Script generation using GUI

Question

Hi,

Is there an example for a project a GUI fro script generation? The idea is to let a non-programmer use a front end to enter command and simple logic that will translated to runnable scripts.

The programming language does not meter.

thanks

Answer 1

I assume you ask for education purposes. Then LOGO is a good option (targeted towards children though).

Edit:

As you say, you want such a thing for an enterprise-like application. I'd go for some markup format such as YAML or XML. The script would be directly editable and be in a well-known language such as Python or Groovy. There might be existing GUI tools for markup languages. If you take this approach, please let me know good examples of such GUI tools.

Specifically for business rules of course there are things like Drools.

Answer 2

There's no script behind the scenes, but the Grasshopper plug-in for the Rhinoceros CAD system allows you to create algorithms purely visually.

Grasshopper User Forums

It's got an extensive Video and Image gallery which often features the GUI.

Answer 3

I would use Qt + python, but the constrains you give are too general. simple logic could not be simple at all.

Answer 4

One of the best example of a GUI that generates scripts that I've seen so far is Apple's Automator. It's good not in the sense that it is has lots of features but that it is intuitive enough that many non-programmers use it to automate tasks. It is basically a flashy implementation of the unix pipe paradigm.

Another successful tool in term of getting non-programmers to write programs is Adobe Photoshop's Actions. It also basically emulates the unix pipe paradigm.

I've personally never seen anything that breaks the pipe paradigm successfully convince non-programmers to write programs. Apart from Excel spreadsheet equations of course - but that is just horrifying to write programs in.