Qt Beginner

CleaD

Hello everyone
I would need your help to write my first application in Qt using C++. to solve this example:

Write an application that supports two independent tasks, executed in series. The first task should allow the choice of a text, through GUI, that will be printed every t1 seconds. The second task will have to check, every t2 seconds, if a specific file exists. Through the QSystemTrayIcon the user will have the opportunity to interact with the application by accessing all the configurations and parameters required by the two tasks.

To solve this exercise I'm looking at the example on the QSystemTrayIcon provided by Qt and I think I should use the QDateTime Class. Is this the right approach? Can someone kindly provide me with some basic code lines to get started?

Thank you :)

SGaist

Hi and welcome to devnet,

What do you mean by printed ?
What will you do if that file exists ?

CleaD

Hi SGaist,
actualy I can write with Qt a simple program that show in console task1 and task2 msg in a periodical way using QTimer obj. This is the code for task1.cpp (called by the main.cpp):

#include "task1.h"
#include <QtCore>
#include <QtDebug>

Task1::Task1()
{
timer1 = new QTimer(this);
connect(timer1,SIGNAL(timeout()),this,SLOT(MySlot1()));

timer1->start(1000);

}

void Task1::MySlot1()
{
qDebug() << "Task1 executed";
}

I don't know how to connect task1 to a GUI.
For the task2, there is nothing to do if the file exists, but the name of the file to search is a parameter of the QSystemTrayIcon.

SGaist

You have to give these classes a proper API to be able to configure whatever you want on them as well as restart the QTimer.

Pl45m4

@CleaD said in Qt Beginner:

I don't know how to connect task1 to a GUI.

In the same way, you connected your timer to your function.
Design + create the GUI of your choice and then add your two functions (running in different threads?!) to this. First function prints (writes to file?!) the user selected text every second and the second function checks, whether your specific file exists or not.

Edit:

For what reason you want to use QDateTime? Everything you described has no need to use QDateTime at all.
Overall it seem a little bit too theoretical. What do you have so far (except that console example posted above)?
Start designing your GUI, create your QSystemTrayIcon and try to run your test functions first. If you have problems with a specific step, feel free to ask :)

CleaD

@Pl45m4 Yes. It is only an example to begin and remember oop programming (quarantine hobby :D).
It isn’t requested to use thread, but if it is used only one thread is permitted.
In C I resolved with func pointer, is it right approach?

Pl45m4

@CleaD

You can pass variables by using Signals & Slots.

Start with your GUI design and create your QSystemTrayIcon + the menu (a QMenu with QActions), where you can do your stuff and re-open the GUI.

CleaD

@Pl45m4
This is my task1:

void Task1::MySlot1()
{
QString text("Task1 is running");
QLabel *label = new QLabel(text);
label->setWordWrap(true);

label->show();

}

and this is the "bodyEdit" var from Window::createMessageGroupBox() of the app QSystemTrayIcon:

void Window::createMessageGroupBox()
{
....
bodyEdit = new QTextEdit;
bodyEdit->setPlainText(tr("Task1 is running (text modified)."));
...
}

How can I connect "bodyEdit" to "label"?

JonB

@CleaD
When you go bodyEdit->setPlainText(), the QTextEdit emits a signal textChanged(), as per https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qtextedit.html#textChanged.

You want Task1 to have a slot connect()ed to that signal, https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qobject.html#connect-1, so that it will be notified when bodyEdit's text is changed.

Get that code working, then you'll need to deal with how best to have the slot in Task know what the changed text in bodyEdit now is, if you want to access that.

If you are to use Qt, and certainly for your application exercise, you need to read https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/signalsandslots.html to explain signals/slots if you are to accomplish your task. Otherwise you're just asking other people to write the code for you.

CleaD

Thanks to all for the support. I'm reaching the solution deep learning the main exampled offered by the Qt suite: "System Try Icon", "Find File".
My last question is if two objects of the same class can be considered as different tasks.

Pablo J. Rogina

@CleaD said in Qt Beginner:

My last question is if two objects of the same class can be considered as different tasks.

Maybe this analogy is applicable to you. Let's say your class is ToPaint i.e. paint some part of the house.

One object (one task) is to paint the bedroom, while another object (other different task) is to paint the living room.

So you actually have two different tasks, as two painters can work at the same time in the different rooms, while the class is the same (to paint)