ofxTaskRunner

A task runner addon for openFrameworks that allows you to create time-based sequences of actions. (kinda like UniTask or bevy_flurx)

Features

• Create sequential tasks with timing control
• Chain actions using a fluent interface
• Synchronize multiple tasks

Note: this is not multi-threaded ( vs ofxAsync )

This addon is not using other threads. All actions are done on the main thread (so it's single threaded).

If you need real multi-thread, please consider to use std::thread or ofxAsync instead.

Dependencies

• openFrameworks 0.11.0 or later
• C++14 or higher

Installation

1. Download or clone this repository into your openFrameworks/addons folder 2. Include the addon in your project using the Project Generator or by adding it to your build configuration

Usage

Basic Example

// In ofApp.h
pragma once

include "ofMain.h"
include "ofxTaskRunner.h"

class ofApp : public ofBaseApp{
    public:
        void setup();
        void update();
        void draw();
        
        // ... other methods
        
        ofxTaskRunner<ofApp> taskRunner;
        ofColor backgroundColor;
};

// In ofApp.cpp
void ofApp::setup(){
    // Initialize the task runner with a reference to the app
    taskRunner.setup(*this);
    
    // Create a task queue that changes background color over time
    taskRunner.createTaskQueue()
        .wait_sec(1.0)
        .then([](ofApp& self){
            self.backgroundColor = ofColor(255, 0, 0); // Red
        })
        .wait_sec(1.0)
        .then([](ofApp& self){
            self.backgroundColor = ofColor(0, 255, 0); // Green
        })
        .wait_sec(1.0)
        .then([](ofApp& self){
            self.backgroundColor = ofColor(0, 0, 255); // Blue
        });
}

void ofApp::update(){
    taskRunner.update(); // Update the task runner
}

void ofApp::draw(){
    ofBackground(backgroundColor);
    taskRunner.draw(); // Optional: draw any task-related visuals (described in then_on_draw() functions)
}

Synchronized Tasks Example

You can create multiple tasks that run in sync with each other (for example: multiple screen app, which has same synced multiple tasks):

for(int i = 0; i < NUM_TASKS; i++) {
    int taskId = i + 1;

    // Register task ID first (needed for synchronization)
    taskRunner.registerTaskId(taskId);
}

// Create multiple synchronized tasks
for(int i = 0; i < NUM_TASKS; i++) {
    int taskId = i + 1;
    
    taskRunner.createTaskQueue(taskId, "sync_task") // Group tasks by task name
        .wait_sync_sec(1.0) // synchroned wait among group
        .then([](ofApp& self){
            // First action
        })
        .wait_sync_sec(1.0) // synchroned wait among group
        .then([](ofApp& self){
            // Second action
        });
}

API Reference

ofxTaskRunner<AppType>

• void setup(AppType& app) - Initialize the task runner with a reference to your app
• TaskQueue<AppType> createTaskQueue(int id = 0, std::string group = "") - Create a new task queue
• void update() - Update all tasks (call this in your app's update method)
• void draw() - Draw any task-related visuals (call this in your app's draw method)

TaskQueue<AppType>

• TaskQueue<AppType>& wait_sec(float seconds, bool sync = false) - Wait for the specified number of seconds
• TaskQueue<AppType>& then(std::function<void(AppType&)> callback) - Execute a callback function, alias of then_on_update()
• TaskQueue<AppType>& then_on_update(std::function<void(AppType&)> callback) - Execute a callback during update
• TaskQueue<AppType>& then_on_draw(std::function<void(AppType&)> callback) - Execute a callback during draw

Examples

The addon includes several examples:

1. example - A simple example showing background color changes over time 2. example_sync - Demonstrates synchronized tasks with multiple animations

License

MIT License