Improve SciTE support for algorithmic composition

[gogins]

• [x] Implement a contemporary scheme for the editor and output panes.
• [x] Bring everything needed for running HTML pieces in NW.js directly into the preferences file if at all possible. Doesn't seem possible.
• [x] Clarify the menu structure and create better key bindings. Present layout not too flexible, but is acceptable.
• [x] Integrate a visual form builder for Csound UIs if at all possible. Glade does the job.
• [x] Get Csound to play again once it has stopped or been stopped. Works with Gtk, not with Qt.
• [x] Better mapping from Qt Widget values to Csound channel values. Not using Qt, Gtk is mapped.
• [x] Reorganize directories in csound-extended to make the SciTE playpen clearer.
• [x] Finish minimal README.md, and make sure all helper scripts are mentioned.
• [x] Try to rationalize this messy code.

[gogins]

The coloring schemes must be nice for:

• [x] The output pane.
• [x] C++.
• [x] Python.
• [x] Csound.
• [x] HTML5.
• [x] Lua. Not doing, it's not pretty but if I need it I can read it, or improve the coloring.
• [x] Common Lisp.

[gogins]

Csound currently has variables in an eye-watering dim violet. Needs to be pale grey like C++, or something. Opcode names need to be a slightly different color. Csound colors global, i-rate, k-rate, and a-rate variables different. I have much improved these colors.

[gogins]

As for a visual form builder, I will try a bit harder. If I can get something acceptable I'll remove the playpen, because for the other things SciTE is better, more reliable, and more easily maintained. Possibilities to investigate:

• [ ] Cabbage has many very attractive features, but seems inflexible and hard to adapt to my purpose, the csd files would have to run in Cabbage not Csound. What about the command line?
• [ ] page, would work but seems klunky.
• [x] eric-ide has heavy dependencies, e.g. PyQt5. Installed easily and looks comprehensive. May be able to replace SciTE. Can't see how to add custom tools or commands. No, I see the plugin development APIs. Looks like overkill and not exactly covering my requirements, either.
• [x] Glade of course would work for Python pieces, but with my same complaints as now. At least I can see how to get it work from SciTE -- using exactly the same hacks as the playpen.

[gogins]

Questions for Cabbage:

• [x] Can it run a piece from the command line? Cabbage itself cannot, CabbageLite maybe,
• [x] Can it add a UI to any CSD file and that CSD file will run with presets from the UI? I am testing that now. So far it doesn't look like the current values of channels when the Cabbage piece is saved will be restored when plain Csound runs the saved piece. Maybe the Cabbage opcodes can do this? No, they are not a separate loadable module but are built in as part of the Cabbage binary itself. Indeed Cabbage itself doesn't just remember channel values by default. I don't see how to easily get this to work.
• [x] Can it be used from a Python piece, and if so how? I think it's enough if the previous item is OK, the Cabbage csd can go into the Python code.

[gogins]

The Qt designer program looks very good, not surprising. I will see if that can be used with pyside6 or something.

This must be done: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/68528717/environment-variable-pyside-designer-plugins-is-not-set-bailing-out

[gogins]

This is starting to work. I need to refine the pattern and handle saved control values.

[gogins]

How annoying! Signals from sliders are just an int value. Not a float, and no hint of which widget emitted the signal.

Solution: encapsulate the widget, the channel name, and csound in a Controller class that will be the slot for the widget signals.

It may be possible to tag control channel widgets somehow to enable this to be set up programmatically.

[gogins]

With Qt the widgets and signals suitable for automatically setting up control channels have changed:

• [ ] QAbstractSlider: valueChanged.
• [ ] QAbstractButton: clicked, toggled.
• [ ] QCheckBox: clicked, stateChanged
• [ ] QLineEdit: editingFinished.
• [ ] QComboBox: currentIndexChanged, currentTextChanged

[gogins]

The post_process function fails unless the Csound options include -RW for rewriting the soundfile header length on every write. I have added these options. Evidently Csound will not fix up the soundfile header at all without these options.

[gogins]

The Gtk playpen always can rerun a piece, the Qt playpen can seldom rerun a piece. The Gtk one uses CsoundThreaded, I have tried the Qt one with both ctcsound and CsoundThreaded but it doesn't work either way.

[gogins]

This is interesting, but didn't help: https://github.com/csound/csound/issues/1464.

In the failed second run, the instruments don't print channel changes and don't render audio.

I suppose if I have a theory here, it's that the stop call finished but then csoundPerformKsmps is still called or has not returned, and this messes up the subsequent shutdown and restart.

[gogins]

I redid the playpen example with CsoundThreaded performing a csd file and it restarted just fine.

This indicates an unfortunate interaction between Csound and PySide6.

Possibly I should try changing PySide6 for the Gtk system with SciTE. I did that, and it solved the problem, at least using CsoundThreaded. I will now try it with ctcsound.

I prefer the default look and feel of Gtk, it is more refined, but I prefer Qt Designer to Glade. Oh well.

This leaves me with a new problem, the code for showing the widgets and running Csound is fairly extensive and it might be wiser to encapsulate in a new module. Perhaps if I design and name things wisely I won't have to break it in the future.

[gogins]

I'm closing this now. No doubt there are a few rough edges but these will have to be found out by actually using the playpen.