Flatter than I hoped forightningFlash>

[Ken Norris]

on 1/22/04 9:54 PM, use-revolution-request at lists.runrev.com at
use-revolution-request at lists.runrev.com wrote:

> Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 23:47:10 -0600
> From: "Ken Ray" <kray at sonsothunder.com>
> Subject: RE: Flatter than I hoped forightningFlash>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> Doug,
> 
>> This is "ok", but I was hoping to be able to do this more
>> modularly - keeping all of a particular stack's handlers
>> within a substack. But as soon as I needed a depth of more
>> than 2 (a substack of a substack) this became unfeasible.
> 
> AFAIK you can't have a substack of a substack, so I don't know what you
> mean...
----------
Right. This is very curious. Substacks are really just windows. You cannot
have "sub" windows inside windows.
----------
>> I think better support for a more flexible stack hierarchy
>> would be useful in future Rev enhancements. Especially for
>> groups of people working together on a single project, or for
>> creating plugin features to an existing app.
> 
> How do you think the hierarchy should be changed? Just curious...
----------
I think I see the problem. I'm really a modular kinda guy myself, and I know
others here are as well, but I have much to learn. Still...

1) Make the main stack a Splash or Error dialog (as Richard suggests), let
it just be the basic "housing" for the engine, startup handlers, and
initializiing data. Don't put anything else in there.

2) Now you might want to build a generic UI substack you can use during
development to help coordinate other substacks.

3) Let your develpment groups develop and test stacks in the IDE,
remembering that the stack(s) they are working on will all become substacks
in the end product.

In theory, all these stacks they make will be come substacks. I.e., if you
put them in the same folder (or proper filepath) as the Main stack (the
engine-house...remember?), they should all run independently.

Now, in your UI substack, build a link setup that coordinates the other
stacks the ways you want, and you're 'in like Flynn'.

The trick may be in manipulating and coordinating groups within these
windows (substacks). There is a great deal of power available in proper
management of groups (and nested groups)...so much that I find it quite
mind-boggling what you can do with them. This is where your depth
considerations should lie.

Just my $0.01.5 worth.

Ken N.