1. Edita Wish list - was: Searching Docs - was: the Dollar Sign [$]
- Posted by Kenneth Rhodes <ken_rhodes30436 at yahoo.com>
Jan 15, 2006
-
Last edited Jan 16, 2006
Pete Lomax wrote:
>
> Yes, that is good. I do have a suggestion though: the links on the
> search results just jump to the top of the file (refman.htm); it would
> be even better if they jumped to the nearest <a name= tag available.
>
I agree... I may have recommended something like that to Rob Craig when
I first discovered the page... I know I thought about the same thing.
> >Its really a fantastic resource/aide that could easily be added
> >to any editor.
> Good idea, I'll think about this for Edita (and have a go at
> implementing the idea above).
>
Wonderful! :) Here are some experiences and suggestions - just food for
thought:
In my modifications to ed.ex I implemented context sensitive search in this
manner with Function Key 11 - pressing the key after entering a "word" would
initiate a search - first of the libary documentation, if the word was not found
in the library doc the reference manual was then searched. If nothing was found
in the Reference manual, then a prompt asks the user if "guru.ex" should be run
on the word. Also, once context sensitive help was invoked for a word, then a
subsequent use of the context sensitive help key for that word would
automatically launch a prompt for a guru search of the word.
I also implemented a switch to allow the user to choose between "htm" or "doc"
help formats. It was really simple stuff implement.
My dream was to implement some type of "universal context sensitive help" system
whereby once a library was included in the file being edited, efficient context
sensitive help would be automatically available.
One fairly simply way to achieve this would be to simply install/copy the
documentation for a library in Euphorias doc or htm directories and then, if
the word being searched is not part of the official RDS Euphoria word set, run a
guru-esque search on the remaining documents in the directories. If help is
found in a document with a *.htm extension a browser could be invoked to display
the relevant portion of the help document.
A more robust but complex method might be to have an "install library help"
option available via the editor. The path to a specific library's help
files would be associated with the names of the relevant include files and
stored in a resource file.
It is my opinion that Edita has become the premier Euphoria programming editor.
Ironically, I don't use it because I run only Linux. The bottom line is that I
believe Edita has the clout to establish a defacto standard as far as context
sensitive help and documentation is concerned. Are you interested?
Lastly, I have asked Matt Lewis to consider porting Edita to WxEuphoria. I would
certainly love to see Edita on WxEuphoria because I think it would be very good
for the Euphoria community in general to have a full featured, cross platform,
GUI Editor written in Euphoria. Matt has expressed some interest, but is
concerned about Edita's license. Would you be willing to work with Matt on an
Edita port to WxEuphoria?
My deepest thanks to Pete Lomax for Edita and Matt Lewis for WxEuphoria :)
Ken Rhodes
100% MicroSoft Free
SuSE Linux 10.0
No AddWare, SpyWare, or Viruses!
Life is Good :)
2. Re: Edita Wish list - was: Searching Docs - was: the Dollar Sign [$]
On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 16:03:27 -0800, Kenneth Rhodes wrote:
>My dream was to implement some type of "universal context sensitive help"
>system whereby once a library was included in the file being edited,
>efficient context sensitive help would be automatically available.
That is exactly what Edita does. When you start Edita, there is a
little man in a red triangle, working away. When the triangle turns
grey (which it does quicker next time you load), it knows all about
the includes and all the globals defined in them. It goes red again
for a while, each time you save the file. Let me know if there
is something I have completely missed on this part.
>It is my opinion that Edita has become the premier Euphoria programming editor.
>
>Ironically, I don't use it because I run only Linux. The bottom line is that
>I believe Edita has the clout to establish a defacto standard as far as context
>
>sensitive help and documentation is concerned. Are you interested?
>
>Lastly, I have asked Matt Lewis to consider porting Edita to WxEuphoria.
>I would certainly love to see Edita on WxEuphoria because I think it would
>be very good for the Euphoria community in general to have a full featured,
>cross platform, GUI Editor written in Euphoria.
>Matt has expressed some interest, but is concerned about Edita's license.
>Would you be willing to work with Matt on an Edita port to WxEuphoria?
Yes, there is a slight problem in that Edita should be shipped with a
couple of optional/"original" components (Report Generator and Window
Painter). I would be happy to work with you if you agree to help me on
the optional parts (working under NDA) and the bulk of the rest, open
source, is your responsibility.
On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 05:26:41 +0000, Lynn Kilroy wrote:
>We see a Run menu in the top of the program editor window.
In Edita it is Tools/Run (F5)
>we select the Help {Yes! Help!} menu in QBasic.Exe.
There is a Help menu in Edita, and F1 context help.
It may not be as pretty as QBasic.Hlp, though, see below.
>but, get this, it also PARSED your programs!
Edita does too, though it only looks for globals.
>, and parsing means you don't end up with a
>screen cluttered with all kinds of code from dozens of other subroutines on
>your computer screen.
?Any chance of a screen shot showing exactly what you mean here?
(Never used QBasic)
On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 09:02:22 -0800, don cole wrote:
>This could be easly done if Pete would put the Euphoria Reference in the
>Edita help Menu.
>I'm not tal;king about the HTML (which is good and should stay there)
>but the help file with Contents,Index,and Find tabs.
>It listed in Mike's Editor Help Menu as Euphoria Refference.
<I thought you might have meant that one.>
The ELR.hlp file shipped with that is now nearly seven years old!
If only has the second half of refman in it, and misses out things
such as chdir, crash_file, crash_routine, define_c_var, flush,
(un)lock_file, pretty_print, sleep, and probably a few more...
Unable as I am to find or build a new one, I think I have to flatly
refuse. I am also unaware how one might invoke a help file, with a
specific topic. Now if someone wants to ship me an updated file with
the source mods to Edita, or better yet a how-to...
Regards,
Pete
3. Re: Edita Wish list - was: Searching Docs - was: the Dollar Sign [$]
Pete Lomax wrote:
<snip
>
> On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 09:02:22 -0800, don cole wrote:
>
> >This could be easly done if Pete would put the Euphoria Reference in the
> >Edita help Menu.
> >I'm not tal;king about the HTML (which is good and should stay there)
> >but the help file with Contents,Index,and Find tabs.
> >It listed in Mike's Editor Help Menu as Euphoria Refference.
> <I thought you might have meant that one.>
> The ELR.hlp file shipped with that is now nearly seven years old!
> If only has the second half of refman in it, and misses out things
> such as chdir, crash_file, crash_routine, define_c_var, flush,
> (un)lock_file, pretty_print, sleep, and probably a few more...
> Unable as I am to find or build a new one, I think I have to flatly
> refuse. I am also unaware how one might invoke a help file, with a
> specific topic. Now if someone wants to ship me an updated file with
> the source mods to Edita, or better yet a how-to...
>
> Regards,
> Pete
>
>
The file F1Jockey
http://www.rapideuphoria.com/cgi-bin/asearch.exu?dos=on&win=on&lnx=on&gen=on&keywords=f1
Has all the things you mentioned except pretty_print.
What I prefer is the help format with the find feature to the HTML format.
It would just open up a small little window on top of the full screen Edita
for quick refference.
I suppose it wouldn't be very hard for me to add another menuitem to the Edita
help menu and have it point to that file.
Don Cole
A Bug is an un-documented feature.
A Feature is a documented Bug.
4. Re: Edita Wish list - was: Searching Docs - was: the Dollar Sign [$]
- Posted by Kenneth Rhodes <ken_rhodes30436 at yahoo.com>
Jan 18, 2006
-
Last edited Jan 19, 2006
Pete Lomax wrote:
>
> On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 16:03:27 -0800, Kenneth Rhodes wrote:
>
> >My dream was to implement some type of "universal context sensitive help"
> >system whereby once a library was included in the file being edited,
> >efficient context sensitive help would be automatically available.
>
That is exactly what Edita does. When you start Edita, there is a
> little man in a red triangle, working away. When the triangle turns
> grey (which it does quicker next time you load), it knows all about
> the includes and all the globals defined in them. It goes red again
> for a while, each time you save the file. Let me know if there
> is something I have completely missed on this part.
>
It depends upon how Edita shares all it knows about the includes/globals
with the user... if the sole fruit of that knowledge is to change the color of a
global once it is used in the editor, then we probably aren't understanding each
other. I gather that Edita is able to provide color syntax help on the fly - and
I think that is a fantastic feature. :)
This is more pertinent to my focus:
> The ELR.hlp file shipped with that is now nearly seven years old!
> If only has the second half of refman in it, and misses out things
> such as chdir, crash_file, crash_routine, define_c_var, flush,
> (un)lock_file, pretty_print, sleep, and probably a few more...
> Unable as I am to find or build a new one, I think I have to flatly
> refuse.
>I am also unaware how one might invoke a help file, with a
> specific topic...
If Edita keeps track of the current "word", and I assume that it must,
then all you have to do is search the relevant document for that word
and then display that portion of the document. For the Official Euphoria
"words" - for text help all you have to do is open library.doc and position your
cursor on the appropriate article by use of your "find" routine. We are talking
about several lines of simple code here. Example: Once the word
"length" is entered it is recognised by the editor as indicated by a change of
color - pressing a designated key opens the file "library.doc" then searches for
"< length".
For hypertext help see Juergen's Hypertext Help file link below:
> Now if someone wants to ship me an updated file with
> the source mods to Edita, or better yet a how-to...
>
>
Juergen's Hypertex help file effectively provides a "how to" as far as the
official RDS Documentation. Here's a paste of his post to the forum:
>Pete, it might be useful for you then to look at my contribution
>"Euphoria HyperText Help", in order to get a table of many keywords
>and their related hyperlink targets in the official Euphoria
>documentation.
>Regards,
> Juergen
And this is a download link to Juergen's Hypertext help program. Its
cross platform! :) It should be easy to plug in or incorporate/modify
the code directly into Edita, if such functionality is not already available in
the editor.
http://www.rapideuphoria.com/euhthelp.zip
Bottom Line - Elaborate context sensitive help, in either text of hypertext
format, can easily be implemented in any text editor - at least for the official
RDS Euphoria language.
But the real trick is to provide that type of elaborate contest sensitive
help for any third party library included in the file being edited.
Ken Rhodes
100% MicroSoft Free
SuSE Linux 10.0
No AddWare, SpyWare, or Viruses!
Life is Good :)
