Re: Scripting update

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On Saturday 20 July 2002 11:16 am, Anders Lund wrote:
> Hi all,
[...]
> Still TODO
> * add dcop interfaces for (some) remaining KTextEditor interfaces
Are these in the feature plan so I can commit them?

> * add interfaces/dcop interfaces enough to make scripting merely worth it
I think you have the cart before the horse, I think we need to make more 
script engines and get better documentation for what we have.  I dont think 
we will reall have a clue of what users want until they try it.

> * release KDE 4, so that we can get to clean up those;)
Ummm... thats 2 years...

> * add dcop interfaces for (some) Kate interfaces
I think we really need stuff for things like file new, open file, close file, 
just basic document management

>
> examples of missing stuff:
>   - there is no way to get to know where a selection starts/ends
The selection and block selection interfaces dont provide this?
I have dcop interfaces for BlockSelection, but I have not commited them since 
they are not in the feature plan.

>   - we should provide acces to editStart()/editEnd() for easy un/redoing
yes this is needed

>
> Some notes:
> Since scripting Kate this way often will mean digging out the relevant of
> *many* interfaces, it is not very easy or logic at this point. Maybe using
> DCOPRef can enhance things a bit. The worst part is KTextEditor
> ***Extension classes, adding badly to the confusion. If we put viewcursor
> and selection interfaces in the views, and keeps them in the documents for
> backwards compability, things gets even more blurry.
Remember "Machines look at this interface NOT humans".  If we document the 
interface its acutally quite easy to use.  Note anyone who has worked with 
COM, AppleScript or any scripting enbviroment knows how ugly it is under the 
hood.  Our implementation is actually quite clean.

>
> And where for "normal" purposes, you can use kdcop to copy the
> interface/method names and signatures, for kate with it's MDI that does not
> work directly, because you need to know the # of the document you wish to
> work with.

Again see the above point.  There is no way currently to record and play back 
actions. (Although this is possible in the future).  We can only simplify the 
interface enough to make it useless, so lets work with what we have.   I 
think we like to get confused when we use tools like kdcop or dcop in 
general.  Remember dcop is just an API... you adhere to the rules and its 
very easy to write.

Cheers
- -ian reinhart geiser
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