Editing class method sources in single place

cdrick cdrick65 at gmail.com
Sat Feb 2 15:05:16 UTC 2008


> To me the source of usability problems in browsers is that there is
> two modes of work: editing and browsing.
> One problem is that when you are in "edit mode", you can't browse
> code: you have to save the code first, or open a new browser window.

open a new browser is ok to me...

> And when you are in "browsing mode" and start to follow senders,
> implementors, references you end with a lot of browsers opened but
> just a few a relevant.

That's a problem.
One thing I tweaked a year ago, was the closeAll command and the
browser, so as to have a command in the window menu to close all non
important window. All browser where code is edited and all browser
checked as relevant wouldn't close.
This was useful but I lost what I did (was too much hack).

>
> And for beginners, I think that big annoyance in Squeak are not
> multiple browsers, but hotkeys,  input focus, and undo.
> For example the FillInTheBlankMorph lost the focus when you point the
> mouse pointer to another place, this is an unexpected behavior.
>
+1
It took me long to learn hot keys and how to navigate in the code...
cmd+... (b, n, m, N) are the most I use in that order to browse
sometimes cmd+... (W, E) to find selector or text from partial word

of course cmd+... (d, p,s) for executing,  (i and I) to inspect and
(c, x v) copy/paste
cmd+l is useful to cancel a change when double edit ans the code
window surronded in red

So it's a LOT to know !

While I'm here, let me say that I'd like an enhanced browse fonctions
so as to use wildcard as in the search browser (like if you type
WA*Test in the search browser or in the upper OBbreowser field).

Input focus is a pain to me... I often lost focus because the mouse
moved, moreover, you always have to have a hand on the mouse.
----------------

**Last point**, I find one proble is that menu are too much populated
! I always use the open menu and that's nearly it. Sometimes the
window menu, sometimes, the change...and saving too... I never use
right click world menu... I hate hitting the "more..." menu

It's even more difficult to feel at ease in the menus than with hotkeys:
left click open a menu, right click too, shift right too, shift left
too, ctrl right and left too... there all differents and also depend
on the object you clicked on (World, Text, PlugableList...). After
several year of squeak practice, I'm still lost in menus ... :)
Could't we come up with a better menu strategy ?

Cheers
Cédrick


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