README.md

Python UDP Communication with Qt GUI for Mercury

This project provides a Python application with a Qt GUI (PySide6) for interacting with the Mercury software. It uses UDP for network communication, allowing users to send and receive messages from the Mercury system.

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Features

• UDP Communication: Sends and receives UDP datagrams to and from Mercury.
• Qt GUI: Provides an intuitive graphical interface for interacting with the Mercury software.
• Python 3: Developed using Python 3.8 or newer.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

• Python 3.8 or newer: This project is developed and tested with Python 3.8+.
• pip: The Python package installer, usually included with Python.

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Installation

Follow these steps to set up and install the project dependencies:

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Rhizomatica/mercury.git
   cd mercury-qt

2. Create and Activate a Virtual Environment: It's highly recommended to use a virtual environment to manage project dependencies. This isolates your project's dependencies from your system's global Python packages.

   python3 -m venv env
   source env/bin/activate

   (On Windows, use .\env\Scripts\activate instead of source env/bin/activate)

3. Install Project Dependencies: With your virtual environment activated, install PySide6 (Qt for Python) using pip:

   pip install pyside6

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Configuration

This project assumes default UDP host and port settings, which are typically defined in app.py. If you need to modify these, such as the listening port or the target address, please refer to the app.py file.

• Listening Port: The port on which the application listens for incoming UDP messages from Mercury.
• Target Host/Port: The IP address and port to which the application sends UDP messages to Mercury.

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Running the Project

Once you have completed the installation and configuration steps, you can run the application:

1. Activate your virtual environment (if not already active):

   source env/bin/activate

2. Run the main application file:

   python3 app.py

This command will launch the Qt GUI application, ready to communicate with Mercury.

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Example Usage

After running python3 app.py, a GUI window will appear. This application is designed to:

• Receive UDP Messages: It will listen for incoming UDP datagrams from Mercury on a specified port (e.g., 12345). Any received messages will be displayed within the GUI.
• Send UDP Messages: The GUI will provide an input field and a button to compose and send UDP messages to the Mercury system.

Note: For the application to function correctly, ensure that no other process is using the same UDP port that this application is configured to listen on.

HERMES-MODEM

To make the real connection with HERMES-MODEM clone the project from

GITHUB REPO

https://github.com/Rhizomatica/hermes-modem/tree/main/gui_interface

and run

 ./ui_communication 127.0.0.1 10000 9999` 

in /hermes-modem/gui_interface