Gscreen - a GTK / Glade / Python based screen

tjamscad wrote: [If you back away from everything you know and just go back to being an operator/machinist you will see it in a different light..

This is an interesting and valid point. I am not sure if any of us (or more than a very few) have ever been operators/machinists as a job. Almost by definition the guys with the time and the programming skills to write the interfaces and underlying code are hobbyists. I almost guarantee that every GUI has been designed by a guy who has never worked a full shift as a CNC machinist.

Perhaps we should start at the other end. If a professional machinist were to design a GUI, what would it look like?

andypugh wrote: Perhaps we should start at the other end. If a professional machinist were to design a GUI, what would it look like?

Sory to highjack your thread cmorley. I created a new thread for Professional machinist GUI

Well I worked as a cnc lathe operator for a while but our Okuma didn't have a video display just 7 segment LEDs
It is a common and valid point that much of linuxcnc has been built from the eye of a programmer rather then a machinist.

With Gscreen I meant to lean more towards a 'normal operator screen' though its more based on a Heidenhain DRO that I used to use.
I am happy to have Gscreen evolve to more industrial style - that was it's purpose.
Even better is that Gscreen is very customisable. Originally I patched TOUCHY for custom glade files but that was rejected.
It has worked out though cause I think Gscreen takes the concept further.

To patch 2.5 for Gscreen would be possible but are you prepared for extra work of having a patched controller?
Each upgrade you must re-patch it. I started Gscreen in 2.5 then moved it to master, when I did that I was free to make many changes, mostly to gladevcp and gremlin.

Gscreen still requires a keyboard for MDI and editing of the Gcode. Numerical Entry can be done on screen.
We may be able to leverage 'onboard' (an on screen keyboard) to eliminate that.

John:
Gscreen allows completely custom screens. If you leverage gladeVCP HAL actions you can freely edit a screen to what ever you want.
If that doesn't get what you want you can use the handler file to make custom functions for regular widgets.
the sample gscreen-gaxis uses mostly HAL actions with just a couple added functions.
You now can even draw an image of a screen and add the widgets on top of it for a REALLY custom look.
Of course the fancier you get the more the work.

There is a wiki page for Gscreen:
wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?Gscreen#Installation

This will be the docs untill Gscreen is well stabilized.
If there a particular questions please ask here or on the mail list and I will add then to the wiki if needed.

Chris M

I wonder if your boss would like this logo....

Nice, I will make sure he notices.