D.Cook
Member
Piew - Suggestions
I've been using a Piew a lot recently and appreciate the new editor, particularly the function/procedure toolbar. I have a few suggestions for improvement, feel free to consider/ignore as time permits:
Also, these ideas would be nice!
I've been using a Piew a lot recently and appreciate the new editor, particularly the function/procedure toolbar. I have a few suggestions for improvement, feel free to consider/ignore as time permits:
- When I give focus back to Piew (eg ALT-TAB or click it on the titlebar), the editing frame should be active (not Code Explorer), so the user can start typing.
- The last used directory is stored in registry, but this doesnt seem to update very often. So when I use the Open dialog, it seems to go to a directory I haven't accessed for some time.
- The find tool error dialog box is quite obtrusive. It might be nicer to show the message in the status area instead.
- The keyboard shortcuts are more like MS Office shortcuts and not other programming text editors, making it hard to start using this one. It would be great if all the shortcuts were user-configurable.
- I was going to ask for keyboard shortcuts for syntax check, run and bookmarks, but you've already done them!
- A style for current line (so that yellow highlight colour can be changed)
- Auto tab backspace: If user presses backspace and there is only whitespace between start of line and cursor, remove spaces back to previous tab.
Eg with tab width set to 3, line starting with 5 spaces, pressing back space will go back two spaces (previous tab)
Code:-----|run main.p. ---|run main.p.
- Auto indent: if user presses enter after open block (eg "do:" or "for each:"), indent the new line. If user types close block (eg "end." or "end procedure."), unindent the current line.
Also, these ideas would be nice!
- Rename/move current file. Eg like in ConTEXT: File>Rename, enter new name. (enter absolute or relative pathname to move).
- A file explorer, like the code explorer.
- Integrated syntax check: call a TTY progress program in the background, returning text which is parsed by Piew to set line and col number (Like ConTEXT).
- CTRL-Click (or other shortcut) on a procedure name, function name, variable name will take the user to where it was defined. (like the code explorer)
- Other user-defined commands to execute external program (with params like current file name, current selected word). This could be used to run merge program, data dictionary, batch process, etc