missing field in aplication browser

[Richard Gaskin]

Peter Haworth wrote:

> Grouping and ungrouping objects by selecting them on a card works
> great in simple situations but when you have multiple levels of nested
> groups or hidden fields or even hidden groups (as recommended for tab
> controls for example), it can be a nightmare to add or delete an
> object.  I'm wondering if I'm missing something and perhaps there's
> another way to add an object to a field without ungrouping  and
> regrouping?

This is where a good object browser is worth its weight in gold (well, 
more so actually, since software has no weight <g>).

The App Browser isn't bad, but I find it a bit cumbersome.  Geoff 
Canyon's RevNavigator plugin is included in the Rev installation (see 
Development-Plugins->RevNavigator) and is a more nimble companion.

It's modeled somewhat on the MC IDE's Control Browser, far simpler and 
faster than Rev's.  Geoff's makes better use of space than MC's, and 
includes some handy options MC's doesn't have like changing the layer 
order of objects.

I've written four object browsers over the years, and only recently 
started in on one I like. :)  It's one of those things that seems 
deceptively simple, but there's a bit to it to be able to get around 
efficiently, esp. in layouts with lots of nested groups.

When you're used to direct manipulation it's easy to overlook the value 
of an object browser, seeming as they do rather like building a ship in 
a bottle, where you can "touch" it only with tweezers.

But a good object browser can make it easier to work with objects than 
even by direct manipulation.  I think you'll find Geoff's delightful to 
work with.

One thing about Geoff's though, which is a point in favor of Rev's App 
Browser: RevNavigator was written before groups had their own 
selectGroupedControls property, which is not only a useful way to shield 
the developer from accidentally altering a custom object like a 
DataGrid, but can also be used by an object browser to avoid having to 
list controls that you probably don't want to be mucking with anyway.

A typical DataGrid can add hundreds of controls to your card, bringing 
an object browser to a crawl as it updates. But when written to exclude 
such things, an object browser can be quite nimble even with multiple 
DataGrids and other custom controls.

As soon as mine gets debugged I'll roll it out with a new set of 
devolution tools.  In the meantime, Rev's or Geoff's may help you get 
through the day well.


> Mention of the new property for groups also reminds me to ask if there
> is a single place where all the changes that have been made in a Rev
> release are documented?  I haven't managed to find anything like that
> for 4.0 and seems like that's kinda basic doc for a new release.

See the Engine Change Log and IDE Change Log files included with each 
Rev installation.

--
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World
  Rev training and consulting: http://www.fourthworld.com
  Webzine for Rev developers: http://www.revjournal.com
  revJournal blog: http://revjournal.com/blog.irv