The Aborted Plunge (Metacard to Revolution)

[Shari]

My update is finished and ready to be turned into a standalone.  I 
have ALWAYS used Metacard for this.  But my version of Metacard 
didn't have Macintel options, so I downloaded v.2.8.1 and decided to 
try something different:  creating the standalone in Revolution 
rather than Metacard.  Call it the hassle factor avoidance, of 
turning 2.8.1 Rev into 2.8.1 Metacard.  I figured this was the 
perfect time to really dig into Revolution, as I knew there were 
things it had that the Metacard GUI was lacking, that I wanted. 
So....

First thing I notice is... I must open the stack to create the 
standalone.  Eeeech.  The last thing I do before turning into a 
standalone is run a series of resettings then quit.  Revolution 
requires the stack to be open, which resets all the settings.  Okay, 
I can get around this.  Not a critical issue.

The next thing I notice is that I can't get around this, because 
Revolution doesn't like that I have embedded Ask/Answer stacks 
already, as well as File Selector and the whole shebang of embedded 
stacks for a standalone.  They have just always resided in the stack. 
But it won't let me run any code that uses them.  It doesn't even 
offer the option.  It growls out error after error.  Okay, so I'll 
take them out and reinstall them on Standalone Build, right?

But the application stack doesn't stay open on launch.  It's just a 
Hello window, and launches an embedded stack.  So I'm in the embedded 
stack, is Rev going to install any standalone needs into it rather 
than the mainstack?  I dunno.  I don't want to find out by 
experimenting.

I try finding a comprehensive tutorial on creating standalones in 
Revolution, nothing.  I tried every search option available except 
Google.  Nothing.  Far as I can tell, the help docs don't offer up 
anything, and the search functions miss the wonderful tutorial I know 
that Jacqueline wrote.  I could find it without Rev's help, I've got 
it bookmarked I'm sure, but (snotty attitude) hey, part of what I 
wanted from Rev was to be able to find answers for me from within the 
app.  This was supposed to be a feature.  As Seven would say:  It 
failed.

I quit out of the stack to ponder this further.  I get a ton of 
errors, because I have stacks embedded that it doesn't like.

I've been creating standalones for years, this shouldn't be hard!

I was pretty gung ho on giving the Revolution GUI a real chance.  I 
was excited.  I'd be gaining things.  I was actually considering a 
complete move from the Metacard GUI to the Rev GUI...  But...... 
Metacard is looking happier and happier.............

I'm not ready to give up, changes mean bumps, so I have an epiphany. 
Launch it, remove the stacks, and surely it will let me put them back 
in during the app build...... I can't find anywhere in the stack 
preferences window to allow me to custom install chosen stacks.  I 
never got to the actual standalone window.  But I figure this will 
sort itself out somehow.  Right now, the goal is to just be able to 
launch the stack without triggering errors, and set the standalone 
building preferences.

But this fails.  Revolution did something to the stack on the first 
launch, so now that stack won't even launch.  It is broken.

I go back to an earlier save.  Launch, remove embedded stacks, quit. 
But this doesn't appease Revolution.  It doesn't like my stack.  It 
breaks it.   Once I launch it, it will launch the first time, but no 
matter what changes I make inside of it, once I quit, I cannot 
relaunch it.  It attempts a launch then quits.

The earlier save yet again...... I try to find the script it is 
triggering (and shouldn't be) thru the nifty Search All Embedded 
Stacks, but the script isn't found.  The script in question 
automatically quits if the main stack isn't loaded.  The main stack 
should absolutely be loaded.  So Revolution changed something, and 
now the external stack doesn't recognize the main stack.  (There are 
both embedded stacks and external ones.)

Then my mouse breaks.  Or Revolution freezes.  I don't know which.  I 
replace the batteries in my mouse.  Nada.  No cursor movement.  I try 
replacing them again with non-rechargeables.  Still nada.  I'm 
getting the snotty feeling that it's a Revolution freeze.  I finally 
resort to a wired mouse and I am miserable.  It wasn't Revolution, my 
mouse batteries went poof.  (Or maybe it stomped on them, too?)

I poke around a few more times, trying to appease Revolution.  All I 
wanted to do was create a standalone from an existing, happy stack. 
But Revolution is like an ogre, stomping all over the place huffing 
and puffing, and it hates me.

Now I give up.  This is ridiculous.  This shouldn't be so hard. 
Geez, I've done this a million times.

Half the day is gone and I've accomplished nothing.  So now it's back 
to turning Revolution into Metacard, so me and my stacks can float 
happily along again.

To all of you who maintain the incredible INCREDIBLE Metacard GUI, I LOVE YOU!

Shari

-- 
Gypsy King games for
MAC and WlND0WS
http://www.gypsyware.com