# Gnuradio questions **URL:** \ **Category:** GNU Radio\ **Created:** [July 7, 2014, 11:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gnuradio-questions/230814 "2014-07-07T11:47:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![addis\_a](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@addis\_a](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/addis_a)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 11:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gnuradio-questions/230814/1 "2014-07-07T11:47:39Z")
Goodmorning, I’m a PhD student working with gnuradio in ubuntu. The motivation for which I need to write is regarded to how gnuradio treats a project flow graph to make it as an application program, I have searched over internet and various forum but I have not find nothing. Consider that I have a gnuradio flow graph that works fine, and also, I have the top\_block.py that works fine, when imparting ./top\_block.py from the terminal. My questions: Is “top\_block.py” my final application program? ( for example, is the executable “.exe” file equivalent in windows ) I would use this file as an independent program, running it in an other pc where gnuradio is not installed, is it possible? or Have I need some tools ( for example, at least python installed ). Last, Is it possible to estimate the execution time of a specific block in a gnuradio flow graph? If there are documentation that I have missed in the net, please give me the reference… I think for you these are simple questions, but I’m at the beginning and gnuradio is a beautiful environment, I will learn! Thank you for your help in advance, Sincerely, Simone Ciccia, PhD student, electronic engineering, Antenna and EMC lab, Politechnic of Turin, Italy ---
**Author:** ![Simone\_Ciccia\_S2106](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Simone\_Ciccia\_S2106](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Simone_Ciccia_S2106)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gnuradio-questions/230814/2 "2014-07-07T12:26:24Z")
On Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 3:16 PM, Simone Ciccia S210664 \< [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)\> wrote: > My questions: > > Is “top\_block.py” my final application program? ( for example, is the > executable “.exe” file equivalent in windows ) > > I would use this file as an independent program, running it in an other pc > where gnuradio is not installed, is it possible? or Have I need some tools > ( for example, at least python installed ). I am not aware of the exact answer to your question. Here is what I think. Since the top\_block.py is a python program it will require at least python interpreter. When you run top\_block.py, it usually imports modules from GNU Radio. So if you run it on a machine without GNU Radio installed, python will complain saying that it can not import modules required for your application. May be there are ways to generate a standalone executable. But the top\_block.py is not a standalone executable. I hope someone out there knows a better answer to your question. > Discuss-gnuradio mailing list > [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) > [Discuss-gnuradio Info Page](https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss-gnuradio) Regards ---
**Author:** ![Simone\_Ciccia\_S2106](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Simone\_Ciccia\_S2106](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Simone_Ciccia_S2106)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gnuradio-questions/230814/3 "2014-07-07T12:37:09Z")
Hello Simone, On 07.07.2014 11:46, Simone Ciccia S210664 wrote: > Goodmorning, > I’m a PhD student working with gnuradio in ubuntu. > The motivation for which I need to write is regarded to how gnuradio treats > a project flow graph to make it as an application program, I have searched > over internet and various forum but I have not find nothing. > Ok, so your flow graph is actually “just” blocks connected together. > Most of the “magic” happens in these blocks, which simply are wrappers > for a specific method (general\_work) which gets called upon input data > and produces output data. GNU Radio’s core job is to keep these blocks > called and ensure that data is in the right place at the right time and > call these blocks. > Consider that I have a gnuradio flow graph that works fine, and also, I > have the top\_block.py that works fine, when imparting ./top\_block.py from > the terminal. > Ah, so you’ve actually seen a GNU Radio application in action! Sounds > like you generated a python file from the GNU Radio companion, where > flow graphs are represented in a graphical manner. If you look at > top\_block.py you will find a bunch of “connect()” calls, and these match > the connections you drew in GRC. This is how GNU Radio sees the > flowgraph: Constructed from block class instances, their in- and outputs > connected by connect. > Somewhere at the end of the file, you see a “top\_block.start()” or > “.run()”; this is where GNU Radio takes over and starts calling blocks’ > work functions to get the data running through the flow graph. > > My questions: > > Is “top\_block.py” my final application program? ( for example, is the > executable “.exe” file equivalent in windows ) > Yes. > I would use this file as an independent program, running it in an other pc > where gnuradio is not installed, is it possible? or Have I need some tools > ( for example, at least python installed ). > Well, when running a GNU Radio program you will need GNU Radio. Under > certain circumstances, you can get away with statically linking all the > used GNU Radio functionality into your executable, but when using > python, this is never the case. > So for all means, GNU Radio is only a library that your program uses; > it’s a mighty library. You have to have that library when you want to > run a program. This is like every other library out there, you can’t for > example execute a program that uses the QT library to generate graphical > interfaces without having the QT library on the target computer. > That is why windows software usually comes with an installer that > installs a load of application-necessary libraries, that are not > directly part of the software you are using, but are used by it. Under > most linux distributions, library dependencies are handled by package > management, so you just install let’s say firefox and your system > installs all the necessary libraries itself. > Last, Is it possible to estimate the execution time of a specific block in > a gnuradio flow graph? > Yes, you can measure it. Have a look at the “performance counters” > subpage on [1]. > If there are documentation that I have missed in the net, please give me > the reference… > I think the working principle is explained on [gnuradio.org](http://gnuradio.org) in the “what > is GNU Radio and Why do I want it” article among with the beginners’ > Tutorials on the “Tutorials” page. > I consider [gnuradio.org](http://gnuradio.org) to be the only /reliable/ source on how GNU > Radio works and for beginners’ tutorials, all the other sites will be > outdated quite fast. > I think for you these are simple questions, but I’m at the beginning and > gnuradio is a beautiful environment, I will learn! > I hope that it serves your purposes well 🙂 Happy hacking, Marcus [1] [GNU Radio Manual and C++ API Reference: Main Page](http://gnuradio.org/doc/doxygen/) ---
**Author:** ![Simone\_Ciccia\_S2106](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Simone\_Ciccia\_S2106](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Simone_Ciccia_S2106)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gnuradio-questions/230814/4 "2014-07-07T18:34:09Z")
> May be there are ways to generate a standalone executable. I do this on windows, if you are looking to distribute binaries then re-write the python flow-graph in C++, then compile and you will get a portable binary exe, if the other system does not have Gnuradio then just include the gnuradio\*.dll’s with it. Follow the windows native CMake build guide to generate those. If you want to stay in linux then it will be libgnuradio-\*.so’s. > Last, Is it possible to estimate the execution time of a specific block in > a gnuradio flow graph? You can look into ‘gnuradio performance counters’.