[Pharo-project] The roadmap aka fight plan to make image control host window
First, we need to make one thing: Change the VM to not call ioProcessEvents function directly, but rather use a variable which will hold a function pointer. Initially, when VM starts, that function pointer is NULL, and so, "process events" is NOP. Then we need to implement a module which will manage host windows, and once image tells it to create a window, it can change the function pointer to ioProcessEvents to own function. This change, would allow us to temporary disable any external event processing (like in case of callbacks). Second, we should move all event-related stuff to new plugin (for instance, all definitions in sq.h like sqInputEvent , ioSetInputSemaphore() ioGetNextEvent() etc). For all UI-related stuff the image should communicate with a new plugin, while VM should get rid of all knowledge of any existence of UI events, like input semaphores, primitives for fetching them etc. Third, of course, all screen update/refresh primitives should be deprecated, and image should use new primitives to update the contents of host window(s). -- Best regards, Igor Stasenko.
would be a nice task for the consortium engineer :) Stef On Sep 22, 2012, at 8:22 PM, Igor Stasenko wrote:
First, we need to make one thing:
Change the VM to not call ioProcessEvents function directly, but rather use a variable which will hold a function pointer. Initially, when VM starts, that function pointer is NULL, and so, "process events" is NOP.
Then we need to implement a module which will manage host windows, and once image tells it to create a window, it can change the function pointer to ioProcessEvents to own function.
This change, would allow us to temporary disable any external event processing (like in case of callbacks).
Second, we should move all event-related stuff to new plugin (for instance, all definitions in sq.h like sqInputEvent , ioSetInputSemaphore() ioGetNextEvent() etc).
For all UI-related stuff the image should communicate with a new plugin, while VM should get rid of all knowledge of any existence of UI events, like input semaphores, primitives for fetching them etc.
Third, of course, all screen update/refresh primitives should be deprecated, and image should use new primitives to update the contents of host window(s).
-- Best regards, Igor Stasenko.
On Sat, Sep 22, 2012 at 11:22 AM, Igor Stasenko <siguctua@gmail.com> wrote:
First, we need to make one thing:
Change the VM to not call ioProcessEvents function directly, but rather use a variable which will hold a function pointer. Initially, when VM starts, that function pointer is NULL, and so, "process events" is NOP.
Please don't reinvent the wheel. The Cog source has a variable inIOProcessEvents that controls this. If negative it disables inIOProcessEvents. If non-negative it prevents reentrancy, essential if one is receiving events from the OS. There's a primitive, primitiveEventProcessingControl, to flip it between the enabled and disabled states. This code has been used for years in the Newspeak system which has a full native GUI on Windows. Going your own way creates an unnecessary fork.
Then we need to implement a module which will manage host windows, and once image tells it to create a window, it can change the function pointer to ioProcessEvents to own function.
This change, would allow us to temporary disable any external event processing (like in case of callbacks).
Second, we should move all event-related stuff to new plugin (for instance, all definitions in sq.h like sqInputEvent , ioSetInputSemaphore() ioGetNextEvent() etc).
For all UI-related stuff the image should communicate with a new plugin, while VM should get rid of all knowledge of any existence of UI events, like input semaphores, primitives for fetching them etc.
Third, of course, all screen update/refresh primitives should be deprecated, and image should use new primitives to update the contents of host window(s).
-- Best regards, Igor Stasenko.
-- best, Eliot
On 25 September 2012 19:35, Eliot Miranda <eliot.miranda@gmail.com> wrote:
On Sat, Sep 22, 2012 at 11:22 AM, Igor Stasenko <siguctua@gmail.com> wrote:
First, we need to make one thing:
Change the VM to not call ioProcessEvents function directly, but rather use a variable which will hold a function pointer. Initially, when VM starts, that function pointer is NULL, and so, "process events" is NOP.
Please don't reinvent the wheel. The Cog source has a variable inIOProcessEvents that controls this. If negative it disables inIOProcessEvents. If non-negative it prevents reentrancy, essential if one is receiving events from the OS. There's a primitive, primitiveEventProcessingControl, to flip it between the enabled and disabled states.
Yes i seen that. But apparently, i don't want to just disable it by putting NULL, but also i want to replace it (or wrap it) with own io handler (see NativeBoost ;). For that, i need the function pointer.
This code has been used for years in the Newspeak system which has a full native GUI on Windows.
Does that means that implementation is completely on language side? If so, then why you need the rotten window management code in VM? Lately, i seen Mars running native GUI (browser window) using Cocoa on macs and GTK on linux. (but you still have VM window hanging around, and you cannot get rid of it).
Going your own way creates an unnecessary fork.
I would love to not reinvent it, but the user input handling is one of the weakest spots in current VM implementaion. I don't like many things there: - VM is in control whether to create window or not - VM in control what attributes window has - VM in control how to translate OS (native) events to "squeak-compatible" events, often losing important bits and making everything crawl like hell - VM in control when to update/refresh a window - VM decides whether it run headless or not - VM decides when to handle input events list can be continued.. Personally, i don't like that image assuming that VM has to provide a single "default" window for it. It is image, which should manage that (if it wants to), but not VM. -- Best regards, Igor Stasenko.
participants (3)
-
Eliot Miranda -
Igor Stasenko -
Stéphane Ducasse