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Re: issue-#173 adding new modifiers in Controllers

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 2:20 pm
by Josef Templ
Robert wrote:I think we are definitely getting closer!

The idea of a virtual modifier has now gone. Maybe (see below) we need to bring it back!

We talk about "BlackBox .. platform independent modifiers ... doubleClick, extend, modify, popup & pick". See Docu/Controllers.
Ok, but this is in a Developer manual. I think this is rather pointless unless we also use this idea in the Tutorial and User manuals.
The idea, and the link to PSI table, should be in a Tutorial or User manual. (And calling this idea a virtual modifier is not a bad idea.)

For example see the Menu Configuration section of the System User Manual. It talks about <ctrl> & <shift> keys without any reference to the platform independent ideas, or mentioning that this is Windows specific documentation. Again the Form User Manual talks about the "alt" key without referring to the platform independent idea "pick".

Assuming that the ideas "BlackBox platform independent modifiers: doubleClick, extend, modify, popup & pick" are also introduced somewhere in the User manuals I have a couple of detailed comments:

1 - In Controllers under pick say "means that a mouse button has been pressed in a way which is intended for drag-and-pick (usually by using the middle mouse button if a three button mouse is available, or by using the Alt key)."

2 - In PSI: "Modifier sets are used in Controllers.TrackMsg, Controllers.EditMsg, and Ports.Frame.Input. The BlackBox platform independant modifier elements doubleClick, extend, modify, popup, and pick are defined in module Controllers. Additional Windows platform-specific modifier elements are defined in module HostPorts.
The correspondence between these elements is shown in the table below. If the HostPort element is included it implies that the corresponding Controllers element will be included."

Personally, for completeness, I would add the doubleClick line.
docu updated as proposed. see diffs at https://redmine.blackboxframework.org/p ... 4df0a75007.

doubleClick line added to P_S_I table
small modification: "... Controllers element will be included."
changed to
"... Controllers element will also be included."

Further small regularizations in Controllers docu for modifiers.


> Assuming that the ideas "BlackBox platform independent modifiers: doubleClick, extend, modify, popup & pick" are also introduced somewhere in the User manuals I have a couple of detailed comments:

The modifiers abstraction in Controllers and HostPorts is only for developers.
The text user manual is Windows specific anyway and without that abstraction layer.
It would be hard to read for an average user if we explain the user interaction in
abstract terms that need to be mapped to Windows, I think.
In other words, I don't see a need for such substantial changes here.

- Josef

Re: issue-#173 adding new modifiers in Controllers

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 4:13 pm
by Robert
Josef Templ wrote:The modifiers abstraction in Controllers and HostPorts is only for developers.
The text user manual is Windows specific anyway and without that abstraction layer.
It would be hard to read for an average user if we explain the user interaction in
abstract terms that need to be mapped to Windows, I think.
In other words, I don't see a need for such substantial changes here.
I can accept this policy (which I had not previously understood, which partly explains why I felt the existing documentation was very inconsistent).

In my private user documentation I originally tried to use the Extend / Modify terminology, but found it so unhelpful to Windows users that I switched to using the Shift / Control / Alt terminology, but felt a bit guilty about it. Now I no longer have to feel guilty!

Re: issue-#173 adding new modifiers in Controllers

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 8:34 am
by Robert
I think this issue is now ready for an end-to-end diff and a vote.

Re: issue-#173 adding new modifiers in Controllers

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 8:44 am
by Josef Templ
Agree. Here is the end-to-end-diff

https://redmine.blackboxframework.org/p ... 77f9e8c151.

- Josef

P.S. Also issue-#155 (Cleanups in the sources of HostDialog) is ready for voting, I think.