J7 Session Manager
The initial proposal has two windows, term and edit:
- term is the usual ijx window
- edit is a tabbed editor, with optional sidebar (toggle with ctrl-B).
Comments
Addon Browser
It would be nice to have some sort of Addon browser available from the edit (and term?) windows. It would open a dialog for browsing the installed Addons, enabling the user to choose a script(s) to require or load. The dialog would simply insert the appropriate require/load statement at the cursor in the edit/term window based on the user's choices.
This suggestion is not specific to Project Manager, but perhaps made more important given the proposed removal of required library handling from PM and the intended move of many base library scripts to Addons. -- RicSherlock 2009-10-14 00:44:01
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Typing jpkg~ 'showinstalled' in term should already show all addons. Or the purposed browser should rely on this. -- BillLam
Just using jpkg wouldn't help if you want to require a script from an addon that doesn't have the same name as the addon e.g. arc/zip/zfiles or stats/r/rserve.
We're talking about GUI here so I'm thinking a solution should be clickable. I imagine that the sidebar could be used to serve multiple roles (a'la gedit or the Xcode organiser that Oleg linked to). One role could be "Addons". A simple version could just show the ~addons folder (perhaps with a filter of "*.ijs"), double clicking a script file would enter require {shortname to script} at the cursor. -- RicSherlock 2009-10-14 23:40:33
Perhaps you can enhance jpkg to add another option say list such that 'tables/taraxml' jpkg~ 'list' will show all installed files. and the browser can use its output. -- BillLam 2009-10-15 00:39:03
That's one possible approach and I'd be happy to do that if it makes sense. I just thought it might be easier to reuse some pre-existing folder browsing widget to get the desired result for little effort. I've put up a screenshot from another editor (PSPad) to show what I mean. Tool buttons could be used to insert script reference, or open as required. -- RicSherlock 2009-10-15 02:21:50
Arrange Scripts windows in Tabbed Editor
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I often want to view two (or more) scripts at the same time. Will this be possible? If so an additional top-level menu entry "Window" might be useful with options such as Tile vertical, Tile horizontal etc? -- RicSherlock 2009-10-14 02:24:03
The initial intent was a single edit window, with multiple tabs. Usually, when I view two scripts at the same time, it is to program in one script, and just view the other - in this case a viewer would work just as well as another edit window. -- ChrisBurke 2009-10-14 02:33:47
- Yes that might be OK. I wasn't actually thinking of a separate edit window, rather the ability to "restore" the "maximised" tabs and drag them around within the edit window e.g. worksheets in Excel. I'm not sure how widespread this paradigm is in OS's other than Windows though so maybe better to leave it and provide an easily accessible viewer.
Rearrange Tab order
It would be nice to be able to rearrange (preferably drag n drop) tabs to a desired order. -- RicSherlock 2009-10-14 02:24:03
Yes, can be done now -- ChrisBurke 2009-10-14 02:33:47
Combining session manager and project manager
Looking at screenshots of PM from Chris and Addon Browser from Ric, it seems that there a lot of overlapping. Any possibility of combining session manager (ide) and PM, so that J users cannot _not_ use PM? Then this a good way to promote the usage of PM. When firing up ide, the last project (or an un-named project) will be shown in a sidebar. -- BillLam 2009-10-17 03:46:23
I'm not sure "forcing" users to do something would be productive - especially since many users use editors other than the IDE. My understanding is that Chris' proposal is to provide and optionally displayable sidebar for the edit window that will contain the PM. My suggestion was to multipurpose the sidebar to enable it to also be an addon browser. Oleg has gone further and suggested making a generic sidebar API that different modules could be plugged in to. That sounds like a great idea to me, the key though IMO is for the default configuration to be simple enough to entice more users to use the PM. -- RicSherlock 2009-10-17 05:29:58
I was not implying that a user must create a project to work, he/she may just ignore the (possibly hidden) project browser sidebar and that won't be interruptive or annoying. BTW working with project is common among other ide like visual basic. -- BillLam 2009-10-17 06:09:44
Sure, but I don't understand how that differs from Chris' initial proposal? -- RicSherlock 2009-10-17 06:24:36
Bill is suggesting that Session window be combined with the Scripts window. Whereas there may only be one Session view, possibly it could "dock" into the Scripts window: either as a tab or alongside (bottom) of the Script view--just like Alex Rufon's Smart IDE. Dock means temporary combine the two windows, whereas undock will make Session a separate window again.
If the output of build and unit test are directed into session, the Session view can serve as equivalent of both Immediate and Log (Console) view of Visual Studio or Eclipse. Thus the bottom location of docked session view will be familiar to users.
The Debug side bar (for stack and variables), stepping in script view, and docked session at the bottom for immediate commands--all create a well-rounded instant Debug "perspective" (an Eclipse term for views layout) seamlessly switching from editing/browsing perspective without separate windows.-- OlegKobchenko 2009-10-17 09:12:05
- From Oleg's comment and various screenshots I've seen so far, I guess there will soon be a window/tab/dock/sidebar explosion with the possibility offered by this gtk or other gui. Altough I ain't a fan of ide, it is good as a brainstorm to suggest various options.
I suggest files can be drag-and-drop from file browser into project window to make it easier to a create a new project. -- BillLam 2009-10-17 09:44:36