GacUI/.github/Guidelines/Running-GacUI.md

Running a GacUI Application Project

• Go to Windows Specific section if you are on Windows.
• Go to Linux Specific section if you are on Linux or macOS.

Windows Specific

You are strongly recommended to attach a debugger when running any GacUI application. Because some runtime exceptions are silently consumed by Windows causing the application not to crash, covering issues if no debugger is attached.

Automation Service via HTTP

This is a very useful way for coding agent to debug GacUI applications. Computer use via UI Automation may not work when the computer screen is locked.

When StartWindowsHttpAutomationService is used during startup up a GacUI application:

• It listens to http://localhost:<port>/Automation/<applicationName>/....
• GET .../Controls, for GacUI applications, exposing all visible windows and popups.
  • Read comment for DumpWindowClientArea for the schema.
• GET .../Dom, for remote protocol renderer, exposing the DOM tree.
  • Read comment for DumpRemoteProtocolRenderingDom` for the schema.
• POST .../IO or IO/<WINDOW-ID>
  • IRead comment for RunIOCommandOnNativeWindow for the schema.
  • <WINDOW-ID> is the window id returning from .../Controls.
  • The window ID can be comitted for the main window.
  • The window ID must be omitted for GacUI applications with hosted mode or remote protocol core side.
    • In this case all sub windows or popups behaves like controls in the main window.

When remote protocol is in use:

• Core side exposes UI in window-control tree concept.
• Renderer side exposes UI in DOM tree concept.
• Both supports IO operations:
  • When performing IO via renderer, remote protocol events are used to pass IO operations to core.
  • When performing IO via core, renderer only receives UI updates and redraw.
  • Core and renderer should sync in the same UI state afterwards.
  • Performaning IO via no matter renderer or core should result in the same UI state.
• If GacJS connects to the core side, automation service only works on core.

UI Automation

GacUI does not support UI Automation so far, but this situation will be changed very soon.

Linux Specific

NOT SUPPORTED