0. What is swift?

SWIFT

SNU widget integration framework for PyQt

A framework for integration of PyQt widgets where they can communicate with each other.
This project is mainly developed for trapped ion experiment controller GUI in SNU QuIQCL.

swift provides a dashboard-like main window, in which variety of Frames reside.
A Frame is in fact a special QWidget which obeys the interface of swift, and it will be wrapped by a QDockWidget.

Features

• Independent development of each Frame, which is a sub-window application resides in the framework
• Communication channel between Frames
• Thread-safety

Structure chart

Overall structure

App structure

Components

App

A Frame simply means a window of PyQt that we see.

In fact, an engine which makes a Frame works is an App. An App can

• show/hide Frames, which the App manages
• set a slot for each signal of Frame
• receive a signal which the Frame emits
• emit a signal to Frame or channel to swift
• communicate backend APIs

A swift recognizes only App, not Frame or backend. Thus, every order for Frame is implemented in App.

A backend is a set of APIs for handling UI-independent operations, such as controlling hardwards, polling something, and connecting DB.

Swift

The swift is an overall manager for this system.
It can

• manage for all apps
• broadcast a message among apps
• handle a swift-call request

Message Transfer Protocol

1. Departure app: Emit the broadcastRequested signal with a message. Its slot is the _broadcast() in swift.
2. swift: Routes the message to subscriber apps in _broadcast(). It emits received signals of the subscriber apps.
3. Destination app: Receive the message to receivedSlot method. The received signal calls it.

Handle swift-call Protocol

1. Departure app: Emit the swiftcallRequested signal with a message. Its slot is the _swiftcall() slot in swift.
2. swift: Receive the message to _swiftcall() and handle the request.