RE: [Rails-devel] Screen messages

[Erik V. <eri...@hc...>]

> > 1. A new, low line near the top of the OR Window, in which 
> one-line messages
> > are displayed
> > about what the player can do at each moment in the game. 
> Currently, this
> > message line
> > disappears between token laying and train buying; I don't 
> understand why,
> > but that will no doubt be sorted out in due time.
> 
> 
> Looks like it doesn't disappear completely, it just gets resized very
> very small.

Yes, and I think it's because (against my intentions) an empty
message is displayed. I will sort it out.
 
> I suspect we may need a more formal layout for the ORWindow than
> BoxLayout.  As painful as GridBag is to deal with, it provides the
> most control.

So far BoxLayout looks OK to me.
But, if needed, I'm not afraid of GridBagLayout (as used in the other
windows). 

> > 4. The tile and token laying steps are now explicitly 
> defined (in HexMap),
> > and the messages are directly related to these steps. The 
> code is somewhat
> > reorganised around these steps.
> >
> 
> I saw this...  I'm not sure I completely agree with the 
> implementation details.
> 
> I think it may be time to move toward using AbstractActions rather
> than static integers to interact with the state of the model.

Huh? The integers *are* (better: represent) the state 
(not of the model but of the UI, see below).
Actions are fine and we already have some. I'm not sure how more
actions would help us, but I'm open to suggestions. 

Actions and states are different things, I trust I don't need to elaborate
on that.

What I have done is making the UI-specific states in tile laying more
explicit
for the immediate purpose of displaying the right prompt.
These states are UI-specific because these are not represented in the Model.
(All actions in tile laying are provisional until the "Lay Tile"
button is pressed; only then the Model is informed.
In a future on-line gaming version that would mean, that a player
can toy around with the tiles until the decision is made final.
Only then will the server and the other players be informed.
Does that sound right?)

I know that you have approached token laying differently
(the Model is informed about all actions). I still believe we should change 
this approach at some point in time, and so I've nevertheless
included the (two) token laying substeps in the UI state 'machine'.

Erik.