Sending generated code elsewhere to NetLogo - c#

I'm trying to work on an environment that its main function is to adopt Visual Programming to create NetLogo code (similar to Google's Blockly).
Right now, I'm using Unity3D to do the job and wondering if it's possible to access NetLogo from it. The objective is to send the generated code directly into the Code Tab, opening a blank project already with the code in the tab (without the user copying and pasting it there).
What I know up until now is that I can open NetLogo from Unity with a function called Process.Start, which takes 2 arguments: the first is the name of the target program to be executed ("NetLogo.exe"), the second one is a list of arguments that can be passed to the targeted program, which solely depends on each program, as found here and here. However, I didn't understand much about these arguments, which is why I recurred to ask.
Do I need to also work on a Java/Scala environment to do this for me with the Extensions API, or can I use these arguments in Process.Start to do it?
Thanks in advance.

You could create a fully formed .nlogo file (it's basically a text file with a specific format), and then launch NetLogo using your Process.start command with that filename as an argument so that NetLogo will open that specific file.
You could even create a .nlogo file as a template (with whatever interface items you want), and then use string search/replace to substitute in the code that you want in the code tab.
Alternatively, fancier things are possible with the Controlling API , but I don't know much about calling JVM code from within Unity, and I suspect that will be a bigger headache than you want... unless you really need a more tight-knit connection to NetLogo, or unless the performance overhead of starting a new NetLogo process each time is unacceptable.

Related

Finding some terminologies for doing R&D

I am here because I have a program and some features in my mind.
But I am not sure what these features are called in programming terms. So I am unable to even do a proper google search regarding the same. I am keen to identify what this is called, so I can progress my Analysis and Research.
I have developed a program, with C# and Windows Forms. Currently it interfaces with YouTube API and monitors the chat. I am also raising some events, when chat messages arrive and when the message follows a certain format/syntax. Everything is working fine so far.
What I want to do is:
If someone using my software, who has access to just the binaries. But want to write their own logic, which handles some of the events I am raising. How do they do that?
I want the user to write their own program/class, put it in a specific folder. I will expect it to have a Start() and End() method. Inside the methods, they can write the code to subscribe to any event of their choice and do what they need to.
I already have written code inside my main loop, which will loop through the folder which is supposed to contain the user programs, and tries to invoke the Start/End method of their programs/classes.
For me, as the original author of the project, I can just go ahead and start writing the code inside the folder. Once I build and execute. Everything works fine. The main program triggers the Start/End inside the program/class that I added. And the events are also handled fine.
But how about someone using my software, who wants to handle it's events, without having to re-compile my code. How do they do that?
You have the following options
Option 1
Create a template project with all required references and a code file (.cs) with the Start() / End() methods.
Add comments to the start() / end() methods or add a code sample of how they can work with the additional events.
The project should compile fine without any source code for your main project.
If you expect the users to use Visual Studio Code, give them instructions to compile using VS code.
If they are going to use any text editor, you need to provide them with a msbuild command line to compile their code.
Finally they can put the .cs code file in the specific folder along with your main project binary and try it out.
Option 2
The above option will work only if your users are also programmers.
If they are semi-techies, you could provide a simpler format for them to provide the additional events.
For example, create a json or xml format where they can specify the event name and how they want to handle it - either a script or choose from some options. For example -
{
"myevents": [
{
"event": "chatUpvote",
"handler": "ThankYouHandler"
},
{
"event": "chatDownvote",
"handler": "TellMeMoreHandler"
}]
}

Edit Windows Context Menu in the C#

I would like a particular type of file (eg. Namefile.ext2) read all the names preceded by a #
Sample contents of the file:
#nameone
#nametwo
#namethree
When I click the right mouse button on the ext2 file extension beyond the standard options (like: open, properties, etc ...) I would like to be:
contents of the file > nameone
nametwo
namethree
Then, select the item (eg. nameone) pass this parameter to my program running in the background / or services
Do you need to modify the registry somehow? I will be grateful for tips on how to achieve the desired effect.
What you are asking about is called 'shell extension'. Basically it requires some knowledge of COM objects programming, but .NET made things a bit easier in that matter.
Shortly: you have to develop a piece of code which will reads the file and generates menu items dynamically (which may be tricky but possible). That code needs to be registered in the system as COM object.
Before it starts working you have to associate file extension with COM object you created.
Perhaps this article can explaint it a bit more:
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/512956/NET-Shell-Extensions-Shell-Context-Menus

Open file on start up

I don't know what it is called but I want to be able to double click on my saved file and then my program should open and load the file. What is this called and how do I do it?
I am using c# wpf and .net 4.0
BR
How about the last 2 fields, what am I supposed to write there?
That is a file association, if you want this to happen on a client machine you need to register your application as the default application for a given extension. This question might be handy.
To actually handle the opening you need to process the arguments that are handed to your application, they will contain the file path. You can get the arguments either in the override of Application.OnStartup (e.Args) or Environment.GetCommandLineArgs.
you need to register the file extension and associate it to your program, either during the setup using certain APIs or from code when program executes the first time.
check these ones:
How to associate a file extension to the current executable in C#
Associate File Extension with Application
personally I do not like the 100% registry approach, there should be some Windows APIs for that and we should let those APIs to work without worrying about the Registry from our side, in my opinion.

How to execute an event of already launched application with file association?

After playing around with a new Windows Form project, I discovered that when you associate a file type with an executable in Windows, you can find the file path of the file that launched the application using args[0] from static void Main(string[] args)
Is it possible to launch an event on your application when you double click a file if your application is already open? (As obviously Main(string[] args) won't be triggered).
Example of an application with behavior I am attempting to replicate:
User Opens GIMP(in Windows)
User opens explorer and right clicks a .png file
User selects open with GIMP
Instead of creating a new application instance of GIMP, GIMP opens the picture in a new window within the instance of GIMP that was already opened.
In this case is GIMP employing multiple applications to accept files "opened" with file association? Or is it possible to do it with a single application "instance".
I'm having trouble with this as most of my searches tend to lead me towards file association as a Windows user (i.e. "How to associate .xls files with excel" articles).
There are a variety of options, but none of them come for free.
Your program's Main() can detect that there is another copy already running and hand the file name off to the already-running copy by some means you determine.
Your program can register as a DDE server and request that subsequent opens be performed via DDE. This is an old-fashioned technique from the 1990's that is generally not recommended for new programs.
You can register a custom drop target for your application, and have the drop target hand the file name to the already-running copy. This mechanism takes the form of a shell extension, and therefore is not suitable for C# due to CLR injection issues.
Given your constraints, option (1) appears to be the best option.
Raymond is right of course, but if you're looking for help with the implmentation of option (1) you should probably look at What is the correct way to create a single instance application? and .NET 4 single application instance and Switch to other instance of same application
You'll notice that detecting the application is pretty easy (use a mutex). Bringing the other application and sending it a filename can be more challenging.
There are three basic solutions presented in the answers to the previously linked questions
Use PostMessage to send a message to 1st instance. This uses HWND_BROADCAST which can have untended consequences.
Use Microsoft.VisualBasic.ApplicationServices.ApplicationBase Of course a reference to VisualBasic gives some C# devs the willies.
Use FindWindow which relies on a Windows Name.
Its also worth noting that if you want the existing application to be in the front you'll need to take special care because setting the foreground can only be given away not taken. See Foreground activation permission is like love: You can't steal it, it has to be given to you and AllowSetForegroundWindow and SetForegroundWindow
Microsoft created this functionality for Visual Basic .Net, and it can be used by C# too.
See the following post for a simple example in C#:
http://www.openwinforms.com/single_instance_application.html
This approach worked best for me: Enforcing Single Instance WPF Applications.
Especially, its solution for passing arguments also works in notify-icon only applications.

Running Windows Forms Application (C# .NET 4.0) from batch file with Command Line Arguments

I'm a Silverlight/ASP.NET developer trying to write my first Windows Forms application to run in the background on a server, populating our database. Eventually would like this to be a Windows service, but it's not required initially.
I need to create a batch file to execute 5 instances of this application, passing in the URL to 5 RESTful endpoints. So I published my app, which created a setup.exe. After installing it, I have an item that points to
C:\Users\mi2dev\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft\, with a .appref-ms file.
I'm not sure at this point what to do. Running:
"C:\Users\mi2dev\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft\StreamingApp.appref-ms" -"http://www.myURL.com" throws up a command window briefly, but the app doesn't run, data doesn't populate in DB.
What am I missing here?
since your application is in .exe format. And make your winform accepts command line arguments (check the main method) also make your Form ctor accepts params too. Then just launch it via cmd line just as you would other command, but here only to navigate to that dir where file exists.
In case of batch, use start command followed by program name and then arguments
It's hard to understand what is happening inside your application. You need to debug to understand what is going on there when it receives given parameters.
So I would suggest to debug an EXE. For this go to your EXE project properties, select DEBUG tab in CommandLineArguments insert your parameter string.
Run it in DEBUG and hopefully you will figure out a problem.
If after debugging it's not yet clear why it behaves in that way, come back to SO :)
Silvi if you plan to use your windows forms application from a batch file and you imagine the applicationm will behave differently in such mode than when opened witha double click, the usual approach is to parse the command line (arguments, also available in the main method as parameter) and to avoid loading the UI at all.
in fact if you have written your application properly the UI only managed the UI and does not contain the whole logic of database manipulation and data transformation.
what you could do is check inside the Main method if there are command line parameters and if you detect any of the special ones you have definded you really avoid to even call Application.Run(new Form1(...)); and start working in batch mode without user interface.
the same logic you want to use in batch mode or in UI mode can be wrapped in helper classes (often also called business managers or business logic... it depends), so that you do not have code duplication but simply UI or batch will call those classes nicely.

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