Sun
26
Feb 2012

Some time ago I started a new personal project. It is called NoConsole. I uploaded it to SourceForge GitHub, with C# source code in Git repository, under GNU GPL. The idea (and name) comes from my aversion to console-based programs. I want to create a framework which enables easy development of GUI over command line tools.

Probably the most interesting part is C# scripting. .NET Framework includes C# compiler, so user doesn't have to install any development environment to be able to compile C# source code into managed EXE or DLL files. So if my program is coded in C#, there was no purpose in including any other scripting language. Scripts that control this program are just CS files. They are compiled into DLL-s on first use. They can execute arbitrary code, but the library shipped with NoConsole simplifies some some common tasks and enables integrating with host application:

• GUI is divided into wizard-style pages.
• Parameters of various types (strings, checkboxes, paths to files or directories, enums and other) can be exposed to the user. They automatically remember most recently used values. Current set of values can be saved or loaded as preset under particular name.
• A process can be started with given executable file, working directory and command line arguments. Its console output is captured to text control and displayed in real-time. It can then be saved to file or copied to clipboard. User can also see duration and exit code of process execution.

The project is in early stage of development. Much can be added or changed. But I already use it to simplify some of the work I do, using my scripts I didn't share here.

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