Re: Subwidgets

Slaven Rezic wrote:

>ConfigSpecs has already Subwidget support. You can write something
>like
>
>    $w->ConfigSpecs(
>        -background => [ {-background => 'subwidget1',
>                          -foreground => 'subwidget2' },
>                          undef, undef, 'blue'
>                       ],
>    );
>
>to use the -background option to configure subwidget1's background and
>subwidget2's foreground, both by default blue.
>  
>
I think I must not have explained very well.

I know about ConfigSpecs and have used it quite a bit in the past, but
are you suggesting using it outside of say a Populate method? I tend to
reserve it for use in setting up Composites, exclusively as the designer
of the composite. It lays out basic rules. Not something I'd use as a
user of that Composite. ConfigSpecs, by itself, is a fairly passive
mechanism that doesn't apply configurations to a widget. It stores the
"option rules" for other methods to use to do the configuring.

What I'm getting at is a shortcut for having to do the following:

$cw->Subwidget('Listbox')->configure( -fg => 'blue', -bg => 'white');
$cw->Subwidget('Button')->configure( -fg => 'blue', -bg => 'yellow');

I'd rather be able to have a simple method do this:

$cw->configureSubwidgets(
     [qw/Listbox Button/] => { -fg => 'blue' },
     Listbox                     => { -bg => 'white' },
     Button                      =>  { -bg => 'yellow'}
);

I see this as coexisting with ConfigSpecs -- not replacing it, and
giving users of Composites a single method to configure a composites
Subwidgets to their liking. One benefit of this, is that I can define a
Hash that has these options and pass it with one method to each of my
composites if I'm using more than one.

Could I instead use ConfigSpecs to setup a new option that applies
foreground to both "Listbox" and "Button" subwidgets ? Sure, but given
even a moderate number of Subwidgets, this approach could easily be
taken to extremes. I could conceivable end up with  such options as:

-listbackground
-listforeground
-listheight
-listwidth
-listrelief
-listborderwidth
-buttonbackground
....

and many many more besides. I think this also serves to make the
Composite less accessible to others, if they have to learn dozens
(perhaps even more than a hundred depending on the number of
subwidgets!). Used in moderation, I think this can be a good approach to
use for a select number of often used combinations. Otherwise, it seems
burdensome to me.

Regards,

Rob


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