ScripTree V3

A universal GUI generator for command-line tools. Define a tool once — by pointing ScripTree at an executable or building a form from scratch — and run it through a clean GUI with labeled fields, dropdowns, file pickers, and checkboxes.

V3 ships with three launchers and a headless screenshot tool in one installation:

Launcher	What it does
run_scriptreeforest.bat	Primary entry point. The forest workspace: a persistent root cell on your desktop plus every other cell linked under it. Auto-discovers nearby .scriptreering / .scriptreetree / .scriptree catalogs at startup, restores the saved layout, and adopts new tools as they appear in the workspace folder. This is what most users double-click after install. Internally chains into run_scriptreering.py with SCRIPTREE_FOREST_MODE=1 — same Python search, same dependency check, same self-healing. See help/cell_shell.md.
run_scriptreering.bat	The bare cell + ring shell (no forest workspace). Floating hexagonal launchers with no implicit root: each cell stands alone unless you drag two together to dock them into a ring. Single-click pops up the cell's tool menu; double-click opens the full editor on the cell's catalog. Save layouts as .scriptreering files. Useful when you want a one-off cell on the desktop without the workspace persistence.
run_scriptree.bat	The classic V1 editor: tool runner, configurations, parser, save/load. Identical behaviour to v0.1.x. All three shells (forest / ring / cell) shell out to this whenever you click a tool — V1 stays the editor; the shells are just launchers.
run_screenshooter.bat	The headless screenshot tool. No arguments → opens the screenshooter's GUI form via the V1 editor (labeled fields, dropdowns, file picker — pick what to render and click Run). With arguments → CLI passthrough to screenshooter.py for batch / scripted use. Captures cells, parameter forms, popup trees, the full editor MainWindow (tree + form + output + cmd-line), the tabbed StandaloneWindow view, the forest hub + cell composite, and the forest hub + merged menu composite — every view ScripTree ships, rendered as PNG without ever flashing a window onto the user's desktop. Used to generate the per-demo previews on scriptree-demos and the documentation screenshots in help/.

Installing the portable zip

Download the V3 zip from the Releases page and extract it. The launcher expects this layout:

<some-folder>/
├── run_scriptreeforest.bat ← forest workspace (PRIMARY — double-click this)
├── run_scriptreeforest.py
├── run_scriptreering.bat   ← bare ring shell (no workspace)
├── run_scriptreering.py
├── run_scriptree.bat       ← V1 editor (called as subprocess from the shells)
├── run_scriptree.py
├── run_screenshooter.bat   ← headless screenshot tool (no args → GUI form)
├── screenshooter.py        ← (CLI; `python screenshooter.py --help` for kinds)
├── scriptree/              ← Python package
│   ├── main.py
│   ├── shell/              ← cell + ring shell (NEW in V3)
│   └── ...
├── branding/
│   └── branding.config.json
├── lib/
│   ├── combridge/          ← bundled COM-automation runtime
│   ├── python/             ← portable Python (after install_python.ps1)
│   └── pypi/               ← vendored PySide6 + deps
└── ...

Common extraction mistake: if you right-click the zip and pick "Extract here" while already standing inside a folder named ScripTree, Windows produces ScripTree/ScripTree/... (the inner one is the zip's own folder). The launcher walks up to four levels deep looking for the package, so this usually still works — but if it doesn't, just move the inner ScripTree/* contents up one level so they sit next to run_scriptree.bat.

If the launcher still can't find the package, it prints a diagnostic listing exactly which folder it looked in and what it saw — paste that into an issue and it's a one-round fix.

Quick Start

# Prerequisites: Python 3.11+

# Option A: vendor into the project, trimmed to the ~65 MB minimum (recommended)
python lib/update_lib.py --trim
python run_scriptreeforest.py    # forest workspace (preferred entry point)
# or:
python run_scriptreering.py      # bare ring shell (no workspace)
python run_scriptree.py          # V1 editor directly
python screenshooter.py --help   # headless screenshot CLI

# Option B: use your system Python environment
pip install PySide6
python run_scriptreeforest.py

Or on Windows, double-click run_scriptreeforest.bat to launch the forest workspace (the usual entry point), run_scriptreering.bat for the bare ring shell, run_scriptree.bat for the editor directly, or run_screenshooter.bat to render PNGs of any tool / tree / cell / forest / popup-menu without ever showing a window on the desktop. Every launcher will offer to fetch a portable Python if none is found.

Option A makes the folder portable — after update_lib.py --trim runs once, you can zip the entire project folder and drop it on any other machine with the same OS/architecture and Python 3.11+. No pip, no network, no admin rights required. The --trim flag strips unused Qt modules (WebEngine, QML, Quick/3D, Multimedia, PDF, Charts, translations, dev tools) — ScripTree only uses QtCore/QtGui/QtWidgets, so you save ~400 MB.

Key Features

• Auto-parse any CLI tool — parses --help output from argparse, click, PowerShell, Windows /flag, and GNU tools
• Named configurations — save multiple form states per tool with environment overrides, UI visibility, and hidden parameters
• Standalone mode — strip the IDE down to just the form for end users
• Tree launchers — group tools into .scriptreetree files with tabbed standalone view
• Custom menus — add menu bars to tools and trees
• AI-compatible — point any LLM at help/LLM/ to generate tool files
• No shell execution — shell=False everywhere, input sanitization on every run
• File-based permissions — 22 capability files, secure defaults, NTFS ACL compatible
• Fully portable — INI settings, zero registry, copy and run
• Encrypted credentials — run-as-different-user with XOR pad, immediate zeroization

Project Structure

ScripTree/
├── run_scriptreeforest.bat  ← forest workspace launcher (PRIMARY)
├── run_scriptreeforest.py
├── run_scriptreering.bat    ← bare cell + ring shell launcher
├── run_scriptreering.py
├── run_scriptree.bat        ← V1 editor launcher (shells out target)
├── run_scriptree.py
├── run_screenshooter.bat    ← headless screenshot tool launcher
├── screenshooter.py         ← screenshot CLI (8 widget kinds — see --help)
├── permissions/             ← capability permission files
├── lib/                     ← vendored deps (portable install)
│   ├── requirements.txt     ← pinned versions
│   ├── update_lib.py        ← install / refresh / audit
│   ├── install_python.ps1   ← portable Python downloader
│   ├── install_combridge.ps1 ← combridge runtime installer
│   ├── _manifests/          ← provenance notes per package
│   ├── combridge/           ← bundled COM-automation runtime
│   ├── python/              ← portable Python (post-install)
│   └── pypi/                ← installed packages (gitignored)
├── scriptree/               ← application code
│   ├── core/                ← schema + IO + runner
│   ├── shell/               ← cell / ring / forest shell (NEW in V3)
│   ├── ui/                  ← V1 editor + standalone window
│   └── plugins/             ← capability plugins
├── tests/                   ← test suite (1800+ tests)
├── help/                    ← documentation + LLM authoring docs
├── pyproject.toml
└── ScripTreeApps/           ← user tools and trees

Updating vendored dependencies

When a security advisory drops for one of the pinned packages:

# 1. Edit lib/requirements.txt, bump the version.
# 2. Refresh + re-trim in one go:
python lib/update_lib.py --upgrade --trim

# Periodically check for CVEs:
python lib/update_lib.py --audit

Every installed package gets a provenance note in lib/_manifests/ showing its version, source, and install timestamp. --trim also writes lib/_manifests/trim_log.md listing exactly which files were removed and how much space was freed.

Per-tool vendored dependencies

Tools under ScripTreeApps/ that need their own Python packages (e.g. a DXF-rendering tool that needs matplotlib + ezdxf, which aren't GUI deps and may even target a different Python interpreter) follow the same pattern, scoped to the tool folder:

ScripTreeApps/<tool>/lib/
├── requirements.txt   # "# python: py -3.12" header picks the interpreter
├── _manifests/
└── pypi/              # injected onto sys.path by the tool's own script

Refresh every tool's lib/ at once:

python lib/update_lib.py --all-apps          # ScripTree's own + every tool's
python lib/update_lib.py --apps-only         # just the tools
python ScripTreeApps/audit_vendored.py       # writes VENDORED_DEPS.md audit

The ScripTreeApps/ScripTreeManagement/ScripTreeManagement.scriptreetree wraps all four management scripts (update_lib.py, audit_vendored.py, make_portable.py, make_shortcut.py) as clickable GUI tools inside ScripTree itself. See help/vendored_dependencies.md for the full explanation.

Building a portable distribution

# Copies this project into a clean, end-user-ready folder, strips dev
# files (.git, __pycache__, tests, etc.), runs a smoke-test, optionally
# zips the result. Handles existing ScripTreeApps/ with keep/overwrite/backup.
python make_portable.py --force --scriptreeapps=keep

# Generate a platform-native desktop shortcut (.lnk / .desktop / .command):
python make_shortcut.py

Documentation

• Quickstart — get running in 60 seconds
• Features — top 10 and top 20 feature lists
• Security Guide — permissions, sanitization, deployment
• Full Help Index — all documentation

For IT Administrators

ScripTree is designed for corporate deployment:

1. Deploy the permissions/ folder with capability files
2. Set the folder read-only for users via NTFS ACLs
3. Grant write on specific files per AD group
4. Set .scriptree files read-only — users can run but not edit

No per-user config, no registry, no cloud, no agents. See the Security Guide.

Contributors

Ken M — Creator, Product Designer & Architect Claude (Anthropic) — Lead Developer

See CONTRIBUTORS.md for details.

License

See LICENSE.