[net.micro.amiga] Intuition Hacker and Gadget "Diddler"

crunch@well.UUCP (05/29/86)

  Hi everyone in "Net land",  I have just cooked up this nifty "hack" 
that is saving me a lot of time crunching out those boring Intuition
structure initializations like listed below.  

struct Gadget fun_stuff = {
  NextGadget, 262, 27, 101, 14,
  NULL,
 TOGGLESELECT,
  BOOLGADGET,
  NULL, NULL,
  NULL,
  0x0, 0x0,
  0x0, 0, 0x0,
};

   "Cut and Paste" is a "Must" for your editors,   But I have gone one 
step further,   I let the Amiga do all the dirty work.    When the program
comes up,  an empty window appears.   I then pull down the "Select Gadget
type" menu and choose from BOOLGADGET,  PROPGADGET,  or whatever.

   I can "toggel" the flags from the menu,  and "Play" with the gadget.
If I don't like the way it behaves,  I can change it's type,  flags,
and other important ingredents.    Then,   if you liked what it does,
it then gives you a chance to "name" each if the gadget "Parts",  then
prints C source code.   The above structure is an example of it's output.
NEVER typed by me.

   Unfortunately,   Intuition don't like
getting played this way,  things often get "munged up" so I am trying
to find out what causes it then "De-select" the menus, so those "Dangerous"
acts don't occur.    Now if Jim Mackraz will answer a call from me and
enlighten my poor hacked out mind,    I could get the job done much faster.
It really "tests out" the guts of untuition.   I don't know how "Bullet
proof" Intuition is,   But I'm beta testing 1.2,   and by playing with
gadgets this way,   I can very easily "damage" the system.    Even after
the system is "Damaged" I can examine the structures by "kprintf'ing"
through the "Serial" port even after the system has been pretty badly
damaged.   Yet, the menus work well enough to "Activate" the dump.

   There is a lot that one person could do with a program like this.   I am
open for discussion on what nifty features should be included.   Here are 
a few that I'm planning,   If you feel I've left something out,   Please 
let me know.

  -- Save and Get a gadget "list" from disk.   Gadgets are saved directly
     on disk.

  -- Create C source code of the structure initializations which can be
     "Compiled" into your program.

  -- (Future) Creation of "Resource" files, similar in format to the
     Macintosh" which makes Mac to Amiga ports easier.

  -- Entry of "Intuitext" directly to the screen.

  -- Creation of "Borders" and "Images" for rendering BOTH selected and
     de-selected images or borders.

  -- Ability to create and "draw" proportional gadgets and rendering
     custom images,   then "testing" the gadget almost immediatly.

   This is about what I have planned to do.   I don't know exactly how
long it will take for me to complete everything in the above list,   but
I should get "Most" done by the end of this week.  I have to still think
about the "Resource" idea,  and already have the C source part working.
It was crudly done,  but rather effective.

   I have not yet decided what to do when It is finished.   I will probably
set up a Programmers Network "Project",  and sign up people to hack on it.
But after I heard of the layoffs happening at Amiga,   My opinion is
somewhat changing and am wondering if the last 8 months of "starving"
instead of writing DBase III templates for IBM (Ugggghhhhhh!!!!),  Was
it worth it??   I feel somewhat "Betrayed",  and yet those Amiga folks
in Los Gatos were really GREAT!!!,  it's just the brain damaged mamagement
at Commodore.

   If any one out here in "Net land" want to hack on something like this,
Just mail me at the Net address on the Bottom.   I just got on Compuserve
(At least the Amiga SIG),  and a special area is set up to hold "Private"
on-line meetings.    PLEASE Don't mail me to Compuserve,  Use UUCP or
leave me message in SIG.    Most project activity will be on our home
system (The WELL).   Design specs and meeting summary COULD be posted here,
but I think the sites might object??   If anyone wants to be put on a 
"Mailing list" to recieve notice about "Project" start-ups,   just mail
me.   The "projects" are of a non-commercial nature,  as they are designed
primarily to make Programmers work easier.

John Draper (crunch) - Programmers Network.
WELL: crunch
UUCP: ...ihnp4!ptsfa!well!crunch
BIX: crunch
DELPHI: CRUNCH
CIS: 73557, 1176     <whew!!,  one would think I'm a "Networker" >