Aldras App

User-friendly desktop automation application to record and automate repetitive computer workflows.
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Table of Contents

1. About The Project
   • Built With
   • Versions
   • Website
2. Getting Started
3. Usage
4. Contributing
5. License
6. Acknowledgments
7. Commercial Version Reference
   • Tools
   • Customer Journey
   • Dev Guides
   • How To Set Up Development Environment
   • How To Create Windows Executable Installer

About The Project

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Built With

Python

wxPython

PyInstaller packager

Inno Setup Windows installer

Stripe payment processing (used for the commercial version only)

Flask web framework (used for the commercial version only)

PythonAnywhere (used for the commercial version only)

Cryptlex license management (used for the commercial version only)

PyArmor obfuscation (used for the commercial version only)

See the visual guides for how this tech stack was implemented in the Commercial Version Reference

Versions

The Aldras application was initially provided as a commercial application with code obfuscation and licensing.

Since 2021, the Aldras application has been provided as an open-source project without code obfuscation and licensing.

The commercial version of the application continues to exist as a separate branch as a portfolio project for archival reference purposes only. The open-source version, not the commercial version should be utilized for normal use.

Website

The code and documentation for the Aldras website exists in a separate repository.

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Getting Started

To download the open-source version of the application for Windows, navigate to aldras.netlify.com/download or download the .exe installer from the repository.

For additional guidance getting started, feel free to review some of the video guides or written documentation.

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Usage

Please note that Aldras is provided as-is and with no warranty. The Aldras application was created by a single individual and does not receive regular updates at this point. To learn more about contributing, please see the following section.

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Contributing

If you have a suggestion that would improve the Aldras application, fork the repo and create a pull request. You can also simply open an issue with the tag "enhancement". Don't forget to give the project a star if you enjoy! Thank you!

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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License

Distributed under the GNU GPLv3 License. See LICENSE.txt for more information.

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Acknowledgments

• Huge shout-out to Adri Regalado for her assistance and consultation throughout the product development cycle.

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Commercial Version Reference

These notes document the tech stack used in the commercial version of the Aldras app before the open-source version.

Tools

The diagram below illustrates the tools used for the different aspects during the development of Aldras:

Customer Journey

The flowchart below illustrates the customer experience journey that was build for Aldras plan transactions where the PythonAnywhere Web Flask App serves as the central processing hub:

Dev Guides

How To Set Up Development Environment

1. Git clone aldras and aldras-website repositories
2. Install Python 3.7 (not 3.8 due to incompatibility w/ PyUpdater)
3. Install PyCharm Community IDE
4. Install Visual Studio Code
5. Install Inno Setup for creating Windows installers
6. Run aldras/z_install_required_dependencies.sh to install python dependencies
7. Install Cryplex LexActivator dependency and ensure proper package compilation with correct LexActivator.dll path.
8. Start coding!

How To Create Windows Executable Installer

Prerequisites

• Repository aldras cloned on Windows machine
• Inno Setup installed
• Python pip dependencies installed

Steps

1. Navigate to aldras repository.
2. Run z_packaging_compile.sh to run PyArmor and PyInstaller, creating the distribution dist folder.
3. Double-click the installer_windows/installer_script.iss Inno Setup script and compile.
4. If there are any errors, create a new Inno Setup script using the graphical wizard.
5. Copy the setup .exe file from installer_windows/Output/ to the download directory in the website repository.
6. Commit and push to the aldras and aldras-website repository branches.

Resources

• PyInstaller
• Inno Setup
• Mouse Vs Python Blog - "How to Distribute a wxPython Application"
• Mounir Boulwafa Blog - "Creating a Single Executable File (.exe) from a Python Program"
• InfoWorld - "How to use PyInstaller to create Python executables"

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