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Rename to TNCat, add chip chase, G-codes and a Wayland layout

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The project is now TNCat, after HEIDENHAIN's TNC controls. Binary, QML module
URI, settings path, bundle id and .desktop entry follow; the environment
switches are TNCAT_*.

Entertainment: a curled steel chip skitters in every minute or two, the cat
runs it down and bats it away a few times before sitting back looking pleased.
Mood changes flash the matching machine code above its head, G00 for a sprint,
G01 for a stroll, M08 while it washes, G28 for a stretch, M30 for a nap.

Window handling was split into two layouts. X11 and macOS keep one small window
per object, positioned by the app. Wayland gets a screen-filling overlay whose
input region is masked down to the cat, since a Wayland client cannot place its
own window. Overlay mode is automatic there and available elsewhere via
TNCAT_OVERLAY=1.

Also adds a ground-line setting so the cat can walk above a softkey row.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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JulianandClaude Opus 5 committed 2026-09-10 22:53:40 +02:00
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README.md
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@@ -1,29 +1,41 @@
# Workcat (Qt Quick / CMake example)
# TNCat
A little cat that wanders along the bottom edge of your screen, sits down,
grooms itself, stretches, dashes off and takes naps. Drag it around, click to
pet it, and it purrs. It does nothing else — no window closing, no monitoring.
A little cat that wanders along the bottom edge of the screen, sits down, grooms
itself, stretches, dashes off and takes naps. Every now and then a curled steel
chip skitters past and the cat goes after it. Drag it around, tap it to pet it,
and it purrs.
Inspired by [workcat.app](https://workcat.app/en/), rebuilt as a plain Qt 6 /
QML project. Primary target is **Linux / X11**; development happens on macOS and
both are supported by the same code.
It announces what it is doing in the machine's own language: `G00` when it
sprints, `G01` when it strolls, `M08` while it washes, `G28` when it stretches
back to reference, `M30` when it goes to sleep.
The name is `TNC` plus `cat`, because the intended home is a HEIDENHAIN control
(TNC7, TNC 640). Primary target is therefore **Linux / X11**; development happens
on macOS and both are supported by the same code.
Inspired by [workcat.app](https://workcat.app/en/), rebuilt from scratch as a
plain Qt 6 / QML project.
## Layout
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `CMakeLists.txt` | `qt_add_executable` + `qt_add_qml_module` (URI `Workcat`), macOS bundle, `.desktop` file on Linux |
| `CMakeLists.txt` | `qt_add_executable` + `qt_add_qml_module` (URI `TNCat`), macOS bundle, `.desktop` file on Linux |
| `src/main.cpp` | Wires `AppSettings` and `CatController` into the QML engine, warns on Wayland |
| `src/catcontroller.*` | Mood machine (walk, run, sit, groom, stretch, sleep, love, alert), movement tick, cursor tracking |
| `src/appsettings.*` | `QSettings`-backed coat, size, pace, eye tracking, pet counter |
| `src/platforminfo.*` | QML singleton `Platform`: platform name plus the two X11 escape hatches |
| `src/catcontroller.*` | Mood machine (walk, run, sit, groom, stretch, sleep, love, alert, chase, bat), movement tick, chip chase, cursor tracking |
| `src/appsettings.*` | `QSettings`-backed coat, size, pace, ground line, eye tracking, pet counter |
| `src/platforminfo.*` | QML singleton `Platform`: platform name plus the X11 escape hatches |
| `src/traycontroller.*` | Tray icon and menu, silently skipped when the desktop has no tray |
| `qml/Main.qml` | Frameless, transparent, always-on-top window that *is* the cat |
| `qml/Main.qml` | Non-visual root that picks the window layout for the platform |
| `qml/CatWindow.qml`, `qml/ChipWindow.qml` | One small window each, positioned by the app. X11, macOS, Windows |
| `qml/OverlayWindow.qml` | One screen-filling click-through window holding both. Wayland |
| `qml/Cat.qml` | The drawing: rounded primitives plus `Shape` paths for tail, ears and mouth |
| `qml/SettingsWindow.qml` | Coat swatches, size, pace, eye tracking, trick buttons |
| `qml/Chip.qml` | The curled chip, a stroked `Shape` spiral |
| `qml/SettingsWindow.qml` | Coat swatches, size, pace, ground line, eye tracking, codes, chips, tricks |
The cat is drawn in a fixed 100 x 90 design space and scaled by `width / 100`,
so every size setting stays crisp. There are no image assets.
so every size setting stays crisp. There are no image assets, which keeps the
whole thing to one binary plus Qt.
## Build
@@ -43,34 +55,70 @@ cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build
```
Needs Qt 6.8 or newer for `Shape.CurveRenderer`. Required modules: Core, Gui,
Quick, QuickControls2, Widgets. Widgets is only there because `QSystemTrayIcon`
needs it for its context menu.
Needs Qt 6.5 or newer. Required modules: Core, Gui, Quick, QuickControls2,
Widgets. Widgets is only there because `QSystemTrayIcon` needs it for its
context menu.
## Running on X11
The cat is a frameless, transparent, always-on-top `Qt::Tool` window that places
itself. Two environment variables cover the cases where a window manager
disagrees:
## Environment switches
| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
| `WORKCAT_X11_BYPASS=1` | Adds `Qt::X11BypassWindowManagerHint`, making an override-redirect window. Use when the WM refuses to keep the cat on top or shows it in the taskbar. |
| `WORKCAT_OPAQUE=1` | Paints a solid background instead of relying on transparency. Use when no compositor runs and the cat sits in a black box. |
| `WORKCAT_POSE=Sitting` | Freezes the cat in one mood. Handy for screenshots. Accepts any `CatController::Mood` name. |
| `TNCAT_X11_BYPASS=1` | Adds `Qt::X11BypassWindowManagerHint`, making an override-redirect window. Use when the window manager refuses to keep the cat on top or shows it in the taskbar. |
| `TNCAT_OVERLAY=1` | Forces the screen-filling overlay layout that Wayland needs, for testing it on X11. |
| `TNCAT_OPAQUE=1` | Paints a solid background instead of relying on transparency. Use when no compositor runs and the cat sits in a black box. |
| `TNCAT_POSE=Sitting` | Freezes the cat in one mood. Handy for screenshots. Accepts any `CatController::Mood` name. |
| `QT_QUICK_BACKEND=software` | Qt Quick's software rasteriser, for machines without a usable OpenGL driver. `Shape` falls back to its geometry renderer on its own. |
Wayland cannot let a client position its own window, so the cat would stay
wherever the compositor puts it. The app prints a warning and suggests
`QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb`.
## Two window layouts
Desktops without a status-notifier host get no tray icon. The cat itself stays
the entry point: right-click or double-click opens the settings window.
On X11, macOS and Windows the cat and the chip each get their own small,
frameless, always-on-top window, and the app moves those windows around. Nothing
else on screen is covered and no clicks are intercepted.
Wayland does not let a client place its own window, so that layout cannot work
there. In overlay mode the app instead opens one screen-filling transparent
window, moves the cat inside it, and restricts the window's input region to the
cat's rectangle with `QWindow::setMask`, so every click outside the cat lands on
whatever is behind. The mask is refreshed about 30 times a second while the cat
walks.
Overlay mode switches on automatically on Wayland. `TNCAT_OVERLAY=1` turns it on
anywhere for testing. It is not the default elsewhere because macOS ignores the
input mask, which would make the overlay swallow every click on the desktop.
## Running on a HEIDENHAIN control
Untested on real hardware so far. What the code already does for that target:
- **X11 today, Wayland later.** Both layouts are in the build; the platform picks
one at startup.
- **No tray required.** If the desktop has no status-notifier host, the tray icon
is skipped and the cat itself stays the entry point: long-press or right-click
opens the settings window.
- **Touch works without hover.** Tap pets the cat, drag picks it up. The blush on
hover is a mouse-only extra, not a requirement.
- **Ground line setting.** The cat normally stands on the bottom of the available
screen area. On a control whose lower edge carries softkeys, raise the ground
line in the settings so the cat walks above them.
What still needs checking on the actual machine:
- **Qt version and libraries on HEROS.** Build against what the control has, or
ship a self-contained bundle with the Qt libraries next to the binary. Building
on a newer distribution than the control runs will fail at load time on glibc.
- **Graphics stack.** If Qt Quick cannot get an OpenGL context, start with
`QT_QUICK_BACKEND=software`. The drawing is simple enough for that path.
- **Window management.** The NC user interface runs fullscreen. Try the default
flags first, then `TNCAT_X11_BYPASS=1` if the cat disappears behind it.
- **Installing anything on a control is subject to your site's rules.** Keep the
cat away from anything the operator needs to read, and clear it with whoever
administers the machine before it runs on production hardware.
## Interaction
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| Click | Pet the cat, it closes its eyes and purrs |
| Click or tap | Pet the cat, it closes its eyes and purrs |
| Drag | Pick the cat up and put it somewhere else |
| Hover | Blush and purr wiggle |
| Double-click or right-click | Settings window |