Widget properties

[Richard Gaskin]

Thank you for your reply, Monte. Comments inline:

Monte Goulding wrote:
 >> On 7 Apr 2022, at 11:25 am, Richard Gaskin wrote:
 >> Can you help me understand how it's better than "the properties",
 >> and why this superior method isn't used for engine controls?
 >
 > Because the array created by export and used by import contains
 > the state of the widget as is saved when saving the stack. The
 > content may or may not be the same as the property names exposed
 > to user scripts but a widget created with that state should be
 > the same as if it were saved in the stack and the stack re-opened.

I've never used a widget in production yet, so I can't say I have an 
opinion there.  If the uses for widgets are viewed as sufficiently 
different from engine-based controls that "the properties" so many of us 
enjoy wouldn't apply, I'm okay with that. Just looking to understand.


 >> That the company has such a narrowly specific view of the
 >> applicability of "the properties" is indeed helpful. Thank
 >> you for chiming in.
 >
 > I’m not the company.

Pardon my imprecision. I think the readers here are likely aware that 
the company is comprised of many people, and there are likely many 
different opinions on a wide range of topics, including this.  Please 
read that as "a significant member of the company".


 > Mark may spend a lot more time pondering the utility of `the
 > properties` than I do and indeed may have a different opinion.
 > Indeed my opinion was much closer to yours is now when I sent
 > in a PR for LC 6.1 all those years ago ;-)

One of the challenges with a tool as vastly capable as LiveCode is 
wrapping one's head around all the use-cases, and all the perceived 
priorities.  Various members of the company and the community have 
expressed a wide range of opinions on many things.

If "the properties" winds up being like the pointer tool requests I used 
to ask about, no worries. I stopped asking about those years ago.

Indeed, even with "the properties" I've had a few discussions on this 
with different team members going back to Dr Brett, back when LCB was in 
its earliest stages.

In my own mind having two different methods for obtaining property data 
for two classes of objects is akin to having two different words for 
"rect" or other basic features.  Where a useful implementation has been 
chosen and established so long ago, it seems worth mirroring in new 
implementations.

But TBH, since I haven't used widgets in production at all, the only 
time it comes to mind is when someone asks me about it for one of my 
tools, or in discussions like this one. This seemed a good time to see 
what the current vision is. I appreciate the clarity provided.


 >> How hard would it be for the team to map the existing means of
 >> extracting widget properties to "the properties”?
 >
 > I don’t think it would be particularly tricky to iterate the exported
 > property definitions to come up with a list of property names then
 > turn that into a key/value array. Whether it would provide the utility
 > you are looking for is a separate question.

If it does what "the properties" does it would suit my needs.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Systems
  Software Design and Development for the Desktop, Mobile, and the Web
  ____________________________________________________________________
  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com                http://www.FourthWorld.com