[Biopython-dev] Background process handling

[Thomas Sicheritz-Ponten]

Hej Biopythoner's,

I need to include a pure python solution of background database searches in
the 'xbbtools' program ... but I am not sure how to implement that.

I want to start one or several Blast searches from the graphical sequence
editor. The individual results should be continuously updated in different
windows (one per blast search). The different windows should signal (maybe
by changing background color) when the blast search is finished. The user
can stop a blast search simply by destroying the associated window.
Of course, all windows shall be updated continuously and the user should
not feel any lag in the main editor window.

How should I solve this ?
a) fork and exec*
b) popen
c) write to temporary file, start blast into new file, continuously read
   new file
d) use an expect module
e) threads
f) a combination with a LOT of updates ?
g) ???

Any suggestions ?

thx
-thomas

-- 
Sicheritz Ponten Thomas E.  CBS, Department of Biotechnology
thomas at bioinformatics.org   The Technical University of Denmark
CBS:  +45 45 252489         Building 208, DK-2800 Lyngby
Fax   +45 45 931585         http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/thomas/index.html

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