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If a launched/running program does not support VHMsg messages, its row will highlight in orange not green. It will not respond to the "quit" or "quit all" buttons. This program needs to be closed manually instead of from the launcher. If the program is an exe, use the ElvinAppWrapper program which enable programs that do not support elvin messages to respond to the messages required by the Launcher. For more details, go to the ElvinAppWrapper readme file.
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VHMsg
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message protocol to work with the Launcher
The application needs to have an "elvin-name" (now called the "vhmsg-name") that it will must use for all sending and receiving messages. Note : that the application's "elvin-name" needs to match the Master Profile's "elvin-name" . On startup, the application should say, "vrComponent <vhmsg-name>"; when it receives a "vrAllCall" message it should say "vrComponent <vhmsg-name>"; when it receives a "vrKillComponent <vhmsg-name>" message it should say "vrProcEnd <vhmsg-name>" and then exit. If the application is an agent, then it should listen for "vrKillAgent <vhmsg-name>" instead of "vrKillComponent <vhmsg-name>"tag for that application’s launch tool. An application will only partially work with the Java Launcher, if it only does some of the aforementioned. does not send and receive the proper messages. For more details about the messages go to the VHMsg page.
Things to know
- If a launch tool is the normal gray color of the Launcher window, it is not running.
- If a launch tool is green, then it is running and sending the appropriate VHMSG messages.
- If a launch tool is orange, then it is running but there is possibly a problem. Either the program is not responding (i.e. it crashed) or it does not respond correctly to the vrAllCall message. The launcher can sometimes show a component as unresponsive in error, so it is advisable to check the status of the component manually if problems persist.
- Click on a group name to expand/collapse it.
- To send a VHMSG message, type the message into the text box at the bottom of the window and click the "Send" button. It has been tested with launching .bat files, .jar files, and .class files. Any properly formatted VHMSG should work.
For more information,contact the vh-support@ict.usc.edu.
Developers
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Setting up the Launcher for a new project
- Try to keep Be consistent with the naming conventions below. This results in consistency Consistency between projects and ensures the makes it easier for users and developers can easier to get acquainted with a new project.
- Create a master profile, \tools\launch-scripts\profiles\master-config.xml, based on the provided example: tools\launcher\VirtualHumansLauncher\example-master-profile.xml.
- In \tools\launcher-scripts, create a batch file with the name 'run-<project_name>-launcher.bat. The content should be something like this:
@pushd ..\..\tools\launcher\VirtualHumansLauncher call run.bat ..\..\launch-scripts\profiles\master-config.xml @popd
- In your the project root (usually the directory that contains the 'core', 'data', and 'lib' directories), create a 'run-launcher.bat' file. All projects should use this name, so everyone knows instinctively how to launch an unfamiliar project. The contents of the batch file should be something like:
pushd tools\launch-scripts call run-<project_name>-launcher.bat @popd
Compiling the Launcher
You can compile Compile with either NetBeans or with ant.
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- Go to \lib\vhmsg\vhmsg-java\ and check if look for je4util.jar exists there.
If it does not exist, then you have to compile it by navigating to that folder in a command prompt window and typing 'ant' (no quotes). If that doesn't work, then you will need to install ant: http://ant.apache.org. - Go to \lib\java\ and check if it contains nblibraries.properties, win-process\winp-1.9.jar, win-process\winp-1.9-javadoc.jar, and swing-layout\swing-layout-1.0.3.jar.
If it does not exist, then you cannot compile the project cannot be compiled. - Make sure that the environmental variable JAVA_HOME is set to your JDK folder before continuing.
You can check Check the value of JAVA_HOME by running the check-environmental-variables.bat file. If it is not defined, see the Pre-Running section for instructions on how to set it.
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- The folder that this file is in (\VirtualHumansLauncher), is a NetBeans project folder. You can get NetBeans from Go to http://www.netbeans.org if it NetBeans is not already installed.
- Run NetBeans and go to File->Open Project and select the folder.
- Click the button with the hammer picture on it (or Build->Build Main Project or F11).
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See Main FAQ for frequently asked questions regarding the installer. Please use the Google Groups emailing list for unlisted questions.