[GRASS-dev] GSoC 2021: Final report: First steps towards a new GRASS GIS Single-Window GUI

Tue Aug 24 06:15:24 PDT 2021

Dear Linda,

Thanks for such a detailed final report and for all your contributions to
make GRASS GUI easier and straightforward for users, especially first time
users! And thanks much for this cool new experimental single window GUI,
I'm eager to test :)

Once again, huge thanks to your mentors Anna, Vaclav, Stefan and Martin for
their dedication and for their commitment to the project!! Great team!

I'm sure we'll keep seeing your contributions after GSoC!

All the best,
Vero

El dom, 22 ago 2021 a las 20:15, Linda Kladivová (<L.Kladivova at seznam.cz>)
escribió:

> Hello everyone,
>
>
> I am sending my Final GSoC report. The more detailed version with
> permanent links on GitHub PRs and with several screenshots can be found at
> the project wiki:
> https://trac.osgeo.org/grass/wiki/GSoC/2021/SingleWindowLayout#FinalReport
> .
>
> *Abstract:*
> The project was focused mainly on the extensive Graphical User Interface
> refactoring necessary to prepare GRASS for Single-Window GUI. In addition
> to a good programming base, the simple working Single-Window GUI prototype
> was built in a parallel environment. This Single-Window frame largely
> copies the design (mockup) which the author had proposed for the GSoC
> application (see 
> <https://trac.osgeo.org/grass/wiki/wxGUIDevelopment/SingleWindow>[1]).
> All main functionality will be put into operation after the successful
> merge of PR [2] and PR [3]. <https://github.com/OSGeo/grass/pull/1789>However,
> to completely replace the current Multi-Window GUI solution, many other
> improvements are still expected.
>
>
> *The state of the art BEFORE the start of GSoC:*
> Although the GRASS GUI has been enriched with many new features since last
> year, the basic Multi-Window GUI concept used in all historical GRASS
> versions has been preserved. As the name suggests Multi-Window GUI consists
> of several windows (frames) - the control window and additional separate
> map display windows. The control window includes a notebook containing 5
> tabs in a standard 2D map view - Data, Display, Modules, Console, and
> Python.
>
>
> *The state of the art AFTER GSoC:*
> A large part of the project was focused on GUI refactoring. The core work
> had to be done all at once in the PR 
> <https://github.com/OSGeo/grass/pull/1675>[2] and since it overturns the
> core logic of map display widgets, it was decided to merge it after GSoC
> when the GRASS 8 will be released. To sum it up, we are probably not
> entirely done with the refactoring, but the main part was managed.
>
> In addition, a Single-Window GUI prototype has been coded in a parallel
> environment. I with help of my mentors handled to get to the stage where
> most of the functions are working. There is just missing completion of PR
> [3] and possible check/fix of workspaces functioning. It is important to
> emphasize here that I'm talking about basic functionality. To provide a
> really user-friendly environment, many other things will have to be changed
> or reprogrammed. All those steps are summed up in the "Next steps"
> paragraph.
>
>
> *Conclusion:*
> To follow the project idea I wrote for the GSoC application, I succeeded
> (with help of my mentors) to provide the first steps for a new era of
> Single-Window GUI. Those steps have a form of refactoring as well as a new
> parallel simple Single-Window GUI prototype. I believe it's one big step
> forward and I am looking forward to further development of which I would
> like to be a part.
>
>
> *Next Steps:*
> All these following points assume that the main functionality is working.
> In other words, we must have a merged main refactoring PR [2] and a merged
> PR [3] <https://github.com/OSGeo/grass/pull/1789> aiming at the
> implementation of the AuiNotebook closing event. Then several improvements
> are possible (and probably necessary):
>
>    - Enable undocking the Map Display notebook tab to a separate window.
>    It will allow each user to use the Single-Window GUI as the Multi-Window
>    GUI.
>    - Fix switching to the Console pane in an automatic notebook if any
>    information is written there.
>    - Check/test if workspaces are functioning properly.
>    - Focus on a newly added Map Display tab in the Display pane (now it
>    may not be clear at first glance that it has been added).
>    - Modify the appearance for the dark mode. Some parts are ugly and
>    illegible (names of AuiNotebook tabs, names of panes, ugly gradients etc.).
>    - Add the option for starting GRASS as the Single-Window GUI => we
>    want GRASS geeks to try it out. :-)
>
> Other improvements mainly concern the organization of widgets and possible
> ideas for the future:
>
>    - It is necessary to change the rendering of the 3D View panel. Now
>    the 3D View pane is added as another panel under the Display tab - very
>    problematic in terms of space.
>    - A part of the Console pane in the startup Single-Window layout is
>    not visible. We should completely reorganize the Console tab, such as the
>    Output window and Command prompt data outputs go into two separate tabs.
>    - If both Map Display tabs are displayed side by side, the status bar
>    cannot fit in the space. The solution is to create a separate dialog, which
>    will contain a check box and other settings for the Map Display notebook
>    tab.
>    - Each user should be able to choose a convenient layout of widgets
>    and save this setting for future sessions. It should be possible via
>    perspectives.
>    - Creating, saving, and selecting perspectives along with switching to
>    dark mode could be part of a new tab menu called "View".
>
> Permanent links and screenshots can be found at [4] and [5].
>
>
> [1] https://trac.osgeo.org/grass/wiki/wxGUIDevelopment/SingleWindow
>
> [2] https://github.com/OSGeo/grass/pull/1675
> <https://github.com/OSGeo/grass/pull/1675>
>
> [3] https://github.com/OSGeo/grass/pull/1789
>
> [4]
> https://trac.osgeo.org/grass/wiki/GSoC/2021/SingleWindowLayout#FinalReport
>
> [5]
> https://trac.osgeo.org/grass/wiki/GSoC/2021/SingleWindowLayout#BrandnewScreenshotsofSingle-WindowGUI
>
>
> Best,
>
> Linda Kladivova
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