Create a Ghub Tool with Rappture Builder

by Jeanette Sperhac

This set of instructions takes you through creating and deploying a Hub tool based on C code. It describes how to use the Rappture builder to quickly create a GUI to deploy your tool on the Hub.

For more information on the high-level process of deploying a tool, refer to vHub tool development workflow

Create the Code

0. Develop a program (e.g. example.c) that accepts inputs and generates outputs. Compile and test it on your local machine.

Upload and Test on the Hub

1. On vhub.org, access your Workspace and click Launch Tool. In the Workspace xterm, organize your home directory in the following way, by creating directories:

	~/apps/toolname/
		test/		- useful for testing basic tool code
					in this phase of dev
		repo/		- houses the local svn repository
					(checked-out code version)

For more information on the Hub tool directory structure, refer to this vHub Topic


2. Upload the working source file (example.c) into ~/apps/toolname/test/ on the Hub.

To upload, you can:

  • sftp from your local machine to www.vhub.org, using your vhub password. You will automatically be in your home directory on vhub. Use the put command to transfer your source file.

Compile and test the basic tool in the vHub Workspace.

Prepare the Repository

3. Check out the Subversion directory structure into ~/apps/toolname/repo. From the ~/apps/toolname directory:

	$ svn checkout https://vhub.org/tools/toolname/svn/trunk repo

This command creates the correct directory structure for the Tool.

Run Rappture Builder

4. On vhub.org, access your Workspace and click Launch Tool. In the Workspace xterm, run rappture in builder mode. This lets you use the rappture GUI to generate a GUI for your own program. From your ~/repo/rappture directory, run:

	$ rappture -builder

Populate the GUI

5. In the Rappture GUI, under Tool Interface, select “tool”. Enter a Title and Description, and select the appropriate programming language from the pull-down Program menu. This will instruct Rappture about which files to create.

6. Populate the Tool Interface Input and Output sections. Do this by dragging controls from the left-hand palette and dropping them into the right hand panel. Rename the controls to match the names of your inputs and outputs; update the Label and Description fields.

7. When the tool is populated, click Save As. From the dialog, select:

  • Tool Definition File
  • Skeleton Program
  • Makefile

Choose names for these files as appropriate. Click Save.

Rappture builder will save the following:

  • main.c (default name of the generated C program with inputs/outputs as indicated)
  • tool.xml (default name of tool definition file used to make the GUI)
  • Makefile (file with instructions for the C compiler)

Edit the Rappture Files

8. In the hub’s Workspace xterm, edit (e.g. with vi) the following files:

main.c

Rappture’s generated source code. Its default name is main.c. Add functional for your tool under “Add your code here…” section. Save main.c.

tool.xml

Rappture’s generated tool.xml. Ensure it points to the executable in the bin/ directory.

Makefile

Rappture’s generated Makefile. Ensure that it installs the executable in bin/. Add whatever compile targets you like; clean, distclean, install, etc.

invoke

You may also want to look at middleware/invoke. This is the invocation script for your tool itself. Ensure the script is there; it may not need any alterations.

Build and Test

9. Build and run the program (build from the src/ directory):

	$ make

This creates your executable. To run it using the Rappture front end, issue the following from your rappture/ directory:

	$ rappture

This should display the Rappture front end generated with the Rappture builder. The tool should run when you click Simulate. Troubleshoot and patch as needed.

Invoke

To test the tool using the invoke script that the Hub will use, issue the following command from your repo/ directory:

	$ ./middleware/invoke

Once invoke works, you’re ready to check the tool and GUI code into Subversion.

Troubleshoot

To troubleshoot the tool or workspace session you’re running, refer to ~/data and its subdirectories, sessions/ and results/. All user session data are written there.

Check in the Code and Change Status

10. Check the working tool in to the hub repository using Subversion:

  • add all new files (main.c, tool.xml, Makefile, etc.) to Subversion, using the command:
	$ svn add path1/name1 path2/name2
  • Commit all files to the Subversion repository, using the command:
	$ svn commit

11. In the tool’s Contribtool page, set its status as Uploaded. The administrator will Install it for testing in the hub application area.

The Hub application area for your tool is found at:

	/apps/toolname

These subdirectories are readable by the tool developer, and invoke calls can be issued there for troubleshooting.

Rappture References

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