[REBOL] VID, text-list, slider + VID documentation
From: rebol::meurrens::org at: 25-May-2003 18:36
Hello,
Since I am working with REBOL (about 3 or 4 weeks now), I feel that this
language
include really nice features but that its popularity will suffer because of
a lack in the documentation.
Hopefully there is this mailing list and a few FAQ's on the web.
a) the precise question.
=================
If you use a text-list and you want to change the number of lines dynamically,
we know that the slider is not updated automatically.
In his excellent (french) REBOL's book, Olivier writes (I translate and add
the "" ; p. 284)
{
[...] you should "position" correctly [ the sliders ]
when the number of included items is modified [...]
}
The book provides an example based on (I adapt the names...)
the-number-of-visible-lines: my-text-list-face/lc
the-total-number-of-lines: length? my-text-list-face/data
the-whished-dragger-height: the-number-of-visible-lines
/ the-total-number-of-lines ;;; test if not / 0
my-text-list-face/sld/redrag the-whished-dragger-height ;;; a fuzzy
value in the range [0.0 1.0]
This method modifies the size (the height) of the so-called "dragger"
but not its vertical position.
What I am willing to do, is, when adding new lines to a text (a report on
events),
allways position the text and the slider to the very last line introduced.
For this, I need to be able to modify the offset of the dragger.
(in my case, it should allways be at the lowest place)
This offset is based on 2 decimal values:
my-text-list-face/sld/data
my-text-list-face/sld/state
( I know this because I browsed the source code...)
But forcing these values is not enough...
Does somebody knows how we can do this?
b) More generally (specially, for Carl)
==========================
===
I found the above 'lc , 'sld , etc and a few other words in Olivier's book,
or by reading the source code (I bought the SDK), etc.
I still don't know the subtil difference between
my-text-list-face/data and my-text-list-face/lines
But I understand they are many others features, attributes, etc.
And I, unfortunately, don't have time to read and understand all the
sources :-(
E.g. I understand from Olivier's book that there is something like a 'supply
refinement for list or text-list items (?). But I found nowhere (strictly
nowhere !!!)
any line of documentation on this.
Probably that most (a few dozens) rebollers on this list, know these features.
But how can "ordinary" people really use the power of REBOL if they don't know
the features???
comment [ as a quite old computer fellow, I can tell you how we,
(young - then ! - , brilliant and clever engineers and mathematicians),
we completely losed the contact with "ordinary" people
by writing one-line APL code that solved a bunch of complicate situations
but that was unreadable... unless for our brilliant team of "one-liners"
Result: who is still using APL, (such a nice language...), today?
and how many are unfortunately using VB (such a ?*^=A7! ...)]
The doc on http://www.rebol.com/ includes user's guide, some how to's, etc.
This is nice.
But we *also* need a kind of "reference manual".
No long explanations. Just the facts. All the facts.
The user's guide of VID says somewhere that details will be provided in the
Styles Chapter
a separate document
(I don't know where ???)
E.g. :
How can an ordinary and honest guy/girl know, by reading the doc on REBOL site,
that there is property my-text-list-face/picked ?
And, without this knowledge, how can we even imagine that somebody may
create a GUI ?
Hacking the code is nice during some hours/days and for teenagers,
but this cannot be the normal way to work for long term
professional developments...
Do you know where such doc can be found?
I am ready to accept confidential/unfinished documents
(and I am ready to provide a usefull feedback...)
but, really, without doc, it is very hard to work...
Cordially,
</marc>
Prof. Ir Marc Meurrens, Brussels (be)
TEL: +32 (0)2 537 2812
FAX: +32 (0)2 537 7645
EMAIL: [marc--meurrens--org]
URL: http://www.meurrens.org/
REB: http://rebol.mksa.net/
PGPKEY: http://www.meurrens.org/pgp/
Please don't mail me attached files, instead, use my 'exchange area' :
EXCHANGE AREA: http://www.meurrens.org/exchange/
(HTTP/FTP upload/download of temporary/persistent files)
