Re: How to make java client app to download jar package from server autoly?
Patricia Shanahan wrote:
Andrew Thompson wrote:
Patricia Shanahan wrote:
....
(snip)
Fortunately, I have access to a Linux grid computer where I can do up to
64 jobs at a time.
A GUI would be a disaster for this type of work - there is no way I'm
going to manually enter the parameters for each simulation individually.
I don't get it. What 'non-manual' way is there to
enter parameters to a CLI based program, that is
not *also* available to a GUI'd program (if not in
the same exact way, then in some similar form)?
....
The way I use is a make file that looks at the set of parameter files in
the working directory, and generates a task for each parameter file
using it as input and a result file whose name is based on the parameter
file name as output.
There are all sorts of automation and mass production techniques that
can be used to generate, edit, and manage a collection of small, closely
related, structured text files without editing each of them individually.
....mmm, Yeh-OK ..but
At some point, the 'operator' (I am not quite sure, from
your description above, whether you are referring to things
as you might expect your *end* *users* to see, or whether
you are refering to your own builds and such) needs to
'choose a file' to run, right?
I mean, the scenario above seems to link it all
to the 'current directory', so how about this?
Instead of navigating to the correct directory
and 'starting the application' as it seems the
minimum might be for this process to happen,
the user simply 'starts the application' - which
then produces a dialog asking ..
'Current Directory? Yes/No'
...if the user answers 'yes' it proceeds, if 'no',
it shows a JFileChooser to navigate to whatever
directory the process should be performed in.
Which brings me back to the point that a GUI'd
application could not only do what you described
(as far as I vaguely understand it), but do it
(slightly) more easily/slickly for the end user.
...sure it means more programming, but even for things
that I design for running in a headless environment,
if I intend to run them more than a handful of times,
I will 'wrap a GUI around it' as well.
[ It seemed to take a lot of words, to get to that
minor point.. ]
More closely focused on the OP's statement to
'use a command line' (presumably as opposed
to using a GUI), I will stress that *most* command
line apps. could be 'fitted' with a GUI if 'needed',
for instance, if you wanted to launch using
web-start..
(pauses, considers..)
You know, I never have checked specifically,
whether web-start *can* launch command-line apps. -
its just I cannot see how the user could easily
specify input, or view output - of a command-line
based, web-start application...
(wander off slowly, muttering.. '2007, already?')
Andrew T.