rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony) (03/20/91)
In article <mdixon.669334415@thelonius> mdixon@parc.xerox.com (Mike Dixon) writes: > > If someone has the time, it should be possible to write an app > that does this. Fist open the nth file, then pump a number of > events to the app that will open up the document (NXJournaler) > such that the document is printed.... > >you might want to try 'open -p' before you go to all this effort... sure, but that does not solve all the problems. (e.g. you can't give a printer as a parameter, or a fax number or a file that should be used to save the ps output in etc.) A nice, uniform macro language, like LISP, that takes over what the shell scripts did for CLI-level problems is missing. I say LISP since that proved useful for many nontrivial things: AutoLisp, elisp etc. A regular script language like Bill Gates Basic-as-embedded-language, does not cut it. Things like recursive operations would be a pain to formulate in such an environment. While we're at it: all the graphics is nice for dummy-users, as is marcro recording of user events. But what keyboard equivalents are to mouse actions, are macro languages to journalling. And would be an Interface Builder that optionally spits out code instead of .nib files. Has anyone ever tried to carefully document a program that uses the Interface Builder? I'd like if I could print out source for what I did there. At least I could follow what was done. e.g. how does a student turn in a .nib file for a programing assignment? Shall the TA test every connection by clicking on them? As good and as practical as .nib files are, there is a need to have some textual equivalent to them. Ronald ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." G.B. Shaw | rca@cs.brown.edu or antony@browncog.bitnet
smb@data.com (Steven M. Boker) (03/21/91)
In article <69158@brunix.UUCP> rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony) writes: [many good comments deleted] >As good and as practical as .nib files are, there is a need to have >some textual equivalent to them. I agree completely here. Documentation of my IB work is a manual task at this point. It shouldn't be. I think Ronald has pointed to one of the few weak spots in the IB development process. Those at NeXT who are reading this should take note. Implementing Ronalds idea would be a boon to the more-than-casual developer. Steve -- #====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====# # Steve Boker # En Vino Kaos # # smb@data.com # En Kaos Veritas # #====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#
rselph@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Russell Selph) (03/25/91)
I've currently got a program called Nibble that parses through a 2.0 nib file and produces human readable output. I needs some work to whip it into shape, but I'll try and post it on one of the archive sites by Tuesday, March 26. I didn't ask for any help from NeXT on their nib file format, as I didn't think I'd get any. As a result, Nibble may have a few hiccups on odd looking nibs. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Russell Selph cg108fbl@icogsci1.ucsd.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------