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Author Topic: Feature ideas for IDE  (Read 5139 times)

Tony Stone

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Feature ideas for IDE
« on: November 13, 2021, 05:47:26 pm »
Just wanted to throw out a couple ideas I have for the IDE. 

1.  The docked form editor is very cool.  I like it but it would be great if there was a way to undock the form momentarily to position things in a maximized window for example.

2.  I some how ended up with a large amount of non visual components on my form.  It looks messy and it seems to me to be a waste of resources for the form editor to be redrawing them.  Why isn't there a possible drop down type list that can sit in the forms titlebar(just an idea for position) that shows a drop down type of list of your non visual components?  Wouldn't this be cleaner?  Even if it was a simple drop down list that is non visual itself, that you can move around the form to keep it out of the way. 

As I get better at working with FPC and Lazarus I want to make improvements to the IDE.

Would anyone find these functions useful?

MarkMLl

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2021, 06:14:48 pm »
2.  I some how ended up with a large amount of non visual components on my form.  It looks messy and it seems to me to be a waste of resources for the form editor to be redrawing them.  Why isn't there a possible drop down type list that can sit in the forms titlebar(just an idea for position) that shows a drop down type of list of your non visual components?  Wouldn't this be cleaner?  Even if it was a simple drop down list that is non visual itself, that you can move around the form to keep it out of the way. 

Surely that's already done adequately by the Object Inspector?

MarkMLl
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Tony Stone

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2021, 06:18:37 pm »
2.  I some how ended up with a large amount of non visual components on my form.  It looks messy and it seems to me to be a waste of resources for the form editor to be redrawing them.  Why isn't there a possible drop down type list that can sit in the forms titlebar(just an idea for position) that shows a drop down type of list of your non visual components?  Wouldn't this be cleaner?  Even if it was a simple drop down list that is non visual itself, that you can move around the form to keep it out of the way. 

Surely that's already done adequately by the Object Inspector?

MarkMLl

Yes, I suppose you are right.  And I can simple tick the Show Non Visual Components in the forms context menu to hide them.  I'm just thinking it could be a clean way to isolate them is all.  I would need to try and implement it and try it to see if I really liked it.  Speaking of the object inspector... not sure what happened but last night i built the trunk and my object inspector is no longer a list... its a drop down "list"  lol... i dont like it at all!

Well... i fixed the component tree.  I may have  accidentally unticked the checkbox playing with the options.  But a menu like that is what I was thinking would be cool for the non visual components....
« Last Edit: November 13, 2021, 06:21:26 pm by Tony Stone »

Tony Stone

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2021, 07:42:35 pm »
use a module for the non visible but I understand your point. Even with a module it can be hard to link events to items on the form at design time.

  A separate pane window could be used to toggle to view of these types of items that still remains associated with the form they are active on.

Not sure what you mean by using a module.  Do you mean go to File  --> New --> Module --> Date Module ?

Tony Stone

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2021, 07:49:43 pm »
use a module for the non visible but I understand your point. Even with a module it can be hard to link events to items on the form at design time.

  A separate pane window could be used to toggle to view of these types of items that still remains associated with the form they are active on.

OK!  Got it!  Using a Data Module is a nice solution!  Just moved a dozen non visual components to one.  Just modifying code for them now.  I feel like I may run into some complications with this method... maybe not though.  I am gonna continue tinkering.  Thanks Jamie!

MarkMLl

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2021, 08:01:43 pm »
OK!  Got it!  Using a Data Module is a nice solution!  Just moved a dozen non visual components to one.  Just modifying code for them now.  I feel like I may run into some complications with this method... maybe not though.  I am gonna continue tinkering.  Thanks Jamie!

There was discussion related to this a few weeks ago, after (I think) somebody asked if it were possible to group non-visible components in some way on a form. An alternative solution that might possibly offer something would be a Frame, but that's definitely not how things are supposed to be used...

MarkMLl
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Pet hate: people who boast about the size and sophistication of their computer.
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Tony Stone

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2021, 08:08:36 pm »
OK!  Got it!  Using a Data Module is a nice solution!  Just moved a dozen non visual components to one.  Just modifying code for them now.  I feel like I may run into some complications with this method... maybe not though.  I am gonna continue tinkering.  Thanks Jamie!

There was discussion related to this a few weeks ago, after (I think) somebody asked if it were possible to group non-visible components in some way on a form. An alternative solution that might possibly offer something would be a Frame, but that's definitely not how things are supposed to be used...

MarkMLl

I was trying to put them in a scrollbox  :D  didnt work out for me though. lol  I think the module idea may be a better method than a frame though.... hmmm... I only say that because I have the data module working perfectly now and I still have not played with frames enough yet to understand how they work.

How does Delphi handle non visual components?  Same as Lazarus?

MarkMLl

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2021, 08:10:17 pm »
How does Delphi handle non visual components?  Same as Lazarus?

Not sure, not used it for decades. A frame was only a wild idea, and in any event they have their own problems...

MarkMLl
MT+86 & Turbo Pascal v1 on CCP/M-86, multitasking with LAN & graphics in 128Kb.
Pet hate: people who boast about the size and sophistication of their computer.
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Tony Stone

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2021, 08:25:35 pm »
Well... after some messing around the data module is not "PERFECT".  May be ok for some components.  But in the trayicon for example i cannot make it show my main form.  If i include the mainformunit in the uses of the datamodule i get a circular reference fault... hmmm... i will have to revert back to little components all over my fancy form.  %)

Spopovich

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2021, 02:34:36 am »
Delphi 8 for .net had this option. It was a great innovation at the time, but they needed space, so an list was much better.

PascalDragon

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Re: Feature ideas for IDE
« Reply #10 on: November 27, 2021, 12:34:29 pm »
How does Delphi handle non visual components?  Same as Lazarus?

Yes, same way as Lazarus (including the "Hide non-visual components" option).

The UI designer for .Net in Visual Studio works like the one mentioned for Delphi.NET (because internally they were probably the same): non-visual components are shown in a separate area.

 

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