[Publex-developers] Code Overhauling

[Johnathan A. <cyp...@ya...>]

After evaluating several options, I believe I've found
a viable solution to serveral problems.

Problem #1: Microsoft XML (.NET) does not support
processing instructions that begin with <?xml...>
Solution: Find an alternative XML parser/validator

Problem #2: The editor (XML/SGML/HTML) should support
syntax highlighting and code folding for markup nodes.
Solution: Use a freely available text editor that
supports these features.

Problem #3: In order to keep the source code to a
minimum, as much as is possible of the above elements
needs to be streamlined to be native to this project.
Solution: See next paragraph.

To solve these problems, the project has turned to
using the SharpDevelop TextEditor control.  This
control has built-in support for code-folding as well
as XML highlighting.  The XML-based highlighting and
folding will also lend support to highlighting and
folding for SGML and HTML as well, since it's
theoretically possible to implement either of these
languages within XML (with a few minor adjustments
such as requiring closing </p> for HTML and requiring
the ending ?> for PIs in SGML).  This leaves only a
single problem to be solved.

XML parsing is not an easy task, but it appears that
our friends at ICSharpCode have taken this task and
produced a rather thorough way of tackling this
problem.  By supporting generic language tools by
which to implement any parsible language within
SharpDevelop, they have also created a means by which
XML (or any structured language) can be highlighted
and/or code-folded within their TextEditor control.

The solution applies to this project by taking the
actions outlined within this post and re-implementing
a tailored version of their code that fits in nicely
with PubleX.

Before any code may be implemented from the
SharpDevelop project, a new directory structure will
need to be created within PubleX so that navigating
the file tree will be as painless as possible.  This
will require some major "house cleaning" in order for
this to work.  So I am asking that all developers stop
any CVS editing until this can be done.  The main file
(EditorWindow.cs) that exists now will continue to
exist within the UI folder, so any edits to this
folder will be permissible, however structural changes
to the dependancies may very well change (and break
existing code until it can be repaired).

With this in mind, it would be in the best interest of
the project that no edits be made until after this
house cleaning has taken place.  I will be working
through this week to see that this happens so that the
ICSharpCode modules can be tailored to fit our
project.  I am only awaiting a reply from the
ICSharpCode team before I take on this task.  Until
then, we will still be taking any suggestions and
minor modifications to the UI itself.  The XML UI
modules may also be implemented, provided that the
parsing is left as generic as possible so as to make
use of our own customized parser after the ICSharpCode
modules have been put in place.

Sorry for the interruption, but I think that this is
the best time to do this, since as of the time of this
writing there are only two developers on this project.
:)

~~Jason



 
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