Mohamed Salem
b808770573
- PyQt6 main window with Tx/Rx tables, connection dock, LDF toolbar, control bar with global send rate, and status bar - C++ Qt6 equivalent with identical layout and feature parity - About dialog: TeqanyLogix LTD / Developer: Mohamed Salem - Application logo (SVG + PNG) with LIN bus waveform design - Full test suites: Python (32 tests), C++ QTest (34 tests) - Project plan and Step 1 documentation Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
3.5 KiB
Step 1 — GUI Skeleton
What Was Built
The main window layout for the LIN Master Simulator using PyQt6 (Python).
Architecture
MainWindow (QMainWindow)
├── Menu Bar
│ ├── File → Load LDF... (Ctrl+O), Exit (Ctrl+Q)
│ └── View → Toggle Connection panel
├── LDF Toolbar (top, fixed)
│ ├── LDF File path (read-only QLineEdit)
│ ├── Browse button → opens file dialog
│ └── Auto-reload checkbox (default: on)
├── Central Widget
│ └── QSplitter (vertical, resizable)
│ ├── Tx Panel (QGroupBox)
│ │ └── QTableWidget: Frame Name | Frame ID | Length | Interval (ms) | Data | Signals | Action
│ └── Rx Panel (QGroupBox)
│ └── QTableWidget: Timestamp | Frame Name | Frame ID | Data | Signals
├── Connection Dock (QDockWidget, left side, detachable)
│ ├── Device dropdown + Refresh button
│ ├── Baud Rate label (read-only, auto-detected from LDF's LIN_speed field)
│ ├── Connect / Disconnect buttons
│ ├── Status label (red "Disconnected")
│ └── Device info label
├── Control Bar (bottom toolbar, fixed)
│ ├── Schedule table dropdown
│ ├── Global Rate (ms) spinbox (1-10000ms, default 50ms)
│ ├── Start / Stop / Pause buttons (disabled)
│ └── Send Selected Frame button (disabled)
└── Status Bar
├── Temporary messages (left)
└── Connection indicator (right, permanent)
Send Rate Hierarchy
When the scheduler runs, each frame's send interval is determined by priority:
- Per-frame interval (Tx table "Interval (ms)" column) — highest priority, user override
- Global send rate (Control bar spinbox) — default fallback for frames with no per-frame interval
- LDF schedule table — auto-fills per-frame intervals when LDF is loaded
Key Concepts Introduced
PyQt6 Widget Tree
Every visible element is a QWidget. Widgets contain other widgets via layouts. The root widget is QMainWindow which provides menu, toolbars, dock areas, and status bar for free.
Layouts
- QVBoxLayout: stacks widgets vertically
- QHBoxLayout: stacks widgets horizontally
- QSplitter: like a layout but with a draggable divider
Signals & Slots
Qt's event system. A signal (e.g., button.clicked) connects to a slot (any Python function).
Example: self.btn_browse_ldf.clicked.connect(self._on_load_ldf)
QDockWidget
A panel that can be dragged to any window edge, floated, or hidden. Used for the Connection panel so users can maximize table space during monitoring.
Initial Widget States
Controls that require prerequisites (LDF loaded, device connected) start disabled. This prevents users from triggering actions that would fail. We enable them as preconditions are met.
Files
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
python/src/main.py |
Application entry point — creates QApplication, shows MainWindow |
python/src/main_window.py |
MainWindow class — all panel creation and layout |
python/tests/test_main_window.py |
26 tests verifying widget tree structure and initial states |
Running
# Launch the GUI
cd python/src && python main.py
# Run tests
cd python && python -m pytest tests/test_main_window.py -v
Test Results
- 32 tests, all passing
- Tests cover: window properties, menu bar, toolbar, Tx/Rx tables (incl. Interval column), connection dock (incl. baud rate label), control bar (incl. global rate), status bar