VB2AutoItGUI: THE GUI builder

[mdes]

Hi everybody,

I do never want to reinvent the wheel. That's why after waiting some times without seeing a GUI builder with a lot of possibilities, like the Visual Studio IDE, I start the job of converting the VB.Net Form Design file to AutoIt GUI management.

Here is a first result: VB2AutoItGUI

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Name: VB2AutoItGUI

Function: Generate a GUI management file from a VB.Net Form design file (GUI Builder)

Purpose:
    The purpose of VB2AutoItGUI is to allow a user to create a GUI with a free program
    (VB.Net Express), and to generate automaticaly the AutoIt GUI for this form.
    The VB.Net form could be modified and generated again, and again.

Parameters: (if missing, it is asked)
    1. Input file name
    2. Output file name

Notes:
    VB2AutoItGUI is not yet finished: there is still some attributes to generate
    (see the log file).
    
    The Icon and AVI does not exist in VB.Net, so, you should use the PictureBox, and
    the Tag attribute should contain some parameters:
        For an Icon(resp. AVI), the Tag should contain ICO (resp. AVI).
        It could also contains some parameters (ex: Me.PictureBox2.Tag = "AVI,$ACS_AUTOPLAY").
    
Creation time:
    Inputs:
        - The input file which contain the VB.Net form design (e.g. Form1.Designer.vb).
        
    Output:
        - The file containing the GUI definitions. The Function to call is: FormName_GUI().
        - The log file (= OuputFileName.log).
            It contains le list and the tree of all objects.
            The lines starting with "Attribute not processed", indicate a VB.Net attributes
            which is not yet processed by this version of VB2AutoItGUI.
        - The file VB2AutoItGUI.ini wich will contain the input and the output filenames.
    
When running the generated form, the following files are required:
(i.e. #include's are generated)

    1. The output file
    
    2. <FormName>_def.au3:
        It mut define the value for some variables (icons filename,...).
        The log file indicates which variable are required to be defined.
        
    3. <FormName>_evt.au3
        This file is include before the loop on the GUI event.
        So, you can change the evnt processing. (Donot forget to GUIDelete()
        at the end.
        A simple loop is generated, and can be used as a template.

Example:
    The attached example contains the definition of the forms given in the AutoIt help.
    
Tests:
    You can test the output file by creating
        1. The file with the required definitions <FormName>_def.au3.
            (See the generated log file)
            Ex: (used for the AutoIt GUI example)
                $SampleControls_Icon = @SystemDir & "\mspaint.exe"
                $SampleControls_IconNr = 0
                $PictureBox1_Image = "logo4.gif"
                $PictureBox2_AVI = "sampleAVI.avi"
                $PictureBox2_SubFileID = 0
                $PictureBox3_Icon = "shell32.dll"
                $PictureBox3_IconNr = 1
        
        3. an empty file <FormName>_evt.au3
            So, you may test quickly the generated GUI.

        2. A file containing the following lines:
                #include "OutputFilename"
                FormName_GUI()

History:
    v0.1    2007/02/13  - Released to to AutoIt forum users.

Author:
    Michel Dessaintes (Nick: mdes)

VB2AutoItGUI.zip

[mdes]

Here is the generated GUI (context menu is not shown):