<file-name>} &
2448 Includes and executes the content of the file named \texttt{file-name}
2449 exactly like if you were typing its content at the place were the
2450 \texttt{include} command is. \\ \hline
2452 \texttt{print} & \texttt{<string>} &
2453 Prints the string after substituting each token of the form \texttt{\$box.output\$} by the adaptation to string of the value of the
2454 output \texttt{output} of the box named \texttt{box}.
2455 An \texttt{adaptor} must exist
2456 in the packages loaded, which converts
2457 the type of the output \texttt{output}
2458 to a \texttt{std::string}.
2461 \texttt{graph} & ... &
2462 Generates the html doc including the pipeline graph for a given complex box \\ \hline
2464 \texttt{index} & ... &
2465 Generates the html index of currently loaded boxes types \\ \hline
2467 \texttt{config} & - & Displays the configuration parameters\\ \hline
2470 \texttt{debug} & \texttt{<debug-directive>} &
2472 Prints debug info on living bbtk objects containing the string \texttt{expr} (default expr='').
2473 \texttt{-C} checks the factory integrity.
2474 \texttt{-D} turns on objects debug info after main ends\\ \hline
2476 \texttt{quit} & - & Stops the interpretation of the current script\\ \hline
2480 % ==========================================
2484 % ==========================================
2485 \subsection{Complex black box definition related commands}
2486 \label{bbi-reference-black-box-definition}
2487 % ==========================================
2489 %See table \ref{bbi-reference-complex-box}
2490 % ==========================================
2492 \caption{\label{bbi-reference-complex-box} \bbs complex black box definition related commands.}
2494 \begin{tabular}{|lcm{6cm}|}
2496 Command & Parameters & Effect \\ \hline
2499 \texttt{define} & \texttt{<box-type>} [\texttt{<package-name>}] &
2500 Starts the definition of a complex black box of type
2501 \texttt{box-type}, and includes it either in the given package (if \texttt{<package-name>} is provided) or in the current package,
2502 i.e. \texttt{user} if outside a \texttt{package/endpackage} block. \\ \hline
2504 \texttt{endefine} & - &
2505 Ends the definition of a complex black box type\\ \hline
2507 \texttt{author} & \texttt{<string>} &
2508 Concatenates the string to the author string
2509 of the current complex black box.\\ \hline
2511 \texttt{description} & \texttt{<string>} &
2512 Concatenates the string to the description of the current complex black box.
2515 \texttt{category} & \texttt{<string>} &
2516 Specifies the \texttt{categories} of the current complex black box.
2517 The categories must be separated by semicolons, e.g. "\texttt{widget;image}"\\ \hline
2519 \texttt{kind} & \texttt{<box kind>} &
2520 The following \texttt{kind}s are defined:
2523 ADAPTOR, DEFAULT\_WIDGET\_ADAPTOR, WIDGET\_ADAPTOR\\ \hline
2525 \texttt{input} & \texttt{<name>} \texttt{<box.input>} \texttt{<help>} &
2526 Defines a new input for the current complex black box,
2527 named \texttt{name}.
2528 It is defined as corresponding to
2529 the input \texttt{input} of the box \texttt{box}.
2531 \texttt{<help>} is the help string for the new input.
2532 The box \texttt{box} must already have been created in the complex box
2533 and of course have an input named \texttt{input}.\\ \hline
2535 \texttt{output} & \texttt{<name>} \texttt{<box.output>} \texttt{<help>} &
2536 Defines a new output for the current complex black box,
2537 named \texttt{name}.
2538 It is defined as corresponding to
2539 the output \texttt{output} of the box \texttt{box}.
2540 \texttt{<help>} is the help string for the new output.
2541 The box \texttt{box} must already have been created in the complex box and of course have an output named \texttt{output}. \\ \hline
2547 Note : if outside a \texttt{define/endefine} block then the current complex black box
2548 is '\texttt{user::workspace}', that is the main program equivalent
2549 (this is how applications are documented).
2550 This remark holds for all complex black box related commands.
2559 % ==========================================
2560 % ==========================================
2561 % ==========================================
2562 % ==========================================
2563 % ==========================================
2564 % ==========================================
2565 % ==========================================
2566 % ==========================================
2567 % ==========================================
2568 % ==========================================
2571 \section{Install and run time issues}
2572 % ==========================================
2577 %%==============================================================================================
2578 %%==============================================================================================
2579 \subsection{\bbtk configuration file}
2580 \label{The_configuration_file}
2581 %%==============================================================================================
2582 %%==============================================================================================
2584 At start, \bbtk applications (\bbStudio, \bbi) try
2585 to open an \texttt{xml}
2586 configuration file named \texttt{bbtk\_config.xml}.
2589 \item The current directory
2590 \item The subdir \texttt{.bbtk} of the user's home directory.
2592 \item On \texttt{Unix}, the home directory is the
2593 one stored by the environnement variable \texttt{HOME},
2594 typically \texttt{/home/username}.
2595 \item On \texttt{Windows}, the home directory is
2596 the user's profile directory stored by the environnement
2597 variable \texttt{USERPROFILE},
2598 typically \texttt{C:$\backslash$ Documents and Settings$\backslash$ username}.
2600 \item If none of these two paths contains the file then it creates
2601 a new one in the \texttt{.bbtk} directory.
2605 Information on \bbtk configuration is
2606 obtained in \bbStudio by clicking on the
2607 \texttt{Config} button of the \texttt{Command} part toolbar.
2609 If you did not install other packages than the ones
2610 provided by \bbtk, you get something like :
2616 bbtk_config.xml : [/home/guigues/.bbtk/bbtk_config.xml]
2617 Documentation Path : [/usr/local/bin/../share/bbtk/doc]
2618 Data Path : [/usr/local/bin/../share/bbtk/data]
2620 File Separator : [/]
2623 --- [/usr/local/bin/../share/bbtk/bbs]
2626 --- [/usr/local/bin/../lib]
2629 The first line let you know which configuration file is currently used.
2631 You can open this file using \bbStudio menu \texttt{Files$>$Open bbtk Config file}.
2633 You will get something like :
2636 <?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"iso-8859-1\"?>
2638 <bbs_path> </bbs_path>
2639 <package_path> </package_path>
2640 <default_temp_dir> $ </default_temp_dir>
2644 The \texttt{xml} tags \texttt{bbs\_path} and \texttt{package\_path}
2645 allow to set additionnal directories in which to search
2646 for \bbs files and packages dynamic libraries.
2648 For example, if you add the line :
2650 <bbs_path> /home/guigues/bbs </bbs_path>
2653 Then the interpreter will search for \bbs in the folder \texttt{/home/guigues/bbs},
2654 which allows a command like \texttt{'include bbMyBox.bbs'} to work if
2655 the folder \texttt{/home/guigues/bbs} contains the file \texttt{bbMyBox.bbs}.
2657 The same, the \texttt{xml} tag \texttt{<package\_path>} let you
2658 set additional path in which to find a package dynamic library,
2659 hence allowing to load additionnal packages with the \texttt{'load'} command.
2661 All \bbs and package paths are summmarized in the
2662 information output when pressing 'Config' in \bbStudio.
2663 You can see that two \bbs paths are always set :
2665 \item The current directory (\texttt{.})
2666 \item The \bbs folder of \bbtk
2668 Also, two package paths are always set :
2670 \item The current directory (\texttt{.})
2671 \item The libraries folder of \bbtk
2674 Additional paths set in your \texttt{bbtk\_config.xml} are added after those standard paths.
2675 Note that the order displayed is the one in which the folders are searched when
2676 \texttt{include} or \texttt{load} commands are issued.
2679 %%==============================================================================================
2684 %For some strange reasons (?!?), at \texttt{cmake} time,
2685 %you may be warned that an error occured while documentation generation.\\
2686 %Take it easy, \texttt{make} again!\\
2688 \item{\bbStudio} is written using the Advanced User Interface library of wxWidgets.
2689 If, after some hazardous floating/docking operations onto the frame, you feel
2690 very unhappy with the result, just remove from the hidden directory
2691 \texttt{.bbtk} the file named \texttt{bbStudio.aui}. \\