Suggestion for correcting the IDE's script editor

[Dennis Brown]

Jacqueline,

I have not seen the script editor mess up the formatting with this  
simple example, but it does mess up horribly in some situations.  I  
actually have to rewrite my scripts differently because it gets  
confused at times.

The main problem is when you have a situation like this:

if a then
     if b then get c else get d
else
     doSomethingElse
end if

It generates:

if a then
     if b then get c else get d
     else
     doSomethingElse
     end if

I am forced to rewrite my scripts to:

if a then
     if b then
         get c
     else
         get d
     end if
else
     doSomethingElse
end if

The Constellation editor gets it right.

Dennis

On Jun 28, 2005, at 4:53 PM, J. Landman Gay wrote:

> On 6/28/05 3:27 PM, Bob Warren wrote:
>
>
>> I think
>> that what is involved here is the old story that those who have  
>> used Rev for
>> a long time have unconsciously learned to avoid its potholes. Less
>> experienced users suffer more. Why shouldn't I be able to do an  
>> "if-then" as
>> I described above? I didn't have any trouble at all doing it in  
>> the very
>> editor I am using to write this e-mail! You say, "...but a quick  
>> touch of
>> the 'tab' key should autoformat the code you're working on". I  
>> agree that it
>> should, but the fact is that it often doesn't, or at least not  
>> correctly.
>>
>
> I suppose I'm one of those old hands who takes things for granted,  
> but I don't know any xtalk editor that formats scripts differently  
> than Rev, and actually, Rev does more auto-formatting than the others.
>
> I am very used to unaligned scripts until I hit the tab key; that's  
> been the standard in all xtalks for almost 20 years. Of course, I  
> know that doesn't help newcomers who aren't used to it and I am not  
> brushing off your comments, nor am I saying the current behavior is  
> ideal; if Runtime can improve the editor to accomodate more users,  
> of course they should. On the other hand, if RR were to change the  
> current behavior very much I'd be lost. I have permanent muscle  
> memory for the way it acts now.
>
> I did just want to say, though, that I have never seen a problem  
> once the tab key is hit. In the if/then example you gave, typing  
> the tab key formatted the structure correctly (I just tried it.) My  
> standard (ingrained) behavior is to do this:
>
> Type: if myvar = 99 then
> Type: two carriage returns
> Type: end if
> Type: up arrow (to get to the blank line
> Type: tab
>
> All formatted. Then I enter the middle section of the handler.
>
> I have been looking at Constellation and I find it quite  
> remarkable. I think it is a good alternative for those who want a  
> change from the standard Rev editor. At least we have options. ;)
>
> -- 
> Jacqueline Landman Gay         |     jacque at hyperactivesw.com
> HyperActive Software           |     http://www.hyperactivesw.com
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