Documentation/ctkWorkflowWidget

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Summary

  • Image analysis and image guided therapy procedures often have fairly complicated workflows
  • CTK's workflow manager and workflow widgets provide a mechanism to construct workflows, display the appropriate user interface for each step, validatee user input and transition appropriately between steps of the workflow
  • They use Qt's state machine implementation, with an additional CTK workflow manager layer

Workflow classes

To define a new workflow step with a user interface

  • Method 1: derive ctkWorkflowWidgetStep:
    • Implement validate(): evaluates user input and returns true if valid, false if not. Emits validateComplete(int) when finished.
    • Implement entryProcessing(): processing that is done when entering the step. Emits entryProcessingComplete() when finished.
    • Implement exitProcessing(): processing that is done when exiting the step. Emits exitProcessingComplete() when finished.
    • Either:
      • Implement populateStepWidgetsList(QList<QWidget*>& stepWidgetsList): add the step's widgets to the given list; by default they will be displayed vertically in the order in which they were added. Emits populateStepWidgetsListComplete() when finished.
      • Implement showUserInterface() and hideUserInterface(): for more control over the step's UI. Emits showUserInterfaceComplete() and hideUserInterfaceComplete(), respectively, when finished.
  • Method 2: use signals and slots
    • Create an object that derives QObject
    • Implement slots that mimic the functionality of validate() / entryProcessing() / exitProcessing() / populateStepWidgetsList() / showUserInterface() / hideUserInterface(), and which emit a signal when completed
    • Use regular ctkWorkflowWidgetSteps in the workflow, and set their hasXXXCommands (ex. hasValidateCommand) to 1
    • Connect your object's signals/slots to those of the steps/workflow
    • When the workflow runs, it will emit the relevant signals to trigger your QObject's slots, which will then send indicate completion by the signals they send.

Examples

Overview of state diagram underlying ctkWorkflow

  • Processing step = handles user interaction, and supports additional processing (ex. image processing) as well
  • Validation step = evaluates the success of the processing step
  • Currently supported transitions:
    • Transition to the next step
    • Transition to the previous step
    • Transition to a "finish" step
      • Equivalent to doing "next, next, next, next..." until you hit the finish step: completes all entry/exit processing associated with each step encountered on the way to the finish step, without showing user interface.
      • Success relies on the suitability of the default processing, parameters, etc
      • "Blocking" steps, ex. those requiring user interaction, will prohibit success in transitioning to the finish step
      • On success: transitions back to the step where the attempt to go to the finish step was initiated, so that the user can perform additional customization from there if needed.
      • On failure: remains in the step whose validate() returned failure, and shows its user interface.

GUI implementation in ctkWorkflowWidget

  • workflowWidget->addWidget(QWidget* widget): adds a widget to the clientArea
  • workflowWidget->showWidget(QWidget* widget): shows the clientArea (i.e. for ctkWorkflowStackedWidget and ctkWorkflowTabWidget, ensures that the correct "page" is shownl

Examples

ctkworkflow w;
ctkWorkflowStep s1("select_image");
ctkWorkflowStep s2("input_new_size");
ctkWorkflowStep s3("display_resized_image");

w.addTransition(&s1, &s2);
w.addTransition(&s2, &s3);

Workflow layout

WorkflowWidgetLayout.png

Branching workflows

                s3----s4    "simple"
               /
  s0----s1----s2
               \
                s5----s6    "advanced"

Associated code:

ctkWorkflow w;

ctkWorkflowStep s0;
...
ctkWorkflowStep s6;

w.setInitialStep(s0); [Ideally - should be optional]

w.addTransition(s0, s1);
w.addTransition(s1, s2);
w.addTransition(s2, s3, ctkWorkflow::BiDirectionnal, "simple");
w.addTransition(s3, s4);
w.addTransition(s2, s5, ctkWorkflow::BiDirectionnal, "advanced");
w.addTransition(s5, s6);

Conditional branching:

[signal] void validationComplete(bool isValid, const QString& branchId)
  • ctkWorkflow::validate() doesn't give branchId:
    • Single transition:
      • transition created without branchId: post transition
      • transition created with branchId: post transition
    • Multiple transitions:
      • (incorrect usage) transitions created with branchIds: use first transition that was added
  • ctkWorkflow::validate() gives branchId:
    • Single transition:
      • transition created without branchId: post transition (workflow overrides step)
      • transition created with branchId: conditional transition based on match, if no match then stay in current step
    • Multiple transitions:
      • transitions created with branchIds: conditional transition based on match, if no match then stay in current step