Widget Properties

[Monte Goulding]

> On 11 Oct 2015, at 10:10 pm, Mark Waddingham <mark at livecode.com> wrote:
> 
> Basically, we needed sideline information which wasn't suitable for inclusion in the actual module format, and thus it seemed sensible to put the other information the IDE would need in the manifest too rather than it having to both interrogate an XML file *and* introspect on the loaded module).

Ah, forgot about stuff like property editors being in there.
> 
> At some point the metadata expressed in widget lcb files might well get put into the compiled module blob - but it seemed more expedient whilst developing the ideas to keep it separate as it is easier to change the XML format that is emitted and read than it is the compiled module blob format.

Fair enough

> The export to array stuff is the best (future) basis for things such as lcVCS. Indeed eventually, if it was rolled out across all engine objects, the stackfile format would become arrayEncode(stackExportedToArray("my stack")) - although that would require a much more efficient arrayEncode format (something which has been at the back of my mind for ages - but nothing I've had time to put into action).

Wouldn’t it also bloat the file format considerably with array keys? I guess the advantages will probably outweigh the disadvantages though. You would never need to worry about file format changes again unless you had to change the arrayEncode format.