feat: Groups for applications to start/stop multiple at the same time

[relascope]

As a User with many different Instruments (keys, voice, drums, guitar) where each may have multiple applications I would like to be able to create groups to handle some tasks faster like stopping all voice-related clients.

I think of the implementation like the grouping of Tracks in Ardour, which doesn't bloat the UI if not used but can be activated if needed.

Great Thanks for RaySession, I struggled for years with QJackCtl->PatchBay.
Not it is there as I want it in a few seconds.

[Houston4444]

Humm, why not, but it won't be soon.

That said, you could easily use custom shell scripts for the moment, for example if you have 2 clients for voice with ids CarlaVoice and mixerVoice:

ray_control client CarlaVoice start
ray_control client mixerVoice start

it is more complex than what you want of course, but it can help.

[relascope]

That is perfectly almost perfectly usable. I would have preferred shell scripts anyway, I am faster with keyboard, than mouse.

To mention is that RaySession 0.13.0 client names a bit mixed up. E.g. the predifined like guitarix or carla clientnames stay all lowercase, eaven if renamed in the GUI (like the executable or append app_2, if there are more), other executables can be renamed, if they do not use the NSM protocol and they have their name mixed-case like in the GUI.

Anyway, I will find my way through.
I think I will use slots with clients the start/stop the groups, so I have the functionaliy in the GUI.

Thanks for the fast reply.

Btw. I am relatively unskilled in Python, since my main programming language has been C++, but I'd like to do some Python work, so what is the current Roadmap? Should I just begin to pick up Issues, which I am interested?

[Houston4444]

To mention is that RaySession 0.13.0 client names a bit mixed up. E.g. the predifined like guitarix or carla clientnames stay all lowercase, eaven if renamed in the GUI (like the executable or append app_2, if there are more), other executables can be renamed, if they do not use the NSM protocol and they have their name mixed-case like in the GUI.

Try the last version (github master branch or v0.14.2), you will see that you can rename clients (with right click on client -> rename) with full identifier renaming. Then names will be the same in session panel and in patchbay. You could also set identifier in Add Application dialog.

Btw. I am relatively unskilled in Python, since my main programming language has been C++, but I'd like to do some Python work, so what is the current Roadmap? Should I just begin to pick up Issues, which I am interested?

I am not sure to understand your sentence. If you want to make client slots commanding other clients, then I would make a nsm client, for this I would make a file importing this file : https://github.com/Houston4444/RaySession/blob/master/src/shared/nsm_client.py. In the main file you have to set NSM callbacks as here : https://github.com/Houston4444/RaySession/blob/master/src/shared/nsm_client.py (probably you don't need :dirty:, :switch: and :monitor: capabilities, replace simply this with '::' or '' (empty string).
In theses callbacks run ray_control commands, you will need subprocess for this (subprocess is in python default library).