Base Converter Tool

Description

A Python-based GUI tool for converting numbers between different bases.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Usage
• Development
• License
• Source Code
• Dependencies

Installation

Executable

Windows

1. Download the latest Windows release from the releases page.
2. Extract the contents to a desired location.
3. Run the BaseConverter.exe file.

Linux

1. Download the latest Linux release from the releases page.
2. Extract the contents to a desired location.
3. Make the BaseConverter file executable by running the following command in the terminal:

   chmod +x BaseConverter

4. Run the BaseConverter file by navigating to the directory in the terminal and executing:

   ./BaseConverter

From Source

To install and run the application from source:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/LukeWait/base-converter.git
   cd base-converter

2. (Optional) Create and activate a virtual environment:

   • Windows:

     python -m venv base_converter_venv
     base_converter_venv\Scripts\activate

   • Linux:

     python3 -m venv base_converter_venv
     source base_converter_venv/bin/activate

3. Install the dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the application:

   • Windows:

     python src\base_converter.py

   • Linux:

     python src/base_converter.py

Usage

Use the input field to enter either an integer, binary, or hexadecimal number and choose the appropriate type from the combo box. Upon clicking convert, the number will be displayed as all three options in the labeled output areas.

You can enter multiple numbers by using a "." as a separator. For example, an IP address entered as an integer: 192.168.1.1, will be displayed as binary: 11000000.10101000.1.1, and hexadecimal: C0.A8.1.1.

Development

Using PyQt Designer

The pyqt_gui.ui file can be opened and edited with PyQt Designer. PyQt Designer is a tool for designing and building GUIs from Qt widgets graphically and is included in pyqt5-tools==5.15.9.3.3.

To open PyQt Designer from the cloned GitHub repository:

• Windows: Navigate to the Scripts folder of your virtual environment or Python installation and run designer.exe.

  base_converter_venv\Scripts\qt5-tools.exe designer

• Linux:

  .base_converter_venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/qt5_applications/Qt/bin/designer

Converting .ui to .py

Project files in PyQt Designer are saved as .ui. To convert the .ui file to a .py file, use the following command:

pyuic5 -o src/pyqt_gui.py src/pyqt_gui.ui

Building Executables with PyInstaller

To build executables for Windows, macOS, and Linux, you can use PyInstaller. I recommend using PyInstaller version 6.1.0 as it is stable and doesn't result in the executable being flagged as a virus like some newer versions. First, ensure you have PyInstaller installed:

pip install pyinstaller==6.1.0

Then, run the following command to create an executable:

pyinstaller --onefile --noconsole src/base_converter.py

This will generate the executable in the dist directory. It will also create a build directory and .spec file. These are used in the build process and can be safely removed.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Source Code

The source code for this project can be found in the GitHub repository: https://github.com/LukeWait/base-converter.

Dependencies

For those building from source, the dependencies listed in requirements.txt are:

• PyQt5==5.15.9
• pyqt5-tools==5.15.9.3.3