A modern desktop application to launch applications and manage environments within the Rez package ecosystem.

Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Key Features
• Technologies Used
• Installation
  • For Developers
  • Prerequisites
  • Steps
• Usage

Introduction

RezLauncher is a desktop application designed to simplify the management and launching of software environments powered by the Rez package manager. It provides a user-friendly interface to configure, version, and deploy collections of software packages (stages) and their associated tools.

Key Features

• MongoDB Integration: Connect to a MongoDB instance to store and retrieve package and stage configurations.
• Dynamic URI Navigation: Organize and access configurations using a hierarchical URI structure (e.g., /Project/ModelingType/Application).
• Package Collection Management:
  • Create and version package collections.
  • Define packages, inheritance, and associated tools for each collection.
• Stage Management:
  • "Bake" package collections into immutable stages.
  • View stage history and details.
  • Revert to previous stage versions.
  • Activate/deactivate stages.
• Tool Launching:
  • Launch Rez environments for selected package collections or stages directly into a terminal.
  • Launch individual tools associated with a collection or stage.
• Configuration Modes:
  • Config Mode: For setting up and managing package collections and baking stages.
  • Launcher Mode: For browsing and launching existing stages and tools.
• User Interface:
  • Intuitive Svelte-based frontend.
  • Light and Dark theme options.
  • Real-time logging panel for monitoring application activity.
• Cross-Platform: Built with Tauri for desktop compatibility.

Technologies Used

• Svelte: Frontend framework for the user interface.
• Rust: Backend language for core logic and Tauri integration.
• Tauri: Framework for building cross-platform desktop applications with web frontends.
• MongoDB: Database for storing package and stage configurations.

Installation

For most users, the easiest way to install RezLauncher is to download the latest release from the GitHub Releases page. Download the appropriate installer for your operating system (e.g., .msi for Windows, .dmg for macOS, or .AppImage/.deb for Linux), and run it.

For Developers

If you want to build the application from source or contribute to development, follow these steps:

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm: For managing frontend dependencies and running scripts. (Download from nodejs.org)
• Rust and Cargo: For building the backend. (Install via rustup.rs)
• MongoDB: (Optional, can be configured in-app) A running MongoDB instance if you want to persist configurations.

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ClementHector/RezLauncher.git
   cd RezLauncher

2. Install frontend dependencies:

   npm install

3. Build and run the application:

   • For development (with hot-reloading):

     npm run tauri dev

   • For a production build:

     npm run tauri build

     The executable will be located in src-tauri/target/release/.

Usage

1. Initial Setup:

   • On the first launch, if a MongoDB connection URI is not found in your settings, a configuration modal will appear.
   • Enter your MongoDB connection string (e.g., mongodb://localhost:27017) and test the connection. The application will store this URI for future sessions.

2. Navigating Layers:

   • Use the "LAYERS" breadcrumb navigation at the top to define your working context.
   • Select or add new options for Project, Modeling Type, and Application. This creates a URI path (e.g., /MyProject/Character/Maya) that filters the displayed package collections and stages.

3. Modes:

   • Config Mode:
     • Package Collections Panel:
       • Click "Create New" to define a new package collection for the current URI. Specify version, packages (e.g., maya-2023, houdini-19.5), inheritance, and tools.
       • Click the "Bake" icon on a package collection to create a "Stage" from it. This typically involves generating an RXT file and saving it as a new, active stage.
       • Click the "Edit" icon to create a new package collection based on an existing one.
     • Stages Panel:
       • View stages created for the current URI.
       • Click the "Revert" icon to make an older version of a stage active.
   • Launcher Mode (and generally available actions):
     • Package Collections / Stages Panels:
       • Click on a package collection or a stage to select it. This will populate the "Tools" panel.
       • Click the "Load" (play) icon to open a Rez environment for the selected item in a new terminal.
     • Tools Panel:
       • View tools associated with the selected package collection or stage.
       • Click the "Load" (play) icon next to a tool to launch that specific tool within the context of its parent collection/stage in a new terminal.

4. Interface:

   • Home Button: Resets the URI path to the root.
   • Refresh Button: Reloads package collections and stages for the current URI.
   • Theme Toggle: Switch between Light and Dark themes.
   • Logs Panel: View real-time logs of application actions, successes, warnings, and errors at the bottom of the window.