[MonoDevelop] Design Time Properties for Custom Controls

[Lluis Sanchez Gual]

El ds 18 de 07 de 2009 a les 21:32 +0200, en/na Matjaž Mihelič va
escriure:
> On Sat, 2009-07-18 at 13:27 -0400, Andy York wrote:
> > There has been a question that is very close to this one that was asked
> > just a day or two ago, but I'm not sure if it is the same question or
> > not. Please forgive me if I am asking the same question again.
> > 
> > Using standard data types (string, bool, int, etc) for design time
> > properties in custom controls in Monodevelop is easy, but I'm not sure
> > how to use non-standard data types. For instance if I had an enum that
> > looked like this:
> >    
> >     enum ImageSize
> >     {
> >         XLarge,
> >         Large,
> >         Medium,
> >         Small,
> >         XSmall,
> >         None
> >     }
> > 
> 
> I would be interested in that to, but as I look into sources, stetic
> never touches lib directly. Always over cecil, which is the biggest
> design flaw any form editor could have.

You are wrong, it is not a design flaw. Stetic can touch libs directly,
although we are not doing it in MD for custom widgets.

> In this case none of property editors which aren't hardcoded are not
> possible. No custom widget (beside the sucky ones combined in stetic,
> and yes they do suck) can look like it should look during design time.
> Nothing you code can be activated during design time.
> 
> For now, I'm simply avoiding any usage of stetic as much as possible,
> simply because it sucks as much as form editor could suck and because of
> the fact I can work/rely more on hardcoded form.

Matjaž, I feel offended by this comment, both as a developer and as a
user of Stetic. That's a very unpolite way of talking about a form
designer which is useful for many users. The fact that it is not useful
for you doesn't make it useless for everybody.

> Make a custom widget
> derived from DrawingArea, drop it into form. And it practically
> disappears with height 0. And so on. Custom widgets and stetic is a big
> NO GO. Now imagine having form populated with invisible widgets? I
> rather write it hard way.
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong. You'll make me the happiest man alive if I am.
> 
> > and we want the design time property to be set like this (or something
> > like this):
> > 
> >         private ImageSize _MyImageSize;
> >         // this is where we want the design time property to be set
> >         public ImageSize MyImageSize
> >         {
> >             set{_MyImageSize=value;}
> >             get{return _MyImageSize;}
> >         }
> > 
> > How would we go about doing this, I know the answer is an easy one but I
> > just can seem to find it even though I have searched quite a bit. I'm
> > thinking that the same methods that would work for enums would work for
> > classes but I'm not sure of that either.
> > 
> 
> Solving enums would be easy (just hardcode generic Property Editor for
> it, solving everything else is hard). Solve that and you achieved the
> same as putting bandage on torn off limb. Form designer without ability
> to impose new form designers? Well, reason enough to stay away from it
> for me.
> 
> Stetic should NOT be part of monodevelop or at least its AppDomain. It
> should connect with remoting to it and designed to work in its own
> window or connected with GtkSocket/GtkPlug to monodevelop window inside
> monodevelop widget.
> 
> It should always go down and restart on recompile with all project libs
> loaded the hard way. Simply as that.

Oh yeah, simply as that. If you have review the Stetic code you'll see
that there is code using GtkSocket/GtkPlug, and code for running stetic
in a separate process, which is not completed/enabled. I leave you
wonder why, I don't feel like answering anything else from this mail.

> 
> I tried to do some work on that part long ago, but car crash and time I
> lost because of it had forced me into different needs and I simply
> haven't got time to focus back (which I still feel a bit guilty about,
> because I haven't kept my promises). But if you plan on working to fix
> that. I can help. Although if I'd be in your place, I'd probably rather
> design my own form editor, which doesn't start with flaws than try to
> fix something which is utterly broken.
> 
> Don't get me wrong. I LOVE monodevelop. Almost fanatically. I just hate
> stetic which is the one part of monodevelop I'd be glad if I could get
> rid of from my monodevelop like I can get rid of debugger.
> 
> m.
> 
> > Again I apologyze if this has already been asked.
> > Spoody Goon
> > 
> > 
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> 
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