Program Testing and Persistent Properties

[Ken Ray]

On 8/8/04 12:44 AM, "Bob Warren" <warren at howsoft.com> wrote:

> Ray:

(uh, it's "Ken"... "Ray" is my last name - no harm done...)

> There was an implicit "hack" in the penultimate image of my article.
> 
> When the option is selected:
> 1. On selecting the Browse Tool (Run scripts and interact), save the
> stack to the HD temporarily.
> 2. On selecting the Pointer Tool (edit), substitute the modified stack with
> the temp stack.
> 
> Things are easy to say, but more difficult to do. Do you think that
> something along these lines would be viable?

Not to throw water on your suggestion, but no, I don't think it would be
viable (at least not as a permanent change to Rev), and here's the reason...
the substituting of a stack with another stack would be disconcerting (to
say the least) to experienced Rev developers. The reason is that they (and
I) are too used to just being able to switch to browse tool to try something
out. We are *empowered* by the single mode, rather than hampered.

Now this is not to say that one couldn't create a plugin that might do as
you suggest to help aid VB, etc. programmers into understanding Rev, but I
think IMHO that it would be more of a crutch than help. I mean if someone
knowledgeable with Rev sat down with you for a couple of hours or so at the
beginning of your explorations of Rev, and explained the paradigm shift and
how to take advantage of it, you probably would have a better overall
understanding and you would continue to learn to use Rev the way Rev was
intended to be used.

I place the responsibility at the beginning of the excursion - meaning there
isn't a good "Getting Started" guide that one is either directed to or is
provided in printed form along with the software to help in this transition.

But that's just my 2 cents,


Ken Ray
Sons of Thunder Software
Web site: http://www.sonsothunder.com/
Email: kray at sonsothunder.com