Problem on cli

[giovdellap]

We have an huge problem on cli, can you help us please? The client isn't working without fixing it.

If you start server, then client, you type "localhost" in the textfield and press "multiplayer", client should switch to "CLI" scene, but it stops working passing by the "cli execution" lines, as you can see from the log.

The problem is somewhere between the CLI.fxml in Resources folder, GraphicsManager in PackageMP at lines 35-61 and MyCLIController in ViewMP->CLI.

I tried everything, including or not the controller in the fxml, starting another controller, everything... Before last modifies, it said NullPointerException in UsernameInsertion method in the CLI Controller, like if the Label wasn't initialized.

PLEASE HELP US

P.S.: for no reason, through changing fxml files and controllers, it never accepted methods to answer in Scene Builder

P.S:: the idea beside the launcher is the same and it has always worked

[michele-bertoni]

I did not understand one thing: why is it there a cli.fxml file? Cli stands for Command Line Interface, so why implementing it in javaFX?

[giovdellap]

We thought about implementing the CLI on a "command prompt emulator" for some reasons: 1) it's easier to improve flexibility between GUI and CLI 2) allows us to have only one "code" for the client, the idea is to have a "Graphics manager" that implements the GUI or the CLI without depending on the runnning code 3) it's "nicer" to go from a graphical launcher to a "command line emulator window" than switching to a real prompt

Is it a bad idea?

Should we go on prompt?

[michele-bertoni]

In my opinion this is a really bad idea for some reasons:

• Command Line Interface is supposed to be used on those systems which do not support graphical contents (i.e. GUI): if you use javaFX both for the GUI and the CLI, on any system you can run the GUI you can also run the CLI; so, why would I use the Command Line, which is obviously more complex in terms of UX?
• You are basically reinventing the wheel, creating a new console, when there's already a perfectly working one
• This is a didactic project, so you are evaluated on some particular topics: we want to see if you are able to design an interoperable software, both for the view and the net parts: this is the reason why you are implementing 2 communication protocols and 2 UI; in a commercial software you would have only found, for example, GUI and sockets.

I hope you understood everything, please write us if anything's not clear. We are keeping this issue open and we will close it after checking you are not using anymore JavaFX for the CLI. Please, fix this ASAP and when you're done comment here, so that we can check and close the issue. Michele Bertoni

[ingconti]

I completely agree with Michele. in my idea Your app (client) must start in CLI and by options (for example from cmd line:
java -jar sagradaClient.jar -c or: java -jar sagradaClient.jar -g (c for console, g for gui for example..)

pass to GUI if requested.

and ad said on Piazza, do NOT waste time with targets and solutions OUTSIDE the specs we gave. During exam, your approach will not be appreciated as

• it is outside the specs
• you do not reach a specific requirement (CLI)
• you consume time useless (maybe you should allocate better on coding strategies, better docs, or FA, for example.)

[giovdellap]

You are totally right, we came back on the main route. Thanks for answering, new CLI needs some fixes but already works fine