Simple GUI programs. Best path forward?

[MattyUK]

I could use some general advice about how to program simple GUI programs.

Please forgive me if this is in the wrong forum I wasn't entirely sure which would suit it best.

I work in a Active directory environment of mixed XP, Vista and soon W7 machines. There are even some old unsupported 2000 machines. The XP's like the Vista's are at various stages of patch levels. Some SP2, most SP2 and so on. So pretty varied.

I understand XHTML, PHP, Visual Basic scripting and Batch scripting. It's been a long time since I took on Javascript but I could again. I am not fond on AJAX and XML still confuses me when I get to DTD's.

I've had great success at writing visual basic scripts for specific administrative tasks. I've also collected data and written PHP to present it attractively and offer reports etc on a website.

I now want to write GUI programs as a front end on my current scripts and PHP produced reports. This way I can offer their functionality to other less technical users.

I'd like to leverage as much of my current work and skills as possible and of course the lest money spent on software to do this the better. Yay open source.
Here is what I've been looking at:

Using PrimalScript to package Visual Basic into an EXE and trying to create an interface from Visual Basic Scripts.
Using HTA's with Visual Basic script.
Packing PHP code (website) into an exe.
Using Titanium from AppAccelerator.


Here are the drawbacks I've found.

Visual Basic script interface options are too limited with only msgbox and inputbox available to me.
HTA's source code is too open and available.
Couldn't find any applications that accept PHP5 to EXE and offer encryption of source code.
Commercial applications for compiling PHP to EXE (ByteRun) hasn't been updated in 2 years, offers only PHP4 and no encryption of source code.
Titanium from AppAccelerator looked like it'd be great but the apps source are wide open after install, copied verbatim in the resources directory.


So I'm looking for ideas.

I'd like to leverage my web and scripting skills and produce GUI programs. What is my best path forward?

Should I be tackling a new language? Using some program or IDE that can package a html and scripts mashup together into an exe? What suggestions and advice do you have?

I can spend some money, so lets not rule out commercial solutions, but of course not spending it is preferable. So open source or free is going to be more attractive a solution for me.

Many thanks in advance.

[PappaJohn]

I've been developing some very similar projects using Adobe AIR & Flex, for alot of the same reasons.

My environment is an apache server (both local & remote) running php & MySQL. The back end is all php, the front end is done in AIR/Flex. The integration of web-based and desktop-based technologies/methodologies is quite flexible - I'm pleased with it.

AIR/Flex is not limited to LAMP/WAMP environments, I would look into the possibilities.

[MattyUK]

Hi PappaJohn

Thank you.

With that I'd be worried about dependencies. Can I ask; does AIR/Flex require anything other than flash installed? If it requires AIR and it doesn't bundle with an installer I'd be stuck in my environment. It simply isn't prevalent enough.

Flash is prevalent enough as is .NET. WScript host I can usually expect it to be already installed and active. Same with HTA's, support for them goes back quite some way. Website compilers (PHPtoEXE) or would take care of their dependencies as they went, no additional items to install to just run.

I should also add I've looked at PowerScript.
I inched away from it because I couldn't rely on it being installed on all platforms.

Thanks for your reply.

[PappaJohn]

It does require the AIR runtime as well as Flash. However, you can get the AIR & Flash distributables from Adobe. You can then either distribute the runtimes through an intranet, bundle them into an installer or simply install them directly.

[MattyUK]

Bundling them into an installer might work well for me. I will have to convince others in the system not to remove AIR on sight, as that is currently the case.

Thank you for your suggestion. I will consider AIR/Flex.

Anyone any other ideas?

Is it time for C#? .NET? VB application? PowerScript with a bundled installer? Any good PHP to EXE compilers that are being maintained? Some IDE that can tackle the requirement I haven't yet heard about?

[MattyUK]

For what its worth I'm leaning towards ZZEE PHPexe http://www.zzee.com/phpexe/

I can create a website front end in xhtml, using PHP if needed. I'm sure I can figure out a way to run included compiled vbs scripts for the system level actions.

Perhaps it can be told to run a compiled HTA? That might be an interesting mix.



Best Wishes
Matt