[DrJava] [ drjava-Ease of use Issues-1434300 ] Modal Dialog Boxes - System.in

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Ease of use Issues item #1434300, was opened at 2006-02-18 12:27
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Category: None
Group: None
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Submitted By: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: Modal Dialog Boxes - System.in

Initial Comment:
Dr Java's use of "modal" dialog boxes for entry of text
to System.in is a VERY BAD feature for anyone trying to
implement a program using a command line interface (CLI).  

First of all, the modal dialog box freezes the frame
(as they usually do) and you can't scroll or look back
at the previous text interactions before entering the
response expected by the dialog box.  

Second, the text entered does not show up in the
interactions pane as the response to the prompt like it
would on a true command line interface.  

Thirdly, there is no way to terminate the execution of
Dr Java or the Java program it is running, while a
System.in dialog box is being displayed, e.g. UNIX
control-c to terminate or control-d to force an end of
file.  Even clicking on the Close X button on the Dr
Java frame does not work. (The only way out that I can
find to get out of this kind of infinite loop is to
invoke the Windows Task Manager to end the Dr Java task.)  

Lastly, it does not give the user a true command line
interface "experience" as they would get running their
program on a UNIX/Linux system.  Some of my students
who are familiar with how CLI programs are supposed to
work get worried that their program has bugs when they
see it behave this way on Dr Java.

The System.in modal dialog box "feature" was added some
time last summer as I can remember using Dr Java prior
to that time and System.in entry was done in the
Interactions Pane.  It behaved just like a command line
interface would be expected to behave in a Dr Java
version before last August stable version.

Please consider changing this feature back OR, if you
have other people who like it this way, please make it
a configurable option so that people who don't like it
can disable it.

Thank you.
Bob Wilson
Lecturer, UMASS-Boston Computer Science Dept.
bo...@cs...

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