At 01:58 PM 8/19/98 -0700, Mike Klein wrote:
>Doesn't the browse already hide all methods that aren't in the currently
>selected protocol.... I have used the convention of "hiding" protocols by
>prepending the string 'zz ' to the protocol, thereby pushing it to the
>bottom of the list; a hack to be sure.
>
>More to the point would be tagging methods/protocols with semantic
>information that a browser could (in a context dependant fashion) then
>decide what to show and what to hide.

The following seems to me to be the wish list in displaying method selectors
in a browser:

        - organize selectors in to categories.
        - allow a selectors to be in multiple categories.
        - allow easy display of all selectors.
        - allow hierarchical display of selectors.
        - do not restrict display of selectors.
        - allow the display of selectors so as to minimize the window
                space occupied by those selectors not needed for
                normal usage of a class.
        - allow different schemes of organization.
        - allow easy extension of method organization and selector display.
        - allow tagging methods/protocols with semantic information that a
                browser could (in a context dependant fashion) then decide
                what to show and what to hide.

If I missed an item or mis-stated one, chime in.

I think Dolphin Smalltalk has all of the above and allows one to easily
organize methods and view selectors.

I'd also like easy user configuration of the selector display.  I didn't
notice if Dolphin Smalltalk has this.

I planned to implement the above in a browser and  think it would require at
least a Category class and other supporting classes.  This will be 3,789th
on my list.  I would like an easily portable browser so that I may have
tools and facilities I'm familiar with in different dialects.  The
Refactoring Browser seems a good choice.  The ANSI stuff would ease its
porting, ergo an ANSI Refactoring Browser.  An ANSI RB would be a good place
to implement the wish list above.

I think my list of things to do will require that I will be reincarnated --
multiple times.  So many interesting projects, so few lives.

--
Richard A. Harmon          "The only good zombie is a dead zombie"
harmonra at webname.com           E. G. McCarthy