RE: [wxperl-users] A few things + questions ..

[Marco T. <so...@so...>]

<snip>
>Since I would like to change completly from Tk to wxPerl, I would like to
>know, how stable it is in the moment.
<snip>

hello
my opinion is that wxPerl and wxWindows are at a usuable state of stability.
both have still some bugs and you have to do workarounds from time to time but
that's not that often.

here stuff that i found while programming an more or less complex application
(a MUA: http://coding.soapy.ch (download currently broken, will work again
tonight at about 20.00):

oh, before i begin: i use wxPerl 0.10 (wxWin 2.2.9) and
the things i described here are tested on win98 and redhat 7.2

i can't use the 0.11 built because of a bug (already reportet to mattia) wich i
can't do a workaround for in my application and i can't expect users of the
application to change the wxPerl lib themselve. and i don't know if the problems
described below are already fixed in 0.11 or if they are wxwindows bugs)

####################

Wx::ComboBox:

- GetCount broken on Linux, but works on Windows
- GetString "broken" on Win, but works on Linux
  not totally broken, the problem is that if you do GetString on a not existing
  index it should return nothing. on Win it returns first garbage and if you do
  it again it always returns "!"

so, this two things mean to me that if i wish to know all the content of a
ComboBox, i have to get it this way:

if($Wx::_platform == $Wx::_msw)
{
	for($i=0; $i<$this->{attachments}->GetCount; $i++)
	{
		print $this->{attachments}->GetString($i) . "\n";
	}
} elsif($Wx::_platform == $Wx::_gtk)
{
	while($string = $this->{attachments}->GetString($i++))
	{
		print $string . "\n";
	}
}

####################

Wx::Choice

"Number" and "GetString" broken on Windows, don't know about linux.
(the same problem with GetString like at ComboBox)

####################

Wx::ListBox

"Number" broken on Windows, don't know about linux

####################

Wx::MessageDialog

something wrong with linux. mattia already gave a workaround:
@Wx::GenericMessageDialog::ISA = 'Wx::MessageDialog';

####################

Wx::TreeCtrl in a Wx::Dialog:

problems with renaming on windows (there are much mails in the archive about
this). It's a wxWindows bug and not fixed till today.
someone programmed at the problem but it was never fixed properly
(my workaround: removed the feature of my application that needs this)

####################

Wx::ListCtrl

Windows:
If you insert a bold Item at the top the list, the headerlabel change to bold
too. wxWindows bug. works on linux.
"Fixed" in newer wxWindows version than  2.2.9. no more bold headerlabels
but instead of this problem there's a new: the bold item's arent handled
properly if you remove or insert another one above the bold one.
(a reason why i can only use wxPerl builts compiled against 2.2.9 and no newer)

####################

Wx::TreeCtrl

SetItemBold broken on Linux, not on Windows.
my workaround: change the background color instead of set it bold
-> generates another problem (this time with windows). the item's on whicht the
background color was changed once have an ugly yellow fontcolor if i select them
later

####################

think i found more but i reported them already to the list and forgot it now.

like i said, both (wxPerl and wxWindows) both still have bugs.
but for most of them there are workarounds.

so, if you wish to program your editor, you should expect to stumble over such
problems like i described because not every little thing in wxPerl/wxWindows is
tested on every platform (well, the users of the library are here for something
too, right?)

hope my little experience report/review helps you to decide if you'll use wxPerl
or not. I suggest you to do it, it's worth it after my opinion.
and i made the experience that mattia is always very nice and obliging if you
need a special built for some reasons.

greeting
Marco