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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.programmer
- Path: sparky!uunet!psinntp!afs!greg
- From: greg@afs.com (Gregory H. Anderson)
- Subject: Summary of FAQ organization suggestions
- Message-ID: <1992Jul30.153454.1512@afs.com>
- Keywords: FAQ
- Sender: greg@afs.com
- Reply-To: greg@afs.com
- Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 15:34:54 GMT
- Lines: 170
-
- Again, thanks to everyone for your overwhelmingly positive response to
- Anderson Financial Systems' offer to maintain the c.s.n.programmer FAQ.
- Here are some preliminary ideas about how to organize this information.
-
- There should be separate FAQs for the following broad topics:
-
- 1. Programming tools and utilities (including IB, PB, gcc, etc.)
-
- 2. The main appkit - standard classes we know and love
-
- 3. DBKit - This is going to be confusing, buggy, and HotHotHot
-
- 4. Other kits (SoundKit, IndexingKit, PhoneKit, etc.) - over time,
- this may get broken down further as individual sections grow
-
- 5. PostScript and Renderman
-
- 6. Application development issues - integrating this pile of Lego
- into interesting, functional programs. IMHO, this is the least well
- documented topic in the standard sources, and the one from which we can
- all benefit the most.
-
- Ideas for each FAQ are presented in the following sections. Our overriding
- goal is to provide useful, integrated information that does not overlap
- commonly available sources, such as NeXT's published documentation.
-
- -------------------------------
- Programming tools and utilities
- -------------------------------
- Separate sections for IB, ProjectBuilder, HelpBuilder, compiler, gdb,
- other programs in /NextDeveloper/Apps. Known bugs, common pitfalls.
-
- Objective-C - common questions, NeXT vs StepStone implementation, issues
- relating to the runtime system
-
- Palettes - how to build them, implementing the right read/write/awake/init
- methods, common pitfalls, debugging, 2.x vs 3.0.
-
- Makefile maintenance
-
- Localization issues
-
- -----------
- Main appkit
- -----------
- The main appkit FAQ looks like the most complicated. The hardest part is
- how to make it useful without restating a lot of information that is
- already available in the NeXT docs. We propose to subdivide the main
- appkit FAQ by object class, with the following possible topics in each
- subsection:
-
- 1. Typical uses, alternatives, tricks
- 2. Common pitfalls and shortcomings
- 3. Known bugs
- 4. New or fixed in 3.0
- 4. A short inline example, or location in /NextDeveloper/Examples
- 6. Available ObjectWare - published or PD subclasses
-
- To keep the size of this FAQ under control, only objects for which FAQs
- are required, and within each object listing only subtopics which have
- significant commentary, will be included.
-
- Here's an example, with notes in []:
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Button (Control : View : Responder : Object)
-
- Typical uses, alternatives, tricks:
- Uses: Push buttons, for signaling user actions; checkboxes, for
- reflecting the current state of yes/no and on/off choices.
- Alternatives: Radio buttons or pop-up buttons should be used for
- other multiple-state choices, even two-state choices which are not clearly
- yes/no or on/off.
- Tricks: Unbordered Buttons can be used in place of static
- TextField labels to trigger 'hidden UI' actions on mouse clicks. For
- example, clicking on the label (which is actually a Button) next to an
- editable TextField might bring up a find panel specific to that field.
- [other cool stuff]
-
- Common pitfalls and shortcomings:
- Checkboxes do not have a keyboard equivalent to toggle the state
- and cannot be Tabbed into (and out of) from TextFields.
- [Other common gotchas that show up on the Net all the time. For
- PopUpList, talk about how IB is a little braindead in the way it handles
- popups. Then the Example subtopic would show some code of how to
- circumvent.]
-
- Known bugs:
- None
- [These would be from NeXTanswers or user reports on the Net]
- [In reality, if there were no known bugs 8^), this subtopic would
- be omitted to save space]
-
- New or fixed in 3.0:
- Nothing, but see ButtonCell for a fix about icon placement.
- [This would be a quick synopsis of new or replaced methods]
-
- Example:
- /NextDeveloper/Examples/BusyBox
- [Actual cut-and-paste code might appear here for common problems,
- or if there are no /NextDeveloper/Examples]
-
- Available ObjectWare:
- AfsButton (Anderson Financial Systems), adds nextText and
- previousText instance variables so that push buttons and checkboxes can be
- included in the text editing loop; when first responder, listens for
- spacebar as the equivalent of a mouse click.
- Afs3DButton (AFS), remembers the coordinates of the last mouse
- click to pass as 3D viewpoint
- NiftyButton (NightShade Software), draw in freeform shapes
- [Other published or PD objects which derive from this class -
- sorry this one reads like a commercial]
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- -----------
- DatabaseKit
- -----------
- Similar to the main appkit approach.
- Sections about adaptors - writing and using
- DBModeler
-
- ----------
- Other kits
- ----------
- Similar to the main appkit approach.
-
- ------------------------
- PostScript and Renderman
- ------------------------
- For specific operators, as needed:
- Known bugs
- Performance hints
- Common pitfalls
-
- -----------------------
- Application Development
- -----------------------
- Designing stable, modular apps and object kits
- User interface issues (forms-based apps, for example)
- Subclassing decisions
- Delegates/controllers vs subclasses
- Dynamic class loading
- Resources - books, articles, tutorials
- API issues/clearinghouse - This is a particular favorite for me.
- I'd like for all active NeXT developers to have a clearinghouse for
- inter-app functionality, with a forum for the best ways to
- inter-communicate. Remember, apps are just complex objects!
-
-
- Whew! Tired of reading yet? An unresolved question is whether to keep this
- in plain ASCII text, or RTF for nicer displays in DigitalLibrarian. I only
- want to maintain this in one format, so the answer is important. I
- personally vote for RTF unless enough people would feel disenfranchised.
-
- I'm going to pull c.s.n.programmer off the archives and start sifting
- through the common threads. If you have anything to contribute that has
- not been on the Net, I'd love to include it. All contributions will be
- credited in place.
-
- As usual, your comments are eagerly anticipated. In particular, I'd like
- to know if there is general agreement about the six FAQ subdivisions and
- the list of subtopics within each one.
-
- greg@afs.com
-
-
- --
- Gregory H. Anderson | "We're very tolerant around here,
- Benevolent Dictator-for-Life | being only amateurs ourselves."
- Anderson Financial Systems | - Tortoise (Godel, Escher, Bach)
- greg@afs.com (Nextmail OK) |
-