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 Post subject: Help with a progress bar .dll
PostPosted: October 24th, 2011, 6:38 am 
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Joined: May 16th, 2010, 12:22 am
Posts: 4
Hi

Using Opus Pro (Developer Edition) v7.06. I'm using Opus for creating the front end interface for a utility that 'Launches' exes created with another package. The whole interface needs to be accessible for VI (vision impaired) staff where I work. So far I've created audio files associated with most of the interface elements i.e buttons and listbox drop down text fields.

The problem is that I will be requiring audio and visual feedback as the utility processes files - thus a progress bar is needed.

As the Opus interface is not accessible to Jaws - the VI software that uses synthetic voice to 'speak' Windows accessible components, I need to look at alternative solutions.

As a possible solution I was considering using a standard Windows component - Comctl32.dll or equivalent for this purpose, as Opus supports using dlls. The problem is that I have no experience in these matters and the Opus and OpusScript documentation has minimal information in this respect, except for the Windows Message box example in the help file

Can someone please assist me how I may proceeed in this matter? The parameters I would most likely be feeding the dll would be a file count of files being successfully processed as they are placed (moved) into a 'watched' output directory, from a tally of the total number of files to be processed from an input directory.

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Tom


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 Post subject: Re: Help with a progress bar .dll
PostPosted: October 24th, 2011, 12:59 pm 
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Godlike
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Joined: November 12th, 2005, 1:56 am
Posts: 1474
Location: SFBay Area
Opus: OpusPro v9.0x, & Evol.
OS: Vista32
System: Core 2 duo 2Ghz, RAM 3GB, Nvidia Go 7700 - laptop
Tom,

Welcome to Opus development and the forum. Like most folks here, I'm an Opus user. I'll see what I can help with. Others here have more experience and deeper knowledge, and I'm sure will lend their help.

Quote:
as the utility processes files - thus a progress bar is needed.
When you say 'progress bar', do you mean something low-level in Windows that reflects the delay interval e.g., while something is loading? (Or do you mean a cumulative progress bar e.g., amount of content viewed/listened-to etc.?) Can you explain more -- what the utility program is?
Quote:
The parameters I would most likely be feeding the dll would be a file count of files being successfully processed as they are placed (moved) into a 'watched' output directory, from a tally of the total number of files to be processed from an input directory.
Mackavi is an Opus developer who is quite active here on the Forum. His company, Interaktiv, has developed a few DLLs that may be of use to you -- one for listing files, and another for tapping into Windows sound/speech features. I sure Mack will join this discussion and give you specifics.

Meanwhile, take a look at: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4111&hilit=dll
Regarding: "...putting the file location and file names into an array"
I think if you initially tallied the source Folder, and monitored the number of files in the destination Folder -- you could mimmick a progress bar graphically in Opus.

I'll gather some other forum posts you may find interesting -- more for background or future I suspect (they may not be directly useful ??).

Cheers.

_________________
_good things come to those who wait(0)_


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 Post subject: Re: Help with a progress bar .dll
PostPosted: October 24th, 2011, 1:45 pm 
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Godlike
Godlike

Joined: November 12th, 2005, 1:56 am
Posts: 1474
Location: SFBay Area
Opus: OpusPro v9.0x, & Evol.
OS: Vista32
System: Core 2 duo 2Ghz, RAM 3GB, Nvidia Go 7700 - laptop
Tom,
Your original question brought-up a lot of areas, and I think you will find others have worked through similar hurdles.

I did searches on the forum (Display results as: topic) for each of the following terms and got quite a few hits returned.
speech
jaws
progress bar
DLL

For example, under 'speech', you may find these (and others) useful:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4632&hilit=speech
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3140&hilit=speech
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2815&hilit=speech
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2578&hilit=speech


Quote:
Opus supports using dlls the Opus and OpusScript documentation has minimal information in this respect, except for the Windows Message box example in the help file

Yes, DLLs can be used if your Pub Type is full OpusPro. I think they have to be unmanaged DLLs.
I think the Colour-Picker sample pub also invokes a Windows DLL.
I've found documentation lacking as well. I accept it as one of those areas where I don't have the knowledge/skillset and for me DLLs are in a class siimilar to Databases -- DW/Opus provides for access but won't teach me the ins-and-outs of DBs.

For DLL, search returned this thread among others:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2946&hilit=unmanaged+dll


BTW, Opus pubs can launch external files. Maybe you could bypass the middleman step?

_________________
_good things come to those who wait(0)_


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 Post subject: Re: Help with a progress bar .dll
PostPosted: October 24th, 2011, 11:25 pm 
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Joined: May 16th, 2010, 12:22 am
Posts: 4
Thank you so much for your detailed response Lars_123, very much appreciated.

Quote:
BTW, Opus pubs can launch external files. Maybe you could bypass the middleman step?

Sorry I was a bit unclear in my post - I meant that my Opus pub was to be my 'Launch' utility, providing the front end.

Quote:
When you say 'progress bar', do you mean something low-level in Windows that reflects the delay interval e.g., while something is loading? (Or do you mean a cumulative progress bar e.g., amount of content viewed/listened-to etc.?) Can you explain more -- what the utility program is?

I mean a cumulative progress bar. In this instance it would be represented by the number of files successfully processed and moved to an output folder. example: If I had 100 files in the input folder, as each file is processed and moved to an output folder, the progress bar would indicate this - the first file in the output folder would indicate 1% progress - till all 100 files were processed being 100% completed.

The exe(s) that Opus will be triggering are three compiled scripts created with other software, that follow each other. These do various xml based text format conversions, each three with its own input and output directory. Opus only needs to track the first input directory and the very last output directory of that process for the progress bar functionality. The Opus front end will provide the user with the ability to select the input and output source locations via the 'Browse Directory' actions - (the locations that need to be monitored), and a few other options via a drop down menu.

Quote:
Meanwhile, take a look at: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4111&hilit=dll
Regarding: "...putting the file location and file names into an array"
I think if you initially tallied the source Folder, and monitored the number of files in the destination Folder -- you could mimmick a progress bar graphically in Opus.

The compiled scripts that I will be using have the ability to generate on the fly, text files with the directory listings of the contents of both the input and output folders; so that is not a problem. Opus appears to have the functionality to read/count each line, allowing for the ability of a file tally of the input directory. Polling the output text file as its dynamically created and feeding it to the progress bar variable may be more of a challenge.

Apparently the Windows dll - Comctl32.dll located in system32 has the functionality to create a progress bar. This would mean that vision impaired staff members who had Jaws software installed on their PCs could have audible feedback via the progress bar, as most Windows system components are accessible to Jaws's text to speech engine. As I work in a charity organisation (for the blind and vision impaired) we have a very limited budget, so a free option is preferable rather than third party dlls or add ons.

There seems to be some info on the web re this dll, however it seems to be related to VB scripts as well, so I'm a little confused as to what is native functionality to the dll and what is VB script.


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 Post subject: Re: Help with a progress bar .dll
PostPosted: October 26th, 2011, 11:13 am 
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Godlike
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Joined: March 21st, 2007, 10:44 am
Posts: 3188
Location: UK
Opus: Evolution
Hi Tom,

If it's for a charity VI cause, then we have a TTS DLL that you're welcome to use for non-commercial purposes. Have a look at our example - myVoice:

http://www.live.interaktiv.co.uk/index. ... &Itemid=19

If you think it will be helpful, send me an email via our website.

Regards,

Mack

_________________
When you have explored all avenues of possibilities, what ever remains, how ever improbable, must be the answer.

Interactive Solutions for Business & Education
Learn Anywhere. Learn Anytime.

www.interaktiv.co.uk
+44 (0) 1395 548057


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 Post subject: Re: Help with a progress bar .dll
PostPosted: October 31st, 2011, 9:46 am 
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Godlike
Godlike
User avatar

Joined: March 21st, 2007, 10:44 am
Posts: 3188
Location: UK
Opus: Evolution
Hi Tom,

Thanks for the email, but your address keeps getting bounced back. You're welcome to the source code for myVoice which will show how to call the DLL from Opus. I just need confirmation of the charitable status - headed fax or valid email.

Regards,

Mack

_________________
When you have explored all avenues of possibilities, what ever remains, how ever improbable, must be the answer.

Interactive Solutions for Business & Education
Learn Anywhere. Learn Anytime.

www.interaktiv.co.uk
+44 (0) 1395 548057


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 Post subject: Re: Help with a progress bar .dll
PostPosted: November 1st, 2011, 12:50 am 
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Joined: May 16th, 2010, 12:22 am
Posts: 4
Hi mackavi

Thanks for the reply. Sorry about the bouncing email - I must of mis-typed my email address. When I'm back at work tomorrow I'll email you with my work details. We have a public holiday here today in the state I live in, just because of a horse race! - The Melbourne Cup.

Tom


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