Martin Bartlett wrote:
>
> To subscribers of the xforms list from Martin Bartlett <martin@nitram.demon.co.uk> :
>
> How about some finer color controls. Such as text color of a selected item
>
This user will settle for more basic things, particularly in the
designer. First, I would like to set certain things as defaults. I
always use alternate format and I usually want all the generated files I
can get. So I would like to set these as defaults. Similarly, I always
use 12 pt bold type for labels and I never ever want to have an object
resizable. YMMD. So we need a ".fdesignrc" file or its equivalent.
When I load a design from a directory, and then later choose "save" the
expectation is that it saves back where it was retrieved from. No such
luck; when I follow the above sequence the designer saves all the files
back to my home directory. So I have to "save as" and reinstruct the
system just where I want to save the fd file and all the "c" code.
When using a "choice" object in the designer there is no apparent way to
specify the text of the choices. That requires hard coding in the output
file, and a repetition of the hard coding activity if the form is later
modified using the designer.
I would like to put all user written code in the foo_cb.c file and leave
both foo.c and foo_main.c alone. However that requires a hook for
initialization activities, some of which are xforms stuff, and some of
which are database stuff not part of xforms. I can always recode
foo_main.c, but I would prefer a "call back" type mechanism
automatically embedded in foo_main.c by the designer. Then I could code
these initialization routines without changing foo_main.c. The same goes
for exit cleanup routines.
Finally a "grid" type object for displaying multiple columns of data in
a single window would fit in nicely with data base applications.
Xform has the potential to become the "Delphi" of the X windows world. I
like it much better than any of the interpetive approaches (e.g.
tcl/tk). The code is written in c so there is not yet another foolish
language (YAFL) to learn. But we do need some more flesh on the bones.
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