picoware.system.app_loader.AppLoader

class documentation

class AppLoader:

Constructor: AppLoader(view_manager, mount_vfs)

Class to manage loading and running apps dynamically.

Method	`__del__`	Cleanup loaded apps on deletion
Method	`__init__`	Initialize the AppLoader with a view manager.
Method	`cleanup_modules`	Remove all app modules from sys.modules
Method	`list_available_apps`	List available apps in the picoware/apps directory or subdirectory.
Method	`list_loaded_apps`	List all loaded apps.
Method	`load_app`	Load an app module dynamically and verify its required methods.
Method	`load_module`	Add a VFS path to sys.path so modules can be imported directly.
Method	`run`	Run the currently loaded app
Method	`start`	Start a specific app.
Method	`stop`	Stop the current app
Method	`switch_app`	Switch to a different app.
Instance Variable	`current_app`	Reference to the currently running app module.
Instance Variable	`loaded_apps`	Dictionary to cache loaded app modules, keyed by app name.
Instance Variable	`view_manager`	The view manager instance for display and storage access.
Instance Variable	`_vfs_ready`	Flag indicating whether the VFS is ready for app loading.

def __del__(self): ¶

Cleanup loaded apps on deletion

def __init__(self, view_manager, mount_vfs: bool = False): ¶

Initialize the AppLoader with a view manager.

Parameters
view_manager:`ViewManager`	The view manager instance for display and storage access.
mount_vfs:`bool`	Whether to mount the VFS for app loading. Defaults to False.

def cleanup_modules(self): ¶

Remove all app modules from sys.modules

def list_available_apps(self, subdirectory='') -> list[str]: ¶

List available apps in the picoware/apps directory or subdirectory.

Parameters
subdirectory:`str`	Optional subdirectory within picoware/apps. Defaults to "".

Returns
`list[str]`	Names of apps with .py or .mpy extensions, sorted alphabetically.

def list_loaded_apps(self) -> list: ¶

List all loaded apps.

Returns
`list`	Names of the currently loaded app modules.

def load_app(self, app_name, subdirectory=''): ¶

Load an app module dynamically and verify its required methods.

Parameters
app_name:`str`	Name of the app module to load (without extension).
subdirectory:`str`	Optional subdirectory within picoware/apps. Defaults to "".

Returns
`object or None`	The loaded app module, or None if loading failed.

Raises
`RuntimeError`	If the VFS is not ready or not mounted.
`AttributeError`	If the app module is missing a required method.

def load_module(self, module_path: str) -> bool: ¶

Add a VFS path to sys.path so modules can be imported directly.

Mounts the SD card and adds the given VFS path so modules can be imported with a bare import statement. Useful for testing in Thonny or when manually importing from a specific location.

Parameters
module_path:`str`	Path relative to the VFS root, e.g. `"/picoware/apps"`.

Returns
`bool`	True if the path was added to `sys.path`, False otherwise.

def run(self): ¶

Run the currently loaded app

def start(self, app_name) -> bool: ¶

Start a specific app.

Parameters
app_name:`str`	Name of the app module to start.

Returns
`bool`	True if the app started successfully, False otherwise.

def stop(self): ¶

Stop the current app

def switch_app(self, app_name): ¶

Switch to a different app.

Parameters
app_name:`str`	Name of the app module to switch to.

Returns
`bool`	True if the switch succeeded, False otherwise.

current_app: object = ¶

Reference to the currently running app module.

loaded_apps: dict = ¶

Dictionary to cache loaded app modules, keyed by app name.

view_manager: ViewManager = ¶

The view manager instance for display and storage access.

_vfs_ready: bool = ¶

Flag indicating whether the VFS is ready for app loading.