streamlining creation of gtInspector extensions
Just a passing thought (that I'm sorry I don't have time to explore myself right now) ... I wonder if GT devs might experiment with streamlining discover-ability of existing and creation of new extensions by being able to right-click the tabs to get a menu.... * Show Definition - which opens a browser on the right code * Create Custom Extension - which opens a dialog to create a new package "MyGTExtensions" and/or select an existing package, specify an identifier and choose a template that is created and Browser opened. The might help facilitate creating the extensions while in the "flow" of developing. At the moment I need to break context to go searching for gtInspectorXX: examples to use as a template, take time understanding each to choose which is applicable (repetitively each time I want to create an extension since they don't "stick" in my head). At times I feel a tension between taking the time to create an extension and staying in the "flow" and I think such a facility would reduce this friction. cheers -ben
Ben Coman wrote
* Show Definition - which opens a browser on the right code * Create Custom Extension - which opens a dialog to create a new package "MyGTExtensions" and/or select an existing package, specify an identifier and choose a template that is created and Browser opened.
Great ideas! This brings the behavioral possibilities much closer to the live objects themselves... ----- Cheers, Sean -- View this message in context: http://forum.world.st/streamlining-creation-of-gtInspector-extensions-tp4913... Sent from the Pharo Smalltalk Developers mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
On Sun, Sep 04, 2016 at 11:10:26AM -0700, Sean P. DeNigris wrote:
Ben Coman wrote
Do you really want to add extra hidden (because nobody would click on a tab, because nowhere else in the system it's like that) buttons just to save two seconds?
* Show Definition - which opens a browser on the right code
* click on the pen near top right corner, select extensions package, select method * select the meta tab, select a class, select extensions package, select method Do you really need a special hidden button to maybe save two seconds on a five second action that you rarely perform?
* Create Custom Extension - which opens a dialog to create a new package "MyGTExtensions" and/or select an existing package, specify an identifier and choose a template that is created and Browser opened.
Why not just open a browser and add a method? You can protocolize the method with two clicks or a shortcut, and it's already part of the system. Unless you plan on writing two hundred extensions, you are really not going to save anything, because you spend most of the time actually implementing it and not bootstrapping it. (At least that's my experience after writing 20 or 30 extensions). Another tip that I tend to use: * open spotter, type #gtInsp, press ctrl + m (to select implementors), enable live preview (if you haven't already), look around for inspiration (just to be clear... I am not strictly against adding it, but it feels like it add another hidden feature (that's undiscoverable) for very little benefit) Peter
Peter Uhnak wrote
Do you really want to... just to save two seconds?
Of course not! Peter Uhnak wrote
that's my experience after writing 20 or 30 extensions
And there's the source of the misunderstanding. Notice the key word in the original request was /discoverability/ i.e. for specifically for new people who /haven't/ written 20 or 30 extensions, or even 1! You did suggest in your answer that you don't think it's very discoverable because it's still hidden, but it seems more discoverable than the current knowledge repositories - brains of experts, blog posts, and the help system - because it's much closer to hand. Maybe we should put a link to the help system there instead... ----- Cheers, Sean -- View this message in context: http://forum.world.st/streamlining-creation-of-gtInspector-extensions-tp4913... Sent from the Pharo Smalltalk Developers mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
On Sun, Sep 04, 2016 at 12:30:29PM -0700, Sean P. DeNigris wrote:
Peter Uhnak wrote
Do you really want to... just to save two seconds?
Of course not!
Peter Uhnak wrote
that's my experience after writing 20 or 30 extensions
And there's the source of the misunderstanding. Notice the key word in the original request was /discoverability/ i.e. for specifically for new people who /haven't/ written 20 or 30 extensions, or even 1!
Well you learn it like a lot of other stuff in Pharo⦠by looking at code examples, which in this case means the implementation itself. And from that perspective it's imho very neat, that you can already very quickly find what you know, as long as you are comfortable using Pharo. In any case, Andrei was doing some experiments during ESUG on people (me included) on writing inspector extensions, so he is looking into it. Peter
Peter Uhnak wrote
Well you learn it like a lot of other stuff in Pharo⦠by looking at code examples, which in this case means the implementation itself.
Agreed. The problem here and in other tools (as opposed to scripts) is how you get from the UI to the implementation. You're still assuming that the first-time extension writer knows how to get to the implementation, which seems unlikely to me. ----- Cheers, Sean -- View this message in context: http://forum.world.st/streamlining-creation-of-gtInspector-extensions-tp4913... Sent from the Pharo Smalltalk Developers mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
On Mon, Sep 5, 2016 at 3:24 AM, Peter Uhnak <i.uhnak@gmail.com> wrote:
On Sun, Sep 04, 2016 at 11:10:26AM -0700, Sean P. DeNigris wrote:
Ben Coman wrote
Do you really want to add extra hidden (because nobody would click on a tab, because nowhere else in the system it's like that)
Its not hidden because its similar to lot of other systems that newcomers use [1][2][3].
buttons just to save two seconds?
* Show Definition - which opens a browser on the right code
* click on the pen near top right corner, select extensions package, select method
"Which extensions package, which method do I select? I've only been using Pharo a week. I'm not used to this extreme integration of IDE and my application code. You mean I can actually modify the UI code right now?"
* select the meta tab, select a class, select extensions package, select method
Do you really need a special hidden button to maybe save two seconds on a five second action that you rarely perform?
Its exactly the rare actions that benefit the most from better discoverability (see below). Its not about saving a few seconds.
* Create Custom Extension - which opens a dialog to create a new package "MyGTExtensions" and/or select an existing package, specify an identifier and choose a template that is created and Browser opened.
Why not just open a browser and add a method? You can protocolize the method with two clicks or a shortcut, and it's already part of the system.
"How do I determine the right class to add the method? I've only been using Pharo a week and I'm not used to extending core classes. What is a protocol and what is an extension?"
Unless you plan on writing two hundred extensions, you are really not going to save anything, because you spend most of the time actually implementing it and not bootstrapping it. (At least that's my experience after writing 20 or 30 extensions).
The advantage is not for someone writing 20 or 200 extensions. Its for the person creating their very *first* extension.
Another tip that I tend to use: * open spotter, type #gtInsp, press ctrl + m (to select implementors), enable live preview (if you haven't already), look around for inspiration
Considering a newcomer's discoverability of: * a common paradigm such as a tab context menu [1] [2] [3] + a dialog * guessing a random string like #gtInsp to search on + having the idea to create a personal MyGTExtensions package to hold the extension + knowing how to derive the name of the *MyGTExtensions protocol I feel the former will work better.
(just to be clear... I am not strictly against adding it, but it feels like it add another hidden feature (that's undiscoverable) for very little benefit)
Maybe the <Pen> button could be a menu with * Browse definition of selected tab * Create a new tab The icon could be the three horizontal line "menu" icon rather than a "pen". [1] http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12986625/eclipse-plugin-development-addin... [2] http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/internet/firefox/quick-tip-duplicate-current-... [3] http://techdows.com/2012/02/reload-all-tabs-in-chrome-from-context-menu-or-w... cheers-ben
participants (3)
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Ben Coman -
Peter Uhnak -
Sean P. DeNigris