PsLauncher - Lightweight Multi-Script Tray Manager

Within a lightweight, VS Code-like interface, PowerShell/Bash/cmd (Batch) scripts are managed and run uniformly through multiple tabs. It supports system tray persistence, forced termination of child processes, ANSI-colored terminal output, and interactive input/output like a terminal. It is specifically optimized for scenarios such as local large-scale model deployment (llama.cpp/litellm). In theory, this can even manage assistant applications like OpenCLAW.

中文说明

The English version readme is provided by machine translation and may be inaccurate. A good use case: How to use PsLauncher to customize the local large model service configuration

Key Highlights

Unified Management of Multiple Script Types: Supports PowerShell (.ps1), Bash (.sh), and Batch (.bat) scripts, supports multi-folder scanning without recursion to subdirectories, and remembers configuration files. This allows you to conveniently manage your frequently used scripts in one place.
VSCode-like Multi-Tab Experience: Source code viewing and script execution output are managed in separate tabs, supporting syntax highlighting and ANSI coloring.
Full Lifecycle Process Control: One-click start/stop of scripts, force-killing all associated child processes, leaving no residual processes.
System Tray Resident: One-click hiding to the system tray, running in the background without occupying a window, and easily accessible.
Interactive Terminal Support: Run tabs support real-time input, adapted for interactive scripts.
Personalized Interface Customization: Supports dark/light theme switching, and freely adjustable font size/DPI scaling.

Pain Points Addressed

For example, when deploying tools like llama.cpp and littlem locally, multiple scripts are scattered across different folders, requiring repeated directory switching and file searches each time they run.
Or, when starting multiple services simultaneously, the terminal window becomes cluttered, making unified management and termination impossible.
Some project automation scripts need to be executed frequently, but as an operations engineer, I don't want to have to wait several seconds to open an IDE, especially since my server may not have enough memory or disk space to support it.
I just want simple script management and execution, without needing to open heavyweight IDEs like VS Code for this purpose.
My scripts run for long periods, requiring script tools to remain running in the background, allowing for quick and easy execution without consuming foreground window resources or distracting me with task windows.

Quick Start

Installation

Two methods:

Download the source code and run it using Python
Download the pre-compiled exe and run it directly

Source Code Usage

# Configure Environment

git clone https://github.com/NGC13009/PsLauncher.git
cd PsLauncher
pip install -r ./requirements.txt

Windows Compiled EXE

Download the EXE from the release page, extract it, and double-click to run it. (Alternatively, you can use advanced command-line startup, explained in detail later.)

Starting the Program

Regardless of the installation method, there are two ways to start the program:

Double-click the exe file after compilation to start the program directly. This will automatically load the relevant configuration.
Start the program via the command line (or Python source code). This allows you to set two parameters. After setting them once, the program will save the configuration file, and you won't need to set them again later.

Using the command line:

usage: PsLauncher.py [-h] [--scale SCALE] [--light] [--dark] [--font FONT] [--height HEIGHT] [--width WIDTH]

PsLauncher - A general script launcher

options:
  -h, --help       show this help message and exit
  --scale SCALE    Interface font scaling factor (e.g., 1.5, equivalent to 150% DPI scaling on Windows)
  --light          use light theme
  --dark           use dark theme
  --font FONT      set font family
  --height HEIGHT  window height
  --width WIDTH    window width

Example:

# Start the compiled exe
PsLauncher.exe --scale 2.0 # Scale 200%
PsLauncher.exe --scale 1.5 --light # Light theme, scale 150%

# Start from source code
python PsLauncher.py --scale 1.5 --light # Scale 150%

Usage

After opening the program, add your script storage folder (e.g., the directory containing llama.cpp and littlem) via the menu bar "Settings - Add Script Directory".
The left-hand list will automatically scan and categorize all scripts in the directory. Click on a script to view its source code in a new tab.
Select a script and click "Start" to run it in a new tab, view real-time output, or perform interactive input (just like a real terminal). Click "Stop" to stop all related processes with one click.
Simple editing of the current script
Multiple tabs can be easily switched between. You can also scroll through tabs that extend beyond the screen using the mouse wheel.
The toolbar is movable.

Configuration

You can also manually modify the configuration file.

The program supports JSON format configuration files to store user-specified configurations such as scan paths and font sizes.
The default path to the configuration file is config.json, and its format is as follows:

{
    "folders": [
        "C:/application/LLMexe/llama.cpp",
        "C:/application/LLMexe/test_script",
        "C:/application/LLMexe/litellm"
    ],
    "font_scale": 1.5,        // Interface font scaling factor (e.g., 1.5 is equivalent to 150% DPI scaling on Windows)
    "dark_mode": true,        // Whether to enable dark mode (default is true)
    "height_value": 1366,     // window size height
    "width_value": 768,       // window size width
    "font_family": "Consolas" // font family
}

Notes

If you need to execute from source, please ensure that Python 3.x and Qt5/Qt6 are installed on your system.
In some case, the program may require administrator privileges to run (depending on the script content).
(Currently known issue): Terminal character coloring appears to be incorrect in some cases.
(Currently known issue): Within a terminal tab, you cannot use ctrl+c to copy while it is selected; this will directly send an interrupt signal. This may be due to the automatic capture of keystrokes when ctrl is pressed. If you need to copy content, please use the button in the toolbar.

Detailed Usage and Function Description

Program Interface Structure

PsLauncher adopts a VSCode-like interface layout, mainly divided into the following areas:

Menu Bar - Located at the top of the window, organizing all operations by function.
Toolbar - Below the menu bar, providing shortcut buttons for frequently used functions, which can be dragged to adjust their position.
Left-side File List - An explorer displaying all script files in added folders.
Right-side Tab Area - The main workspace, supporting multi-tab switching for viewing and editing.

Menu Bar Function Details

System Menu

Save Current Configuration (F2) - Immediately saves the current configuration to a configuration file.
Hide Window to System Tray (F10) - Hides the program window to the system tray, running it in the background.

File Menu

Add Folder Path (F2) - Adds a new script folder to the scan list.
Remove Selected Folder Path (F3) - Remove selected folders from the scan list

Edit Menu

Copy Selected Content (F11) - Copy the text selected in the currently focused control
Paste (F12) - Paste the clipboard content into the currently focused control
Copy Tab All to Clipboard - Copy all text content of the current tab
Edit Script Source Code (F4) - Enter/exit script editing mode, supports saving changes

Tools Menu

Start Script (F5) - Run the currently selected script
Terminate Script (F6) - Stop the script running in the current tab

Script Management Menu

Create Path - Create a new folder under the selected folder
Create Script - Create a new script file in the selected folder
Rename Script - Rename the selected script file
Copy Script - Copy the selected script file (can be renamed)
Move Script - Move the script to another added folder
Delete Script - Permanently delete the selected script file (without going through the recycle bin)

Tab Menu

Close all source code tabs (F8) - Close all source code viewing tabs
Close all run tabs (F9) - Close all terminal run tabs (will stop running processes)
Close all tabs - Close all tabs, including source code and terminal tabs

Help Menu

Help (F1) - Open help documentation
About - Display program information and copyright information

Toolbar Function Details

Toolbar buttons are grouped by function, separated by separators:

Window Management Group
- 📌 Hide - Hides the window to the system tray. Hover tooltip: "Hidden window to system tray. Restore the window by clicking the tray icon."
Script Control Group
- ▶️ Run - Runs the script in the currently focused tab. Hover tooltip: "Runs the script in the currently focused tab."
- ⏹️ Abort - Aborts the script in the currently focused tab. Hover tooltip: "Aborts the script in the currently focused tab."
Text Operation Group
- 📋 Copy - Copies the currently selected text to the clipboard. Hover tooltip: "Copies the currently selected text to the clipboard."
- 📤 Paste - Pastes the current clipboard content to the cursor position. Hover tooltip: "Paste the current clipboard content to the cursor position."
- 📄 Copy All - Copy all text from the focused tab to the clipboard. Hovering tooltip: "Copy all text from the focused tab to the clipboard."
Edit Function Group
- ✏️ Quick Edit (💾 Save) - Enter/exit edit mode, save script changes. Hovering tooltip: "Enter/exit edit mode, save script changes" (changes to "Save script changes" in edit mode).
Tab Management Group
- 🗑️ Close All Source Code - Close all read-only source code viewing tabs. Hovering tooltip: "Close all read-only source code viewing tabs."
- 🚫 Terminate All Terminals - Close all terminal tabs, including running and terminated ones. Hovering tooltip: "Close all terminal tabs, including running and terminated ones."
- 💥 Close All Tabs - Close all tabs. This will close all source code tabs and all terminal tabs. If execution is in progress within a terminal, it will be forcibly terminated. Hovering tooltip: "Close all tabs, this will close all source code tabs." Simultaneously close all terminal tabs; if anything is running in the terminal, it will be forcibly terminated. This may prevent running programs or scripts from exiting normally.

Left-Side File List Functionality

The left-side file list (Windows Explorer) is the main entry point for script management:

Click Actions
- Clicking a folder item: Expands/collapses the folder
- Clicking a script item: Opens a new source code view tab on the right, displaying the script's source code
File Type Support
- Supports .ps1 (PowerShell scripts)
- Supports .bat and .cmd (batch scripts)
- Supports .sh (Bash scripts)
Scanning Rules
- Only scans the root directory of added folders, not recursively scanning subdirectories
- Real-time updates; refresh the display after adding/deleting files via the refresh menu

Right-Side Tab Functionality

The right-side area uses a multi-tab design, supporting two types of tabs:

1. Source Code View Tab (📝 prefix)

View Mode: Default read-only mode, displays script source code
Supports syntax highlighting (PowerShell/Bash/Batch syntax)
Supports zoom in/out using Ctrl + mouse wheel
Dark theme background, similar to VSCode
Edit Mode: Enter by clicking the "✏️ Quick Edit" button
Background color changes to dark gray for distinction
Script content can be modified
Click "💾 Save" to save changes after editing
Automatically handles UTF-8/GBK encoding (may not be very reliable...)

2. Terminal Run Tab (🖥️ prefix)

ANSI Coloring Support: Correctly displays colored terminal output
Interactive Input: Supports entering commands into running processes
Process Control:
Run Script: Displays start timestamp and script path
Abort Script: Forcefully terminates the process and all its child processes
Process End: Displays end timestamp

Terminal Interactive Operation Guide

The Terminal tab provides an interactive experience similar to a real terminal:

Keyboard Operations

Enter/Return Keys: Send the command of the current input line to the process.
Ctrl+C: Send an interrupt signal to the running process (force termination).
Ctrl+V: Paste clipboard content to the input location (does not send to the process).
Backspace/Left Keys: Restrict deletion/moving within the input area; cannot modify historical output.

Input Protection Mechanism

Separate input and historical output areas.
Users can only edit within the current input line.
Prevents accidental modification of previously output content.
When copying output content, use the "Copy" button on the toolbar.

Process Management

Start Process: Runs the script in a new tab, automatically calling the appropriate interpreter based on the file type.
Terminate Process: Forcefully terminates the process tree, ensuring no residual processes.
Process Status: Displays standard output and standard error streams in real time.
Exception Handling: Displays appropriate prompts when a process exits abnormally.

Right-Click Menu

The left-side file tree supports right-click menu operations. The right-side tabs also support corresponding right-click operations.

System Tray Functions

Tray Icon Operations

Click the tray icon: Restore the program window
Right-click the tray icon: Display the tray menu

Tray Menu Functions

Open Window: Restore the program from the tray
Exit Program: Safely exit the program (will first attempt to stop all running scripts)

Tray Notifications

Display a notification message when hidden in the tray
Changes in program status can be detected via the tray icon

Keyboard Shortcuts Summary

Keyboard Shortcuts	Functions	Descriptions
F1	Open Help	Display Help Documentation
F2	Add Folder Path	Add New Script Folder
F3	Remove Folder Path	Remove Selected Folder
F4	Edit/Save Script	Switch Edit Mode or Save Changes
F5	Start Script	Run Currently Selected Script
F6	Terminate Script	Stop Currently Running Script
F8	Close All Source Code Tabs	Clear Source Code Viewing Tabs
F9	Close All Running Tabs	Clear Terminal Running Tabs
F10	Hide to System Tray	Minimize to Tray
F11	Copy Selected Content	Copy Selected Text
F12	Paste	Paste Clipboard Content
Ctrl+C	Interrupt Process	Send Interrupt Signal to Running Process
Ctrl+V	Paste Text	Paste into the current input location

Example Usage Flow

Initial Setup
1. Start the program
2. Click "File" → "Add Folder Path" or press F2
3. Select the folder containing the script (e.g., the llama.cpp directory)
4. The program automatically scans the script files in that folder
Viewing and Editing the Script
1. Click the script file in the file list on the left
2. The source code tab opens on the right to display the code
3. To modify, click the "✏️Quick Edit" button to enter edit mode
4. After modification, click "💾Save" to save the changes
Running the Script
1. Click the script file in the file list on the left
2. Click the "▶️Run" button in the toolbar or press F5
3. The terminal tab opens on the right to run the script
4. View the real-time output and perform interactive input
5. To stop, click the "⏹️Stop" button or press F6
Multi-task Management
1. Allows opening multiple scripts simultaneously to view source code.
2. Allows running multiple scripts simultaneously on different tabs.
3. Use the mouse wheel to scroll through the tab bar and switch tabs.
4. Use the tab management function to close tabs in batches.
Runs in the background
1. Click the "📌Hide" button in the toolbar or press F10.
2. The program window is hidden in the system tray.
3. The script continues to run in the background.
4. Click the tray icon to restore the window at any time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I copy terminal output? A: Use the "📋Copy" button in the toolbar to copy selected text, or use "📄Copy All" to copy the entire tab's content. Note: Pressing Ctrl+C directly in the terminal tab will send an interrupt signal to the process.

Q: What if saving in edit mode fails? A: This may be a file permission issue. Try running the program with administrator privileges, or check if the file is being used by another program.

Q: How do I adjust the interface font size? A: Start the program using the command-line parameter --scale, or modify the font_scale value in the configuration file.

Q: What if there is no output after the script runs? A: Check if the script requires interactive input. The terminal supports interactive operation. Try typing the command in the input area and pressing Enter.

Q: How do I completely delete a script file? A: Use the "Script Management" → "Delete Script" function. Note that this operation directly deletes the file without going through the recycle bin.

Development Information and Developer Guidelines

Language: Python 3.x
GUI Framework: PyQt5 / PyQt6
Script Execution: PowerShell
Syntax Highlighting: PyQt-based syntax analysis module
ANSI Support: ANSI highlighting via terminal emulator

Compilation Method

First, ensure the environment is configured. Besides requirements.txt, you also need to run pip install pyinstaller.

Then, execute the following command:

pyinstaller -w ./PsLauncher.py -i ./logo.ico -y --distpath ./exe  --paths ./

This program only has one icon representing media data, and this data has already been processed and hardcoded into the source code as base64. Therefore, no additional resource configuration is required; simply compile it.

AI Developer Guidelines

If you are an AI developer, pay special attention to this! During development, you should:

Ctrl+C: In the terminal tab, if text is selected, copy the selected text to the clipboard; otherwise, send an interrupt signal to the running process.
Ctrl+V: Always paste clipboard content to the currently focused control, instead of sending it to the running program.
All toolbar buttons have corresponding menu items in the menu bar, organized by function:
Group toolbar buttons by function, using separators to separate different types of functions:
Maintain good coding and commenting style.
Especially Important: This is a GUI program. Testing must and can only be done by humans. If you are an AI, after modifying it, perform a simple automatic syntax check, then finish and submit it to humans for further testing. As an AI, you do not need to execute the complete program because you may not have GUI operation capabilities. You, as the AI, have an obligation to inform humans which tests or interactive tests are needed.
Especially Important: If you are an AI, never try to read source_ico.py. There's only one base64 encoded string here called icon_base64_data, used to provide the icon for the program. Reading it is meaningless and will only make your time and effort tedious.

Notice to Human Developers

As a human, you have an obligation to assist the AI in performing GUI functionality testing. Please check the following checklist item by item to confirm if it needs to be checked (e.g., if corresponding code has been modified, then it must be checked). The checklist is for reference only; please add it as needed if new requirements arise:

Remember to restore the check box after checking!

Copyright

NGC13009

NGC13009/PsLauncher

GPLv3 License

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 13 Commits
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
PsLauncher.py		PsLauncher.py
README.md		README.md
README_CN.md		README_CN.md
__init__.py		__init__.py
aboutandhelp.py		aboutandhelp.py
get_help_page.py		get_help_page.py
get_ico.py		get_ico.py
logo.ico		logo.ico
logo.png		logo.png
pic.jpg		pic.jpg
requirements.txt		requirements.txt
runPsLauncher.ps1		runPsLauncher.ps1
run_llama.cpp_and_litellm_by_PsLauncher.md		run_llama.cpp_and_litellm_by_PsLauncher.md
source_help_page.py		source_help_page.py
source_ico.py		source_ico.py
tabClass.py		tabClass.py
utils.py		utils.py

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PsLauncher - Lightweight Multi-Script Tray Manager

Key Highlights

Pain Points Addressed

Quick Start

Installation

Source Code Usage

Windows Compiled EXE

Starting the Program

Usage

Configuration

Notes

Detailed Usage and Function Description

Program Interface Structure

Menu Bar Function Details

System Menu

File Menu

Edit Menu

Tools Menu

Script Management Menu

Tab Menu

Help Menu

Toolbar Function Details

Left-Side File List Functionality

Right-Side Tab Functionality

1. Source Code View Tab (📝 prefix)

2. Terminal Run Tab (🖥️ prefix)

Terminal Interactive Operation Guide

Keyboard Operations

Input Protection Mechanism

Process Management

Right-Click Menu

System Tray Functions

Tray Icon Operations

Tray Menu Functions

Tray Notifications

Keyboard Shortcuts Summary

Example Usage Flow

Frequently Asked Questions

Development Information and Developer Guidelines

Compilation Method

AI Developer Guidelines

Notice to Human Developers

Copyright

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