Distributed Folding GUI v0.4 for Windows

[Digital Parasite]

Hey everyone,

Anyone who is using dfGUI should upgrade to this version as it fully supports auto-updates which is important since there will be an update on Thursday.

You can download it in the usual spot here:
http://gilchrist.ca/jeff/dfGUI/

Some of the new features are:
v0.4 (May 28, 2002)
- Re-wrote entire DF client starting procedure so dfGUI no longer supports hide.exe but instead supports runh.exe which is distributed with dfGUI
- Start will now use foldit.bat with user's custom settings so that autoupdate works automatically
- Added ability to auto-start client on GUI load
- Added Upload button to upload completed structures with one button push.
- Added ability to set how often progress.txt file is updated (in # of structures)
- Changed tray icons to be an origami paper bird (taken from DF logo)

I'm quite happy with this release as all the major features are there so if you find any bugs, please report them to me. Howard and gang should be happy with this release as it should allow for auto-updates and everything else the DF client does.

Here is a screen shot:
http://gilchrist.ca/jeff/dfGUI/dfGUIv04.jpg

Enjoy,
Jeff.

[MAD-ness]

Great features.

My expiriments with runh.exe uncovered no problems, it seems to be real simple and real useful.

.ini file rocks, upload only rocks, being able to close DFGui and still have the client keep running (hidden) rocks, etc.

One question.

What happens when you shut DOWN the system (assuming Win9x mostly) while the client is still running? This isn't your program's problem, as it happens with a lot of programs in Win9x, but just bringing it up because it WILL be asked about as more and more people hear about the project and then try to use your DFGui (since it is already the nicest way to run the client on Win9x).

Good work.

[1fast6]

DP... great additions... :) noticed it doesn't quite make it to the tray when I run the shortcut minimized... dfGUI gets stuck on the taskbar... one more button for "start dfGUI in tray"... purty please... :)

MADness... use the conagent.exe trick to get a smooth shutdown... I edit it right in the windows\system folder, and have never had a problem on many boxes...

[MAD-ness]

Been there, tried that.

I have gotten it to work on some systems, some apps.

Anything other than the "terminate on shutdown" or whatever unchecked that I need to worry about?

[1fast6]

program tab... check "close on exit"...
misc tab... uncheck "warn if still active"

again, I do it in windows\system... some copy it to the folder where the app resides... which will apply the changes to that app... otherwise it defaults to the system settings which is where I set it...

[Burgergold]

but what will happen with the result if we try to shut down the machine and the dfgui is still running? Will they be lost? will they be saved?

[Burgergold]

and it could be great if we can hide or show df as we wish, by switching the option case and not only when we start the client :)

[Digital Parasite]

1fast6 : I will add your start in tray icon to the wishlist.

Burgergold : Because I have to use the foldit.bat file to launch the client I can no longer do the hide/unhide feature since the command prompt window is generic for batch files and it is different win Win95/98/NT/2000 and also depending on where your Windows install is located.

As for what happens when you shut down the machine, you will have to ask Howard about that. My dfGUI program will shut down and save its settings if you close Windows. It launchs the DF client as a completely seperate entity so it does not affect the DF client if it closes. When Windows closes it would send a close signal to the DF client and my guess is it would try to finish after the current structure, I'm not sure if it would try to upload the results or not, as I said you will have to ask Howard how his program behaves in this situation.

[1fast6]

oh, thank you Mr. Parasite...

:D

[MAD-ness]

Bloop.

Cool DP.

BTW, mind if I ask (in general) how you implemented the launching of the client via foldit.bat in relation to things like upload only, etc.?

[Brian the Fist]

Only the NT service will exit gracefully when shutting down Windows. You must manually terminate the client before shutting down Windows. Either hit Q in the window and wait for it to exit, or delete the foldtrajlite.lock file (same effect but easier to do from inside a script, for example).

Keep in mind that it is essentially a platform independent program (hence the 12 or so versions) and so it does not interact to any great extent with the Windows API. In fact since it is a DOS program technically, I am not even sure if it is aware of Windows' Shutdown 'signal'. Sorry if this causes an inconvenience, but I recommend the service if you have NT/2000/XP in this case (otherwise, maybe time to upgrade OS? :p )

[Digital Parasite]

You're welcome Mr. 1fast6. By the way, are you related at all to 1fast7? ;)

MAD-ness : The way I implemented the foldit.bat file is actually somewhat explained on the dfGUI web site under the section Client Start/Stoping :) but basically what I do is read in foldit.bat line by line, creating a new dfGUIstart.bat file. When I get to the .\foldtrajlite line (which is currently the 3rd line in) I will replace it with whatever command line options the user has selected in the GUI and then launch the client from the newly created dfGUIstart.bat file.

If you click on the UPLOAD button it does several tricks, first if the client is running it will stop the client, wait for it to stop, then run the client again with the upload only switch and restart the client with your previous settings. If the client wasn't running when you hit UPLOAD it will just launch the client to upload and then quit. This also creates a custom dfGUIstart.bat file.

Jeff.

[Burgergold]

brian the fist: we can't upgrade the os if they aren't our computers. I think that there is a lot of people who are running DF on their family pc and friends. They accepted to run it if it doesn't distrub their work. But we can't ask them to hit Q and wait that the upload is complete each time they want to close the pc, they will simply stop to run it because it take time and they gain nothing by running DF.

[Brian the Fist]

In that case please run the screensaver - that is what it is designed for. The client is for more 'hard core' people who want (?) to be disturbed by it. ;)

[MAD-ness]

I use the service whenever possible.

In fact, I have come || close to installing WinXP on computers which I 'maintain' just so I can run Distributed Folding as an NT service.

As far as running the screensaver...if I have the desire to run the CLI client, how does it benefit you OR me for me to do anything but run the CLI client? The production is greater with the CLI (benefiting my stats and your research) and the computer's user can still use thier own custom screen saver.

I suppose the next step will be to look into ways to make it run as a 'service' on Win9x, though I can count the number of times I have used 'regedit' on one hand - even after I stick the aforementioned hand in a blender.

Oh well, I hadn't ever touched any batch file other than autoexec.bat two months ago when I started trying to get the CLI client to run on Win9x and now I feel pretty damn comfortable with using batch files. I might end up prepared for a career in computers by the time I get finished with this project. ;)

Thanks for the info Jeff.

[MAD-ness]

I didn't mean to sound rude or insulting in that previous post.

The activity and interest of the project management around here is one of the great things about the project.

Not asking for a rewrite of the code just to get a proper win9x shutdown thing, but it IS something that will help people run the CLI client more easily. Any suggestions/pointers/etc.?

I don't know jack about any of this, but I can be persistent and obsessive, good features when one is trying to find obscure technological data and then self=teach the required skills and finally hack together something workable. ;)

[jkeating]

I suppose the next step will be to look into ways to make it run as a 'service' on Win9x,

hmmmmm.... have you looked here (http://www.katrinashome.com/howtoservice.html)

:cheers:

[Burgergold]

and what happen if we close the pc while df run with this method?

[jkeating]

Originally posted by Burgergold
and what happen if we close the pc while df run with this method?

Same thing that will happen when you close the PC using Programs -> StartUp... or most any other method for that matter.

This is not a true service as in WinNT/2K/XP... sorry :( The only "proper" way of shutting down DF in Win98 is by pressing "Q" or deleting the foldtrajlite.lock file and letting the program gracefully shut down.

[IronBits]

There used to be programs like stackey, which you could run to push the letter Q for that window. Don't know if that kind of program still exists, but it would be perfect for this scenario.

[Digital Parasite]

Originally posted by Burgergold
and what happen if we close the pc while df run with this method?

If you are running the Win95/98 "service" method explained in the link above, you can use the dfGUI program to stop the client before you shutdown Windows. Even though the client is running hidden, the dfGUI client can stop it.

Jeff.

[Paratima]

As Win95 & 98 are DOS-based, programs like STACKEY should still run. You'd probably have to pre-load them in autoexec.bat.

The only places you're gonna find stuff like this is in private archives. A quick google search found this link (http://swotl.home.attbi.com/utils.htm), for instance.