[wxPython-dev] 20071113 test build uploaded

[Kevin Ollivier]

Hi all,

Some quick notes from testing:

Overall:
- I think the new XRCEd and Editra additions help give the toolkit a  
considerably more modern feel. But one thing that stuck out with me is  
that they come separate from the main package and are part of Demos  
and Docs, although these are really neither. My personal experience  
has shown that most new users like one big download with everything  
they might need on it, and I can't really see people wanting to stick  
with old versions of the demo, or editing tools when they upgrade  
wxPython. I think our two packages should just be for those who want  
the whole package - incl. demos, tools, etc. - and those who just want  
the library and nothing else, personally.

- What would really rock is a 5 minute screen cast showing how to use  
Editra and XRCEd together to create a wxPython Hello World  
application. Not being familiar with XRCEd myself, I kinda felt my way  
around it but I would have felt a lot more comfortable with a step-by- 
step here's what to do sort of thing.

XRCEd:

- Really like the new XRCEd control browser. As a Mac user, though, I  
instantly tried to drag and drop controls into the treeview (and later  
the live preview)... ;-) Any way we can get that, at least the former,  
to work? (Of course, I've had my problems with DnD and treeviews in  
the past....)

- Also, the nice toolbar icons and Control browser icons causes some  
contrast with the old-style treeview icons. IMHO it'd be great if we  
could use the screenshot-like icons for those too.

- It'd also be nice if clicking on checkboxes, etc. caused immediate  
changes in the preview. It seems changes are reflected only when you  
switch tabs, but being able to make a change and see it's effect  
immediately helps people explore the various options.

- Any reason the icons couldn't be 32x32 on Mac? :-) IMHO that size  
looks better on Mac than 24x24.

- BTW, deleting the only frame in a document leads to a crash. It  
probably wasn't a smart thing to do, but IMHO it shouldn't crash. ;-)

- It might be worth looking at Editra's approach to error handling. I  
got an "Error when creating Python module" when running "Generate  
Python" but it didn't give me any details. Editra in these cases will  
put together a traceback and system info, then prompt to send a bug  
report. Just seeing the traceback would be helpful for me to know what  
is going on.

- Lastly, since you have to create some sort of frame/dialog to start  
working with XRCEd, I think it'd be nice if, when you create a new  
file, it asks you if you want to create a new dialog/frame/wizard/etc.

Editra:

- I really, really need to find some time to figure out how to get the  
function list from wxSTC so that we can have a "Go To Function"  
dropdown. ;-) This is the feature I really miss from TextWrangler.

- The Projects tab is really nice. I think it should be installed by  
default, like the FileBrowser plugin. There are some issues with it  
("compare to previous version" seems not to do anything with svn, and  
it would be nice to have a console window to send messages regarding  
status of svn update, etc.), but overall it works nicely, updating me  
when I have modified sources, etc. Of course, I'd really like a New  
Project/Open Project/Save Project option too. Most of the sources I  
work on are part of some project, and I think that's fairly common, so  
I think it should be a first-class part of the interface.

- IMHO editra should internally save and restore the state/perspective  
at time of application close. Having to reopen the Projects tab, or  
save and reload the perspective, each time manually gets to be tedius.

- Consistency issues: I think it would be nice for Editra to have (if  
not use) the wxPython Demo's code highlighting style. Also, Copy  
appears before Cut in the toolbar, but not in the right-click menu and  
not in XRCEd. It's a minor thing but since Editra and XRCEd use the  
same base icons I think having them in the same order too promotes a  
consistent look across apps. In fact, it's because of that consistency  
that this discrepancy stuck out so visibly for me.

- Python 2.5 issue with webbrowser.open_new_tab. I already reported  
this via the bug reporter (a nice tool :-), but I'm mentioning it here  
as a reminder.

I'll try to devote some more time to the demo itself a little later  
today, but I kinda got caught up playing with all the new goodies... ;-)

Thanks,

Kevin

On Nov 14, 2007, at 1:46 AM, R'bot wrote:

> Hi,
>
> A new test build of wxPython has been uploaded.
>
>   Version: 2.8.7.0.20071113
>   URL:     http://wxPython.wxcommunity.com/preview/20071113
>   Changes: http://wxPython.wxcommunity.com/preview/20071113/CHANGES.html
>
> Have fun!
> R'bot
>
>
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