.. _gui:

Graphical User Interface (GUI)
==============================

In addition to the command-line interface and Python API, the **Paidiverpy** package provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to interactively design and run image processing pipelines without writing code. The GUI is built using the `panel` library and runs in a web browser.

Installing Panel
----------------

To use the GUI, you need to install the `panel` package. You can install it using `pip`:

.. code-block:: text

    pip install panel

Launching the GUI
-----------------

Once `panel` is installed, you can launch the GUI with the following command:

.. code-block:: bash

    paidiverpy -gui

This command will start a local server and open the GUI in your default web browser.

Overview of the Paidiverpy GUI
------------------------------

The Paidiverpy GUI is an interactive tool for creating, running, and exporting image processing pipelines. It offers a user-friendly way to explore the capabilities of the package and visualize the effect of each processing step.

You can use the app to:
- Configure general settings.
- Add and edit processing steps.
- Preview the output of each step.
- Export processed images.
- Save your pipeline configuration as a YAML file.
- Generate python command examples for running the same pipeline outside the GUI.

.. image:: _static/gui1.png
   :alt: Paidiverpy GUI overview
   :width: 100%
   :align: center


.. image:: _static/gui2.png
   :alt: Paidiverpy GUI components
   :width: 100%
   :align: center

Main Components
---------------

The GUI is organized into three main sections:

1. **Sidebar**:
   - Configure general pipeline settings.
   - Add processing steps and edit parameters.
   - Export the pipeline configuration to a YAML file.
   - View command-line equivalents for running the pipeline outside the GUI.

2. **Pipeline View**:
   - Visualize the list of processing steps.
   - Run the full pipeline.
   - Preview output images for each processing step.

3. **Image Viewer**:
   - Display input and processed images.
   - Select specific image indices to view them in higher resolution.

.. admonition:: Note

   The GUI is intended to be intuitive and accessible, especially for users who prefer a visual workflow. It is ideal for rapid prototyping and experimentation.
   However, the GUI may not expose all advanced features available in the command-line interface or Python API. For complex use cases and custom logic, we recommend using those interfaces.