WxPython-based GUI for GRASS: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:20, 11 October 2012

Browse also wxGUI related articles or screenshots.

See also GRASS GUI, and GRASS and Python.

For developer-related issues see Trac wxGUI page.

Overview

Manual page
A nice summary of the progress to date, written by Jachym Cepicky:
- Part 1
- Part 2
Martin Landa: New GUI for GRASS GIS based on wxPython (GIS Ostrava 2008, January 27-30, 2008, Ostrava, Czech Republic)
Martin Landa, Cristina Moretto, Michele Zanolli, Luca Manganelli and Markus Neteler: wxPython-based GUI for GRASS GIS (presentation) (IX Meeting degli Utenti Italiani di GRASS - GFOSS, February 20-22, Perugia, Italy)

Requirements

README

Development

Do you want to help with the development?

basic Python programming ability required
GUI programming experience welcomed (especially wxPython)
GRASS user (or better developer) experience

How to get write access to the GRASS SVN repository.

See example of wxGUI module in trunk: doc/gui/wxpython/example/

Screenshots

GNU/Linux

Start-up screen
Vector digitizer
Attribute Table Manager
Querying vector map layers (attribute data)
wxGUI: Displaying raster (surface), 2D vector and 3D raster (volume) in the 3D space
wxGUI: Spatial query
wxGUI: Displaying data from North Carolina dataset

Mac OS

MS Windows

Start-up screen
GUI dialog d.vect
Attribute Table Manager
Running command (r.buffer)
Querying vector map layer (editable mode)

Video tutorials

Import vector data

Importing multiple vector (e.g., SHAPE) files:

Bulk import of multiple SHAPES via menu (files are auto-selected)

Import DXF
Import other vector formats:

Importing single shapefile

Importing multiple shapefiles

Importing SpatiaLite layers

Importing PostGIS layers into GRASS

Import raster data

Importing multiple GeoTIFF files:

Bulk import of GeoTIFF via menu (files are auto-selected)

Link vector data (GRASS 7)

Link PostGIS layers as GRASS vector maps

Map display

Define legend and export to image

Georectifier

Manual page of GCP Manager

Graphical modeler

Note: GRASS 6.4.2+ required.

See wxGUI Modeler page.

Layer Manager: Searching GRASS module

Search for GRASS module (GRASS 6.4.2 required)

Layer Manager: Commands protocol

Commands protocol

Map Calculator

Calculating NDVI

wxGUI 3D view mode (wxNviz)

See wxNviz page.

Components

Core components

Layer Manager

Status: prototype implemented.

The GRASS GIS Layer Manager provides an interactive graphical interface to GRASS commands. The Layer Manager includes a set of pull-down menus for all GRASS GIS functions (analysis, file I/O, GIS configuration and management), toolbar that manage display map layers in map display windows, layer tree in which map layers to display are organized, command output window and integrated command line prompt.

2007/12
2007/12
2008/02
2010/08
2011/06 - Embedded interactive Python Shell

Map display window

Status: prototype implemented.

Each Map display window has a unique set of layers to display and region setting (zoom). The map display window includes main toolbar with basic tools including zooming, panning, data querying, simple analyse functions (measure, profile, histogram, etc.), overlay management, etc. From main toolbar are accessible additional toolbars, currently only Digitization tool is available. Under development is Georectification tool.

GUI dialogs

Status: prototype implemented.

Generated from XML using --interface-description.

E.g. d.rgb --help

Description:
 Displays three user-specified raster map layers as red, green, and blue overlays in the active graphics frame.

Keywords:
 display

Usage:
 d.rgb [-ox] red=name green=name blue=name [--verbose] [--quiet]

Flags:
  -o   Overlay (non-null values only)
  -x   Don't add to list of commands in monitor
 --v   Verbose module output
 --q   Quiet module output

Parameters:
    red   Name of raster map to be used for <red>
  green   Name of raster map to be used for <green>
   blue   Name of raster map to be used for <blue>

becomes with d.rgb --interface-description

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  <!DOCTYPE task SYSTEM "[http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/browser/grass/trunk/gui/xml/grass-interface.dtd grass-interface.dtd]">
  <task name="d.rgb">
        <description>
                Displays three user-specified raster map layers as red, green, and blue overlays in the active graphics frame.
        </description>
        <keywords>
                display
        </keywords>
        <parameter name="red" type="string" required="yes" multiple="no">
                <description>
                        Name of raster map to be used for &lt;red&gt;
                </description>
                <keydesc>
                        <item order="1">name</item>
                </keydesc>
                <gisprompt age="old" element="cell" prompt="raster" />
        </parameter>
        <parameter name="green" type="string" required="yes" multiple="no">
                <description>
                        Name of raster map to be used for &lt;green&gt;
                </description>
                <keydesc>
                        <item order="1">name</item>
                </keydesc>
                <gisprompt age="old" element="cell" prompt="raster" />
        </parameter>
        <parameter name="blue" type="string" required="yes" multiple="no">
                <description>
                        Name of raster map to be used for &lt;blue&gt;
                </description>
                <keydesc>
                        <item order="1">name</item>
                </keydesc>
                <gisprompt age="old" element="cell" prompt="raster" />
        </parameter>
        <flag name="o">
                <description>
                        Overlay (non-null values only)
                </description>
        </flag>
        <flag name="x">
                <description>
                        Don't add to list of commands in monitor
                </description>
        </flag>
        <flag name="verbose">
                <description>
                        Verbose module output
                </description>
        </flag>
        <flag name="quiet">
                <description>
                        Quiet module output
                </description>
        </flag>
  </task>

which is then used to generate:

Startup GUI (welcome screen)

Status: prototype implemented.

Start new GRASS session with

grass -wxpython

Location wizard

Status: prototype implemented.

Wizard for creating new GRASS project location based on:

Coordinate system
EPSG code
Georeferenced file
PROJ.4 string
XY

Digitizer

Vector digitizer

Status: prototype implemented.

Manual page - wxGUI.Vector_Digitizer

Replacement of v.digit module integrated into Map display window (Screenshots).

Vector digitizer (2008/04)
Vector digitizer (2007/11)
Vector digitizer - fill valid areas (closed boundary + centroid) (2008/07)
Vector digitizer - background raster maps with different opacity level (2008/07)
Vector digitizer on MS Windows (2011/01)
Vector digitizer - checking for duplicates (2011/02)

Raster digitizer

Status: development started in GRASS 7

r.digit (merge with v.digit?)

Probably write a front end for r.in.poly, that's all the old r.digit is.

d.rast.edit

Idea: get cell center coords and new values from GUI interaction, then pass those through r.in.xyz, and r.patch the new values over the top of the old map.

Current status:

merge with Georectifier? (i.points, i.vpoints)

Category Labels

Write with new r.category import tool
- Back-end component complete: r.category module is now updated to handle a rules= file and other goodies like dynamic labels

Read with one of r.category, r.describe, r.report, r.stats, ???
- probably need to add a new flag to one of those to print flat "%d %s", cat, label

or read the cats/ file directly, it's already flat ascii.

how to deal with FP maps & cats?

Cartography tools

GUI for ps.map

Status: under development (Anna Kratochvilova).

More info at WxGUI Cartographic Composer.

Direct printing

Status: development not started yet.

Implement direct printing of map canvas content using GRASS PS driver or Cairo driver.

S-52 standard for nautical chart (ENC) symbology and cartography from the International Hydrographic Bureau
- GPL library implementing the S-52 standard (OpenEV)

OpenGIS Symbology Encoding Implementation Specification

PAL

Georectifier

Status: prototype implemented.

Georectification of historical maps using a simplified OpenStreetmap reference (example Berlin)

Profile Analysis Tool

Status: prototype implemented.

Attribute table manager

Status: prototype implemented.

Manual page.

Allows

To browse attribute data, perform SQL select statements
Modify attribute data, insert new records to attribute table, delete existing records
Highlight selected items in Map Display Window
Extract selected items into new vector map layer
Modify attribute table - add, drop, rename columns
Modify vector map layer DB connestion settings - add, remove or modify layers

3D view mode

Status: under development (Google Summer of Code 2008/2010).

See detailed information at wxNVIZ page and classic Tcl/Tk NVIZ pages.

Displaying raster (surface), 2D vector and 3D raster (volume) in the 3D space.

Imagery tools

Status: (re)development not started in earnest yet. Some behind-the-scenes code has been prepared, but not much.

Volunteers welcome!

Ortho photos

Status: development not started yet.

To replace i.ortho.photo and friends

wx.iclass

Status: Under development.

First prototype (AddOns)

wx.class

Current Features:

Does not require xterm
works on windows which is not currently available

To be implemented:

Proper view of histogram using python-matplotlib
To work on other datset (currently works for nc_spm_08)
Needs a code cleanup

Second prototype (trunk)

wxIClass

Graphical Modeller

Status: prototype implemented.

See wxGUI Modeler page for more information.

Extension Manager

Status: prototype implemented

Settings | Addons extensions | Install extension from addons

wxGUI Extension Manager

Map Calculator

Status: prototype implemented

GRASS Catalog

Status: Under development.

GRASS Catalog files

Current Features

copy, delete, rename map layers (raster & vector) in current mapset.
view raster & vector map layers from any location and any mapset.
Provides a GUI wrapper for r.info & v.info grass commands while viewing map layers in mapwindow.
Can connect with OssimPlanet using PlanetSasha
Add and Remove maps from GRASS GIS to OssimPlanet(Send to OssimPlanet/Remove from OssimPlanet)

To be implemented

copy, move map layers in different mapsets.
View DBF files as tables.
Copy, delete, rename DBF files.
Modify attribute tables.
Create a properties window to display Coordinate system & projection for each map
...

Alternative: http://code.google.com/p/wxgis/

r.li.setup GUI

Status: Under development.

Porting of r.li.setup in wxPython. Some screenshots of developing version

The first windows where you can select existing configuration file or create new one
First window of wizard
Choose the sampling frame
Choose the type of sampling area

Help browser

Status: development not started yet.

For browsing manual pages is currently used web browser, the goal is to design integrated help system.

HB: We used to have one of these for viewing the help pages of Tcl/Tk NVIZ. We dropped it because it was a pain to maintain and generally outside our core mission so a distraction.

Map Swipe

Status: prototype implemented.

This tool enables you to compare two raster maps covering the same area (e.g. compare maps from different year).

Current features

orientation of swipe line can be horizontal or vertical
zooming works in the same way as in Map Display

See more examples and video at WxGUI Map Swipe page.

Vector Network Analysis Tool

Status: prototype implemented.

@TODO

See more examples and video at WxGUI Vector Network Analysis Tool page.

Known issues

See and report in trac: List of open issues

Platform specific

For the GUI to know what platform it's on, and therefore apply platform specific commands (e.g. append '.exe' to programs) it has to test what platform it is running on. Here we take the experimental approach to learning what's best to use. Please add or generalize this list as you can.

Platform information - start Python from the command line then issue

 import sys
 sys.platform
 
 import os
 os.name
 os.environ['OS']
 
 import platform
 platform.system()

Results:

Platform	sys.platform	os.name	os.environ['OS']	platform.system()
32bit GNU/Linux	linux2	posix	n/a	Linux
64bit GNU/Linux	linux2	posix	n/a	Linux
32bit Mac OSX (PowerPC G4)	darwin	posix	n/a	Darwin
64bit Mac OSX (Intel)	[1] see note	?	?	?
32bit MS Windows XP	win32	nt	Windows_NT	Windows
64bit MS Windows Vista	win32	nt	Windows_NT	Windows
32bit MS Windows XP (Cygwin)	win32	?	?	?

[1] On Fri, May 29, 2009 at 10:49 PM, William Kyngesburye wrote:

Right now the GUI only runs 32bit, even if the rest of GRASS is 64bit, because it's not yet possible for wxPython to be 64bit. It comes out the same as PPC 32bit - no distinction between ppc/intel or 32/64 bit, it's all darwin. (yes, I checked, and I have a custom 64bit python executable to verify)

General GUI Design

Layout

For some users, the current approach of separate windows (SDI) leads to a windows flooding. Especially on large monitors or dual screen systems catching the wxGUI windows can be tedious when they appear on separate monitors (depends on windows manager, the much used KDE scatters typically the wxGUI windows all over the screen real estate). Almost each task generates a new wxGUI window which is freely floating around on the screen: example 1 and example 2. On a dual-screen this may sum up to 50cm of distance!

Proposed solutions:

implement optional layout similar to QGIS (with a legend attached to each display) or GSDView etc) (see figure below)
implement optional magnetic docking of the layer manager and display windows to keep the windows closer
do not allow module windows to stay open. That is, get rid of the apply button and force each window to close when OK is pressed (QGIS/ArcGIS approach). This leaves only the display(s) and single legend/layer manager on desktop.
If you otherwise wish to continue using your current WM, file a bug report with them asking for better multi-head support and get the problem fixed at the source. (there probably already is a bug filed with tips in it)

Current wxGUI layout with detached window components

**Proposal** for wxGUI layout modification (Recomposition of existing toolbars, mapview and menus)

New solution: see WxGUI#Data_Catalog above.

What others do

SDI: (each document opened in application occupies a window on the desktop)

GRASS: display window for each document (i.e., set of maps displayed) opened on desktop; one legend/layer manager window for all display windows; ; each module/function opens a separate window on the desktop
QGIS: display window for each document (i.e., set of maps displayed) opened on the desktop; legend/layer manager window attached to each display window; each module/function opens a separate window on the desktop (e.g. http://grass.osgeo.org/grass61/screenshots/images/qgis08_grass6_toolbox.png)
ArcGIS: similar to QGIS with combined legend/display for each document (set of maps displayed); each module/function opens a separate window on the desktop (e.g. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/ArcMap.jpg)
MapInfo (pre Pitney Bowes): each document opens a map display window on the desktop; single legend/toolbox opened on the desktop controls all visible documents (i.e., map displays); each module/function opens a separate window on the desktop (similar to current GRASS layout)

MDI: (a single frame is opened for the application on the desktop; all documents opened inside the application frame)

SAGA: single application frame opened on the desktop; all documents (display windows) open inside application frame; one legend/layer manager for all display windows; each module/function opens a separate window inside the frame (http://www.saga-gis.uni-goettingen.de/html/images/bild8.gif and http://sourceforge.net/dbimage.php?id=44455)
Ossim: single application frame opened on the desktop; all documents (display windows) open inside application frame; one legend/layer manager for all display windows; each module/function opens a separate window inside the frame (http://www.ossim.org/OSSIM/Albums/Pages/ImageLinker.html)
Idrisi: similar to SAGA and Ossim (http://www.clarklabs.org/products/idrisi-taiga.cfm)
MapInfo (Pitney Bowes): Seems to be like Saga (http://www.pbinsight.com/support/training/video-tutorials/)

See also

Solution to the problem: wxLayoutAlgorithm
Multiple document interface (MDI, windows reside under a single parent window)
Single document interface (SDI, separate windows, currently used for wxGUI)
and Human interface guidelines (HIG)

Useful links

10 minutes Python tutorial for programmers of other languages

References

Martin Landa: New GUI for GRASS GIS based on wxPython (GIS Ostrava 2008, January 27-30, 2008, Ostrava, Czech Republic)
Martin Landa, Cristina Moretto, Michele Zanolli, Luca Manganelli and Markus Neteler: wxPython-based GUI for GRASS GIS (presentation) (IX Meeting degli Utenti Italiani di GRASS - GFOSS, February 20-22, Perugia, Italy)

@@ Line 490: / Line 490: @@
 === Graphical Modeller ===
-'''Status:''' under development.
+'''Status:''' prototype implemented.
 [[File:WxGUI-modeler-if-else-0.png|500px|center]]

WxPython-based GUI for GRASS: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:20, 11 October 2012

Overview

Requirements

Development

Screenshots

GNU/Linux

Mac OS

MS Windows

Video tutorials

Import vector data

Import raster data

Link vector data (GRASS 7)

Map display

Georectifier

Graphical modeler

Layer Manager: Searching GRASS module

Layer Manager: Commands protocol

Map Calculator

wxGUI 3D view mode (wxNviz)

Components

Core components

Layer Manager

Map display window

GUI dialogs

Startup GUI (welcome screen)

Location wizard

Digitizer

Vector digitizer

Raster digitizer

Category Labels

Cartography tools

GUI for ps.map

Direct printing

Georectifier

Profile Analysis Tool

Attribute table manager

3D view mode

Imagery tools

Ortho photos

wx.iclass

First prototype (AddOns)

Second prototype (trunk)

Graphical Modeller

Extension Manager

Map Calculator

GRASS Catalog

r.li.setup GUI

Help browser

Map Swipe

Vector Network Analysis Tool

Known issues

Platform specific

General GUI Design

Layout

What others do

Useful links

References

Navigation menu

Search