[Pythoncard-users] Multiple component Resource editor now in CVS

[Alex T. <al...@tw...>]

The version of the resourceEditor which handles multiple-component 
operations (and has the single large window to display all properties at 
the same time), has now been updated and committed to CVS.  It's inside 
the regular tools/resourceEditor directory, called 
multiresourceEditor.py  (all source files needed by it are prefixed with 
"multi").

Significant changes (from v 0.3a back in May)
0. It's in CVS - easier to try out.
1. No longer needs a modified version of widget.py - much easier to try out.
2. Has better, slightly simpler, auto-naming scheme
3. Includes Select-All and multiple component delete.
4. Layout should be marginally better on Mac / Unix.

Feedback sought on everything, but particularly
 - layout on Mac / Unix: screenshots welcome
 - naming scheme - is it easy or hard to understand ?  to use ?

Thanks - brief document describing new features included below.

Multiple Component Resource Editor
( was previously Experimental Resource Editor v 0.3a )

This has now been committed to CVS, and can be obtained from there by
anyone who is familiar with getting code from CVS. (Go to
http://www.pythoncard.org and select CVS from the left menu for info
on how to do this)

The main changes include are listed below (as a consolidated list,
rather than by version as was done before).  The biggest change from
0.3 to 0.4 is a revision in the auto-naming rules for components;
please see below for details of how the new scheme works.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 0.3 and 0.3a required you to update
Pythoncard/widget.py This is no longer necessary; the
multiresourceEditor runs without any changes in the PythonCard
framework. If you have previously installed 0.3 or 0.3a, please be
sure to revert to the standard version of widget.py


Property editor window display.

The propertyEditor Window has been extensively changed. Previously it
was a small window, showing a list of components and a list of
attributes applicable to the currently selected component. The
currently selected attribute was displayed (and editable) below this.

The new version uses a much larger window, again showing a list of
components. For the currently selected component, ALL attributes are
shown, in a large area to the right. Any of the attributes can be
edited directly, and the change will take effect as soon as the focus
leaves the field being edited (the Update button is still also
available).

Component naming when created - automatic naming rules

When a component is newly created, its name is automatically generated;

 - if a new component being added, the name is formed by taking the
   component type name, and appending an integer - the smallest number
   which provides a new unique name. Thus: Button1, Button2, Button3,
   ...

- if a component is being created by either a copy/paste, or
  Edit/Duplicate command, then name is based on the existing
  component, with an integer appended (again, smallest number to
  produce a new name is used). Thus: if Button1 is being Duplicated,
  the new component will be Button11, or Button12, or Button13....

If the component has a label or text attribute, this will be
automatically generated; it will be the same as the name.

By default the name and label (or text) are tied together, and will
remain that way. If the name is edited, the label (text)will change to
be the same as the name. If the label (text) is edited, the name will
change to match it if that is a valid name; if it is not, the label
will be mangled by changing all " " (spaces) to "_" (underline), and
removing any other non alphanumeric character.

If you wish them to NOT be tied together, you must check the "Vary"
box to the left of the name field, and then edit either (or both).

If the name and label (text) of a component are already non-matching,
then the "Vary" box will be checked for you, and you can edit either
one independently of the other.

You can un-check the Vary box. If the name and label (text) currently
match, then the box will be unchecked and the two properties tied
together; if they do not currently match, you will be presented with a
dialog to allow either changing the label (text) to match the name, or
to cancel the un-check attempt.

Multiple components.

You can select multiple components and perform various operations on
them. Clicking on a component selects it (just as before). Ctrl-click
will add a component to the selected set, or remove it if it is
already in there.  The property window can be watched to let you know
if you are in "single-component mode" or "multiple-component mode".

If you select a number of components, and then deselect all but one of
them, you remain in multi-component mode. (NB this feels better to me
- but is certainly a candidate for later change if we think we
should.) This does save a "flash" back into single mode display, when
de-selecting and re-selecting most of a group.

If there is NO component selected, and you select the first one by
Ctrl-Click, then you enter multi-component mode immediately. The
specific reason I did this no longer applies - but I'd got used to it
by then. Again, this does save a certain amount of "flashing" between
the two modes (and their display).

Note that when in multiple-component mode, the component box in the
property window is for display only - you cannot click in that box to
(de)select components.

It shows only those components which are in the
selected set. This is mostly because Pythoncard doesn't have a
multi-choice list box, but also partly because using a multi-choice list
would make it harder to see at a glance which are selected.

Once a set of components have been selected, you can mouse-down
(i.e. press and hold, no ctrl-key) WITHIN one of the selected
components; this will bring up the enclosing rectangle for the whole
set, and you can then move them around. 

They can also be moved using the arrow keys; however, this has always
been a bit flaky - sometimes the key events get captured by something
else, and used for field-traversal-tabbing. It may be a bit more flaky
with the new display panel - see "nudge commands" below for other
options.

Note that Copy, Cut and Paste *do* work for multiple components.
Delete (Ctrl-D) now works in multiple-component mode - thanks to
Roberto Rosario for the original patch for this. Note I modified it to
bring it up to date for latest CVS - so any errors are mine, not his.


Multiple component selection using rectangular "marquee"

You can select multiple components by enclosing them within a
rectangular "marquee". The basic form involves pressing the mouse
button down NOT within any component, and while holding the button
down, dragging the mouse out to surround some components. These
components will become a new multiple-component selection, replacing
any previous selection.

You can modify this by using modifier keys while doing the rectangle
selection.

1. No modifier - define a new selection

2. shift-rectangle : add enclosed components to existing selection
   (any enclosed components already selected remain selected)

3. ctrl-rectangle : toggle the status of enclosed components (i.e. if
   already selected, remove it, if not already selected, add it)

4. shift-ctrl-rectangle : subtract from existing selection

Multiple component selection of all components.

The menu selection (Edit / Select all), or its equivalent shortcut of
Ctrl-A, select all components. Again thanks to Roberto Rosario.

Buttons for layer changes.

A component can be moved Back/Forward using the main menu Options /
Send to Back, etc., or the shortcut keys Ctrl-1, Ctrl-2, etc.
However, these keys don't work when focus is in the property
window. Buttons have been added (below the component list box) to
allow re-layering of a component.

As well as the 4 buttons corresponding to the existing commands, there
are two additional ones which only take effect when there are multiple
components selected.  First, a description of what it means to
re-layer multiple components.

All the selected components are put, in the order they were selected,
together in the final order list. The base component (first one
selected) is then moved back or forward according to the given
command, with all other selected components following it.

In some cases, you will want to collect the selected components
together in the component ordering, but without changing the base
component's place in the order. The first new button "gather together"
does this.

The second new button takes a set of components and re-layers them
according to their position, in approximate "reading" order; top-left
to bottom right, in rows. Just like "Gather together", this re-ordered
set of components finish up adjacent in the layer ordering, following
the place in order of the base component.

Beware that the reading order works well if the components are
non-overlapping, but can be hard to predict when there are multiple
overlapping components selected (e.g. if you were to edit the resource
editor's own resource file, where the "single-mode" and
"multiple-mode" controls occupy the same area, and simply select all
of them, you will get a different result from what you expect or
want. This is a result of the comparison function used to sort into
"reading order" - if one component is entirely below another, the
order is clear; otherwise they are assumed to be on the same row, and
sorted according to X coord.

NB There is a definite lack of visual feedback from these
commands. I'm trying to find a good way to give this feedback - any
suggestions gratefully received.

 These command will probably go on the menu eventually.


Arrow keys & Buttons to 'nudge' components.

The arrow keys can be used to reposition a component, as
before. However, they now have the added feature that

 - Ctrl-arrow will move in that direction by the currently specified
    grid step, and align to the grid even if the "Align to grid"
    option is not enabled.

 - Shift-arrow will move by the grid step distance, but without
   rounding to the grid

 - Shift-Ctrl-arrow will move by the square of the grid size (and
   round to the basic grid). Good accelerator for big moves - beware
   you can jump right off the window if you're not careful.

As mentioned above, occasionally (or perhaps often), one or more of
the placed components gets in the way of key events ['buttons start
tabbing, calendar starts moving the selected date, etc.]. Therefore
there are now button on the property window to move the selected
component or components. these are in the box labelled "NUDGE" at the
bottom-left.

Clicking on each arrow button here moves the component in the obvious
direction. The number inside these buttons controls how far the
components are moved; 1 moves by 1 pixel, 2 by a grid-step, 4 by the
square of a grid-step. (3 is the same as 2 for now). These moves
always honour the Align to Grid setting.  [NB - this may change -
either to be simply pixel distance, or a drop-down choice for the 1 vs
grid vs grid*grid to allow all the choices available by the arrow
keys.]

Various operations are enabled when in multi-component mode. Remember
that the *order* the components were selected (visible by order they
are listed in the component box) is significant for many of these.

Align operations.

The box labelled "ALIGN" contains six buttons, which align the
components up with the first selected on. They can be aligned by left
side, right side, top, bottom (four buttons grouped to the left). Or
the centres of the components can be aligned, either vertically or
horizontally (i.e. into a column or into a row).


Distribute operations.

The box labelled "DISTRIBUTE" has four buttons; two on the left for
distributing horizontally and two on the right for vertical
distribution.

The top button on each side distributes the components "edge-to-edge";
i.e. the first component does not move, the second one is placed to
the left (or below) such that the edges line up, then the third, etc.

The lower button distributes them with even-sized gaps from
"first-to-last"; i.e. the first and last components do not move, the
others are distributed between them such that the gaps between the
edges are equal sized (or as close as possible). Note that if the
components add up to larger than the total distance between first and
last, then they will overlap (i.e. the 'gap' can be negative), but it
will still be evenly shared between them.

Equalize operations.

The box labelled "EQUALIZE" has three buttons, which set the width
(the height, or both) of all other components selected to match the
first component.




-- 
Alex Tweedly       http://www.tweedly.net



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