The GRC start button is disabled if validation on blocks and connections fails. You could force validation to fail by requiring a certain condition in a yml file. For example, you can specify that a field is non-zero. It is possible you could wire some expression related to student progress into a block with a dependent variable ... as long as the student doesn't just disable the block doing the validation.
There's a PR to add a hyperlink to the doc tab on the block properties dialog. It doesn't seem like it would be too hard to put a field somewhere in a Note block. GRC doesn't know that a Note is different than any other block. How would you have it work? Clicks are used for all kinds of things, so it can't just be a click on the block. Your ideas are great, not pushy! Sometimes there's an easier way to do things than to change the app, and GRC only gets a fraction of a developer worth of time. It's largely due to GRC (and distro packaging) that so many new users are trying out GNU Radio. On Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 2:54 PM Kristoff <krist...@skypro.be> wrote: > Hi Jeff, > > > > > > > For item 1 and 2. > > Yep. I just did some more tests and I agree. I think I will just create > one giant tarball with all the GRCs, i/q files and perhaps other stuff, > and then run grc with the names of all the *grc-files. That should do > the trick. > > Good idea. Thx! > > > > For item 3, well I did say that was probably the most difficult thing, > didn't I? :-) > > I got my idea based on how the 'start' button operates in GRC. > That button is only enabled if the flow meets certain criteria. There > seams to be some kind of test that is done every time you change the > flowgraph, which enables or disabled the start button, > > > I do not know the coding logic behind gnuradio-companion, not what gtk > can provide for this, but I was wondering if this idea could also be > applied the same logic to a complete tab: do a test and -if it fails- > disable the flowgraph in that tab. (i.e. hide or disable all blocks) > > > But, I guess this would require two additional elements: > - the test will need to be based on rules that are provided by the > flowgraph > - the test should be able to access resources from tabs. (e.g. the test > for "tab2" could be "tab1.var.sampl_rate.value == 1200") > > As said, I have never worked with gtk, so I have no idea if this is > possible. > > > Just out of interest. > How to the test to determine if the 'start' button is enabled actually > work? > I guess there must be some mechanism that parses the structure of the > flow-graph and then perform some tests on that to check if it is ok? > > > > Note, please do not get me wrong. I do not want to be 'pushy'. I'm just > trying to view this from an "education" point of view. > > I have now given a number of GNU Radio demo's. I started out with > "standard" presentation: I-as presenter- demonstrate a GNU Radio flow > and that the audience just needs to "watch and understand". > All very nice, except that, ... most people had already forgotten almost > everything 5 minutes after the demonstration had ended. If people do not > need to do or think themself, they are simply not sufficient engaged and > -although they do get an idea of GNU Radio can do- the actual process of > creating a flow-graph does not stick. > That is why I started looking into CTFs and now also this > "getting-started" workshop. > > So, let's then conciser a "howto" or a "workshop" that people can do by > themself by downloading it from the web, things become even more > difficult as there is not even a teacher to help them. > If you create a "howto" and just provide people with a number of > flow-graphs, even a separate GRC for every step, I see very little > incentive for people not immediately go to the final GRC and try at the > end-result as soon as they hits a snag. > For that reason, I am more a fan of the model of -say- jupyter notebooks > where people are forced to follow the complete flow of the training, > step by step, and cannot just jump to the end of the training. > > So, in fact, I am trying to figure out who to create the forced > step-by-step learning model of a jupyter notebook, using GRC. > > > > > Concerning item 4: > Is it possible in gtk that, if a part of the text in a note-block is a > URL (https://...), that GRC would starts a web browser if people click > on it? > > It would be nice to be able to incorporate external references (e.g. a > video) in the notes of a flow-graph. > > > > 73 > kristoff - ON1ARF > > > > On 14/11/2020 17:21, Jeff Long wrote: > > Looking for the simplest (maybe not the best) solution: > > > > Item1 - A shell/batch script could run gnuradio-companion 1.grc 2.grc > > 3.grc > > > > Item 2 - files can be relative, e.g, ./sample.iq <http://sample.iq>. > > So, if you tar or zip the grc files and the sample files, everything > > should be runnable from a single directory, no searching around required. > > > > Item 3 - I think this is pretty far out of scope for GRC. > > > > On Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 11:15 AM Kristoff <krist...@skypro.be > > <mailto:krist...@skypro.be>> wrote: > > > > HI all, > > > > Yesterday-evening, we did a small workshop 'getting started to GNU > > Radio > > for CTFs', to 'kickstart' some people using GNU Radio. > > > > > > Afterwards, I was thinking that workshops do take up quite a bit of > > time, and not every student has time to do a workshop during the > > timeslot that is there is a teacher available; so perhaps we can > > also do > > this in another way. > > > > One thing -I think- would help for this, is the possibility to create > > 'interactive getting started guides' for GR. That way, we should > > be able > > to reach more people. > > > > The idea I have in mind is to create 'interactive learning-flows'. To > > allow people to learn GNU Radio -step by step- how to use GRC, how to > > analyse a CTF, how to create signals, ... > > > > > > The model is a 'learning-flow', a course is divided into multiple GRC > > flow-graphs, and where every 'tab' on GRC is the next step in > > process to > > build/ explain/ ... a GRC flow-graph. > > - GRC tab 1: option-block + 'samp_rate' var block + file source > > - GRC tab 2: option-block + 'samp_rate' var block + file source + > > throttle-block > > - GRC tab 3: option-block + 'samp_rate' var block + file source + > > throttle-block + QT time sink > > - GRC tab 3: option-block + 'samp_rate' var block + file source + > > throttle-block + complex-to-amp2 + QT time sink > > (...) > > > > > > > > So, my question. Could it be possible to change / enhance GRC a > > little > > it to make it better suited for creating this kind of interactive > > learning courses? > > > > (Perhaps some of the things noted below are already possible. So > > please > > excuse my ignorance) > > > > > > Find below some 'feature-requests' for GRC that I think would > > help to > > make this possible (or at least, more easy): > > > > 1. GRC has the ability to use tabs, multiple flowgraphs loaded > > into GRC. > > However, every flowgraph is independent, and you can can load/save > > every > > one of them independently. > > > > Would it be possible to create the concept of a 'flowgraph > > bundle', i.e. > > a number of flowgraphs that are groups together, and that are > > combined > > in one file. > > > > When you load the 'bundle', all flow-graphs will be loaded at > > different > > tabs of GRC, in a predefined order as documented in the bundle. > > > > > > > > 2. Most workshops / how-tos use files. (e.g. i/q files) > > > > Currently, this means that you must distribute that i/q file > > separately, > > and you must tell the user 'now point the file-sink block to the i/q > > file you have downloaded. It can be in Downloads, or in documents, > > or in > > your home-folder so look around if you do not find it immediately'. > > > > This is kind-of OK in a real 'live' workshop, but -I think- not > > what you > > would want in a learning-project somebody has downloaded from the > > internet and doing this without the 'live' aid of a teacher. > > > > > > So, considering the bundles mentioned about, would it be possible to > > have them also include -say- an i/q files? > > When the user loads a bundle into GRC, this should then also place > > that > > the i/q file in a predefined location on the computer of the student. > > > > - The goal would be to be able to pre-configure the file-source block > > in such a way that it will find that I/q file, no matter what the > > directory-structure of the user's computer might be. > > - And it would make distributing a learning-flow a lot easier as you > > only have to distribute one single file. > > > > > > 3/ (This is probably a lot more difficult) > > To create a real 'step by step' flow, it would be interesting that > > the > > student can only access a certain tab (i.e. a step in the learning > > path), when the flow-graph of the previous tab has been 'finished' > > > > To give an example: > > > > Tab 1: options block, variable block 'samp-rate' and file-source > > block > > + a "note" block with this text: > > > > - "when loading a file into GRC, the data-type of the file-source > > output > > port should corresponds to the signal in the file. > > The example-file has the extension 'iq', so the datatype is > > 'complex'. > > Change the datatype of the file-source block to the correct setting" > > > > - "One of the most important features of a stream is it > > sample-rate. The > > example-file is called file1_48000sps.iq <http://file1_48000sps.iq> > > What is the sample-rate of the signal in that file. Set the variable > > samp_rate to the correct value" > > > > > > Only when those two conditions are met, then the student should be > > able > > to access the 2nd tab. > > > > > > Tab 2: > > > > Comment block "When creating a GRC without any actual hardware, > > you need > > to add a throttle-block. If not, GRC will use all CPU-cycles of your > > computer when run. Please add a throttle-block after the file-source > > block, connect these two blocks and then go to tab3." > > > > ... > > > > (But I guess that this kind of requirement is a lot harder then > > points 1 > > and 2 above). > > > > > > 4/ Can you please make the 'note' block larger, and to allow multiple > > lines of text? > > > > Currently, it is quite small, so it is not really possible to add the > > kind of comments (see 3/ above) to the graph. > > > > What would also be nice is the ability to add URLs in the note > blocks. > > This would allow the note to link to -say- a video: " Change the > > datatype of the file-source block to the correct setting. Click > > here for > > a video on the different data-types used in GNU Radio" > > > > > > > > I know that some of these feature-requests are probably not that > easy. > > But as the quite steep learning-curve of GNU Radio is the main reason > > people are scared away from GR, I do think that providing a good > > learning-tool can be one of the best ways to get the, over that > > hurdle. > > > > > > > > 73 > > > > kristoff - ON1ARF > > > > > > >
