[PROJECT] winestarter, wine extension UI & script.

[wildtux]

Topic was until now submitted as proposal, but it became a real project for a while. So we will submit updates to this new topic starting from the last viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28458 message.

git repos update 0.99.7

Many bug fixes and code rewrite for better performances.

Can work now standalone, without any Wine version installed in the system. Better to have one, because of dependencies (would figure out how to manage this in the future).

Start with Wine windowed mode at max screen resolution (black background) by default (option can be uncheck), it improve full screen graphic performances and allow to launch third party application without more tricks.

And more...

Manage now all Wine packages:

- WineHQ staging repo for version above 2.4
- WineHQ staging old repo for version from 1.8 to 2.4
- PoL repos for Wine version below 1.8.6

All versions (except PoL) are taken from Fedora WinHQ repos, they're more independent when extracted with rpmcpio. Need to check if they are fine for all distros (feedback?!).

Thanks for your participation to this experiment , users coming slowly, but surely.
https://github.com/wildtruc/winestart

[wildtux]

git repo update 0.99.8

• - Bugs fixes.
  - Add stable WineHQ repo (for 3.0)

https://github.com/wildtruc/winestart

[wildtux]

git repo update 1.0

- makefile: Add a changelog display at update.
- wtc: Fixed update stable Wine version and real default Wine version in main tabs display.
- wtc: Added a prefix conf management button in main window (remove, rename, clone).
- wtc: Fixed little bug in Wine info download 'wait' UI.

Note: version set to 1 because it's time to grow up . Scary...

https://github.com/wildtruc/winestart

[wildtux]

git repo update 1.01

- wt: Added a memory cache wipe tool using polkit for admin priviledges. Winestarter will ask for memory cache wipe if it's over 60% of total memory usage. To use with caution, if you have some server with high cache data in RAM, this feature could wipe this data. So, it's maybe a better idea to not use if you are in this kind of situation. Will add a conf option (set to 0/1) in next update for user convenience.
- wt: Clean useless comments and lines.

[wildtux]

git repo update 1.02

- wtc: Added Wipe memory cache options allow/disallow to Wine prefix config options sets.
- note: it is mandatory to update your config files first to include this new option.
- wtc: Added more options to restart features section. This is now more a quick setup features allowing to fast restart some actions. I could add more, will figure out.
- wtc: Modified some icons to be more clear on some sections.
- wtc: Added a Wine regedit GUI button to regedit section.
- wtc: Added Wine control panel GUI to Wine prefix tab.
- wt: Modified app pid detection behaviour for better detection.
- wt: Added a end process kill pid apps GUI. In case winedbg is detected, script display a zenity GUI listing all wine active processes with tip on 'what to do' giving the possibility to kill running app if something goes wrong.
- wt/wtc: (extended options) Added options 'Prevent crash dialog to popup' and 'Exceptions handle by app only' (debugging). First prevent Windbg crash dialog GUI to be displayed for app that finally starting at the end, second, allow to print app exceptions handles by themself only (not Wine) making debugging debugging a bit easier.
- new: Add winestarter_kill script. Because, all tip and trick don't prevent on exceptional situation, added the winestart_kill script similar to end process kill pid apps GUI, allowing to kill properly all wine processes in 'world end' situation. (Command line only, usage: winestart_kill after app launch)
- few fix and update to makefile.
- This update need a 'make install' after 'make update' if you're using this updating way. 'make update' is enought if you use 'git pull', only way for new pngs to take place.

[froschmaterial]

Nice work!

a) When yad is not installed Winestarter conf fails in line 3917
$yad_bin --width=520 --title "Winestarter configurator" --window-icon=$img_wine_desk_ui --no-buttons \

b) Typo in dialoque "Wine bottle edition"

[wildtux]

I suscribed to my own topic, but i didn't receive notif :S

Thanks for the note, but if yad is not installed, it's not really a surprise
Nevertheless, you're right, the script need probably a WARNING zenity (usualy by default in al distro) popup with an exit status when yad is not find, but a depencies auto install is planed, so i will figure it if a take to much time to do it.
For b) I think this is already fix. If it isn't, tell me what the typo issue exactly is because I don't have it on my desktop.

git repo update 1.02.2
- wt: Urgent fix, syntax error in wrestool orthograph preventing wrestool to convert desktop icons (don't say it, I know ...).
- wtc: fix. fn_xrandr_config wasn't properly rewrite and cause inversion of setted definitions.
- wtc: fix, bad IFS restore and exit status.
- wt: fix bad link and dir recognition when app is install on a external drive with a long dir name.
- Note: Please v1.02.1 changelog for earlier fixes :S. I hope there wont be more stupid mistakes.

git repo update 1.02.1
- wt/wtk: Fixed regex pid detection that didn't manage apps gone to Zombie (lucky to got one ). Changed text display as appropriate.
- wtc: Fixed IFS and file syntax mistake in desktop file creation part.
- wt: Fix. Window app in WoW64 are install whereever they want and became hard to find them when looking the exe file to link. this is hopefuly fixed.
- wt: desktop file detection and conversion wasn't fully update to new fixes and rewrites. This is fixed with better automation. It will normally take all type of install and only add not existing desktop files or to convert (original desktop file is still backup in user winestarter directory). If icon file is not found, default winestarter white png will be set in replacement.
- updater notif: fix bad regex preventing winetricks 'update only' to be displayed and sets wine env settings if system have no default wine installed that cause tricks list to be erase.

[wildtux]

git repo update v1.02.3
- updater: fix messages display. Will now check correctly diff between local git repo and web site page.

[zephar123]

Oops just posted on your older thread, I am really interested in your project and will be trying it out shortly =).

[wildtux]

It's a quite easy to use the script for particular application with winestarter script only and a proper dedicate conf file, or, as you would like to have, create a default prefix/bottle with the 'all needed' dlls and add-ons and clone it when you want to install a new software (there's already a clone option in winestarter_conf 'manage Wine bottle' for that particular purpose).

[latte]

Maybe the app would be easier for me to understand if there were demo bottles existing ow with some sort of online tutorial...
Anyway, I find it quite impressive. Have you tried to submit your code to the wine project?

What is the basic difference of your approach to Playonlinux?

[wildtux]

PlayOnLinux is a Wine platform like CrossOver, that probably inspire Steam creators somehow. The goal is to get an all in one place where is hard to start standalone prefix or apps, or just check/modify quickly configuration/environment variables. Well, you can't make the bread yourself.
Winestarter is like a Wine graphical extension, a very light one, that can start and conf anything anywhere with an easy access to registry, winetricks, graphic card env config (nvidia, optimus, xrandr, etc) and many explanations as possible (and in my knowledge). You can easely know where are yours bottles/prefixes, configurations and can also just manually change the config without any prejudice. The bread is at your own taste.

There no need of demo bottle, maybe a basic demo conf file, but that it. In fact, you can take one of your PoL (if any) or windows directory with an app know to nicely work over Wine, start winestarter_conf and point the link of the app when 'set a new Wine prefix' after 'create a Wine botlle'. Winestarter is not known to crash/freeze/damage default or apps previous installs, it's just work or not.
Wiki is on the way for tutorials, but is going to take some time. I will post some example of known working confs (but from my own desktop) that basically just need 'push button', it takes sometimes too.

I hope that Wine dev community will find interest in my project, but I don't exactly know how to contact them. :S

[latte]

The impression I got from POL is that they have a nice platform and you could configure and modify bottles. Still the sample bottles they had were messy and outdated. And I did not understand the GUI that appeared to be overloaded. Crossover seems to be the version for grown-ups.

Your software is like a shell script extended with a gui, where I would actually prefer a simple headless mode. It seems you put a lot of work and effort into it.

[wildtux]

Maybe i didn't explain myself righly, finally.
Originaly, I Wished to write for my self and headless script with a simple conf, because there were to much tips and tricks to test on WineHQ forum and else where (including PoL, etc), so, I did, and a ugly name winestart, so easy to type in a console.
But after using it a little while, I realize that it could useful to other, then, I create the github page with only the script and a few examples, and the ugly name, and the ugly bash syntax.

In the mean while, I also realize that users are not all like me, and with a simple helper GUI it could be useful for them. So, I did. And thanks Yad, because bash is the only thing I really know.
Finally became what it is now:
- An independent headless script.
- A per app conf
- An very big helper GUI.
that can start anything anywhere.
'Helper GUI' because winestarter script doesn't need winestarter_conf to work, it is just very very helpful for all kind of things. Downloading only winestarter and the README example conf is enought and if you have already all the tools dependencies, you're fine. The basic script is definitively headless and still be for ever.
See winestarter_conf like a resume of all the researches and commands you have to do before finally launch your app. the goal is an opposite of PoL or Crossover that are doing all for you without an explanation, like a magic box. Winestarter wont, unless you feed it. But when it fed, it will doing all, from the install to launch in a single row.

Yes, preconf files are needed to push interest for most users, it will come, it's just a matter of time and user's sharing.

Hoping make things more clear...
(yes, my english is really approximative)

[wildtux]

Git repo update from v1.2.3 to 1.3.3
(wtc: winestarter_conf, wt: winestarter, up_w: update_winestarter, wk: winestart_kill, up: update.sh)

v1.2.3 - updater: fix messages display. Will now check correctly diff between local git repo and web site page.
v1.3 - wt/wtc: update Wine package download sources list for new staging repository (https://repos.wine-staging.com/alesliehughes). Could be remove in near future if merging with WineHQ staging repo.
v1.3.1 - update_winestarter: fixed local/remote regex analysis that making confusion between vX.X and vX.X.X.
v1.3.2 - wk: Added a desktop file (too minor to be consider as real update).
- up_w: fix, remove forgotten dev line (don't tell, it's so sad).
- up_w: by the way, add timer option at the end of command line. Default is still 30s, but you can change it by add a different timer in autostart desktop file exec line (ex: update_winestarter 5)
v1.3.3 - wtc: fix not updated var in date_stamp function after v1.3 update preventing to get last website date.

[wildtux]

Git repo update from v1.3.4 to 1.3.7

v1.3.7 - wt/wtc: fix. WineHQ has removed build.old repository for an unkknown reason. Scripts have been adapted to this new behaviour and release from 1.9.24 fallback to PoL packages (still not tested them).
- Note: Previous method has been kept and will auto detect if build.old is back, in case WineHQ change is mind.
v1.3.6 - wt: fix, added more filters to previous addition and a question dialog if prefix doesn't exist.
v1.3.5 - wt: added an auto prefix creation in case there's none in 'launch app from dir' mode.
v1.3.4 - up_w: micro fix in option syntax.

[wildtux]

Git repo update from v1.3.4 to 1.3.12

To much too tell every thing here, but shortly:
> many auto detection for many thing, wine packages list adapted to glibc version, dependencies installer, distro wine package extractor (fedo, debian like).
> many fixes, update around WineHQ packages download policies.