[REBOL] Re: Comments about make-doc-pro?
From: dness:home at: 8-Aug-2001 22:34
Robert M. Muench
wrote:
> Hi, I hope that some of you had a look at the make-doc-pro script and played
> around with it a bit. Any comments? Robert
>
I have several. Please read them in light of the fact that I know a fair amount
about computing stuff in general, but not very much about REBOL in particular.
I like the topic and the implementation. However, there are some things which
are either mis-understanding on my part (and thus might point to more documentation)
or things I think you might conider changing.
Reading the code is fine, for documentation, but it doesn't give sufficient overview
to
actually make the process useful. If you are not intending to supply further information,
I'd make it more extensive.
Also, I find it somewhat disconcerting that running your test text creates a live
display that starts with `Heading 2' as though something had been forgotten. I'd
make the test both more productive and more descriptive.
And while I understand using DE for German, I wonder if EN might not be more reasonable
than US, although I suppose this could be some REBOL `standard' that I don't know enough
to understand yet.
I don't get the role of `display' that automatically pops up in the browser,
and whatever happens to %index.html. It also strikes me as a _very bad_ idea to destroy
my index.html without so much as a by-your-leave, why would I expect your code to do
that?
In most circumstances I want to be able to do something with the HTML that results from
the
translation, so I would much prefer that this be written into a file than that it appear
`live'.
I assume you are probably familiar with `similar' attempts to deal with this problem.
One
of the better ones, IMO, is Todd Coram's `AFT' (Almost Free Text, which he did with some
help from Ward Cunningham of Wiki and Extreme Programming fame). It is at
http://www.maplefish.com/todd/aft.html and I would suggest you look
carefully at it if you haven't alread done so. He implements many of the facilities
you have implemented, as well as some that are on your `future' list.
I am writing a paper comparing some of this class of facility for some clients.
When I have finished it, I will seek their permission to `publish' it, and will
put it on my web site if that is forthcoming.
I think you have taken something that was useful, and made it even better.
I look forward to further developments...
