Re: Successfully merged projects

[Richard Crozier]

John Swensen wrote:
> 
> On Apr 11, 2011, at 12:52 PM, Richard Crozier wrote:
> 
>> 
>> John W. Eaton wrote:
>>> 
>>> On 11-Apr-2011, Richard Crozier wrote:
>>> 
>>> | Just to throw in a few cents worth, I have been working on QtOctave of
>>> late,
>>> | and the svn sources now contain an editor with the following features:
>>> | 
>>> | 1. step-through debugging capabilities (i.e. opens m files as the
>>> dubugger
>>> | steps into them). Debug stepping is achievable using the F-keys as in
>>> the
>>> | matlab editor.
>>> | 
>>> | 2. the ability to add break points by clicking on the side bar,
>>> resizeable
>>> | text
>>> | 
>>> | 3. the ability to highlight text and send it to octave as a command by
>>> | pressing F9.
>>> | 
>>> | 4. proper syntax highlighting which matches the matlab editor, or is
>>> | modifiable
>>> | 
>>> | 6. Decent auto-indentation for code which matches opening code
>>> structure
>>> | indentation, i.e. properly matches 'end' with opening 'if' indentation
>>> etc.
>>> | 
>>> | 5. the ability to resize the text via keyboard shortcuts or a button.
>>> | 
>>> | Plus a number of other improvements, such as inserting spaces rather
>>> than
>>> | tabs etc. and the addition of the open-source cross-platform
>>> Inconsolata
>>> | font.
>>> | 
>>> | 
>>> | The command window also adds the ability to highlight text, press F9,
>>> and
>>> | have it sent as a command to octave. 
>>> | 
>>> | All of the communication with octave is handled by a single class
>>> | octave_connection.cpp, perhaps there is some scope to merge these
>>> projects
>>> | by replacing the octave_connection class with the superior method used
>>> in
>>> | the projects under discussion? Or alternatively using the QtOctave
>>> editor
>>> | classes in these projects? 
>>> | 
>>> | Several of the features I've described above are what I consider the
>>> key
>>> | features of the matlab GUI for algorithm development.
>>> 
>>> I have to say that I find the whole idea of each application providing
>>> its own editor to be rather silly.  Why do people keep reinventing these
>>> things?
>>> 
>>> jwe
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Well, without these features, I wouldn't bother with a GUI at all, what
>> do
>> you need a GUI for that you can't just use the existing terminal to do?
>> I'm
>> not interested in displaying variables and things, there are perfectly
>> good
>> commands, 'who' and 'whos' to achieve this. 
>> 
>> The advantage of the matlab gui is that you can step through your file,
>> realise there is an error, change something earlier in the script, or
>> manually change a variable value, highlight a block of code in the file
>> and
>> reevaluate, the continue without having to start from scratch, or save
>> all
>> the variables to a file, or some other method.
>> 
>> I think you would struggle to implement this in an external editor, but
>> perhaps that's due to my lack of knowledge of what's out there. Is there
>> one
>> with which I could do this?
>> 
>> Richard
>> 
> 
> I guess I disagree with you a little bit also.  I find that having a
> variables view is very beneficial to me.  I also find a history view
> useful.  I think this points to the fact that everyones' preferences are
> different about what an IDE should contain and that by making it modular
> (e.g. the dockable panels that Jacob and I are proposing in Quint), each
> individual user can use the portions they find are helpful to their
> particular workflow.
> 
> John Swensen
> 

Of course, everyone has their own idea of what should be included! I
certainly wouldn't say there should not be a variable list, I use it too in
the matlab editor. It's just not my favourite thing about the GUI. I would
like all the features, and more, of the matlab editor.

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