No macro playback for modal windows

[westram]

Macros do not work with modal dialogs.

Example:

BIO::remote_action($gb_main,'ARB_NT','sai_admin');
BIO::remote_awar($gb_main,'ARB_NT','tmp/focus/sai_name','HELIX');
BIO::remote_action($gb_main,'ARB_NT','INFO_OF_SAI/RENAME');
BIO::remote_awar($gb_main,'ARB_NT','tmp/input/string','HELIXx');
BIO::remote_action($gb_main,'ARB_NT','Rename_SAI/Ok');

Execution hangs in "INFO_OF_SAI/RENAME" and waits for the to enter a SAI name.

Solutions:

• dont use modal dialogs (recommended)
  • use AWT_activate_prompt instead of aw_input
    • example changeset: [16491]
    • (related) example for replacing simple prompter-window: [16489]
  • "Increase ali size..?" → checkbox [12583]
  • questions in 'MODIFY DATABASE FIELD of listed' → checkboxes [12791]
• add "Never ask again" toggles to modal question windows [8359]
  • when selected, store next answer as default answer
  • add "Again ask me everything" to Properties menu
• enhance way actions are recorded (not sure whether this may work) (too complex)

(see also #63)

[westram]

• [8359] implements "Never ask again" toggles, making it possible to work with macros that trigger modal question dialogs
• other modal dialogs (e.g. those requesting a string/file) are still problematic. They should be replaced with a different way to get the needed input from the (e.g. ask before starting the action)

[epruesse]

What's the state here? Especially with respect to the MACRO branches?

I expect to be able to remove most of the AW_modal code in favor of native modal windows as soon as I get around to it.

[westram]

Replying to epruesse:

What's the state here? Especially with respect to the MACRO branches?

nothing special with macro branch

I expect to be able to remove most of the AW_modal code in favor of native modal windows as soon as I get around to it.

modal windows are interactive and macros non-interactive (by design). I think it will never harmonize, so imo the 1st solution is recommended.

[epruesse]

It should be possible to do for an exact replay.

Still, you are right, once you try to run the macro on different data, it's likely to block on an unexpected question. Basically, we'd have to allow registering a callback that answers the dynamic questions programmatically.

That said, macros are broken in GTK for now anyway. I'm still thinking about the right way to formalize actions. Since changing an awar is an action, too, it might become a base class for awar.

[westram]

Replying to epruesse:

That said, macros are broken in GTK for now anyway. I'm still thinking about the right way to formalize actions. Since changing an awar is an action, too, it might become a base class for awar.

There are several ways an awar can change:

1. as direct effect of a doing sth in the GUI
2. by writing to the awar (e.g. from a callback, from macro code, or even a plain write to the corresponding entry)

Only 1. should be regarded as action and get recorded.

[westram]

Original example from description

BIO::remote_action($gb_main,"ARB_NT","selection_admin");
BIO::remote_action($gb_main,"ARB_NT","SPECIES_SELECTIONS/STORE"); 
BIO::remote_awar($gb_main,"ARB_NT","tmp/input/string","bla");
BIO::remote_action($gb_main,"ARB_NT","CREATE_CONFIGURATION/OK"); 
BIO::remote_action($gb_main,"ARB_NT","SPECIES_SELECTIONS/CLOSE");

fixed by [12848]