Re: base widgets growing uncontrollably.... ?

[Paul van Delst <paul.vandelst(at)noaa.gov>]

Jim Pendleton wrote:
> 
> "JD Smith" <jdsmith@astro.cornell.edu> wrote in message
> 3B61FE09.765EE529@astro.cornell.edu">news:3B61FE09.765EE529@astro.cornell.edu...
> 
> [...stuff]
> 
> > Paul van Delst wrote:
> 
> [...more stuff]
> > >
> > > JD Smith wrote:
> > > >
> > > > And to point out the obvious, there's no reason you can't make
> compound
> > > > widgets also objects, rather than having an all-in-one object widget
> > > > design.  You might then have a larger object interface which
> "composits"
> > > > (i.e. includes) the sub-objects directly, perhaps creating them
> itself.
> > > >
> >
> >
> > Just think how little restful break-time you'd get in a day if not for
> > overly compact programmatic mechanisms.
> >
> > Objectingly(ively?) yours,
> >
> > JD
> >
> > P.S. My one line object tutorial:
> >
> > objects->DoThings, withstuff, LIKE_STRUCTURES=only_smarter

I liked the one line tutorial - it actually made things clearer. Seriously. :o)

> If you're writing applications of more than a couple hundred lines and
> you're not using an object-based event handler described by JD earlier,
> you're missing the revolution.

Uh-oh. Who will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes? :o)

> And if you're writing class functionality that *relies on* the
> IDL widget system, you're missing the next revolution.  A GUI is no
> more than an accessor to class data and methods.  With sufficient
> forethought in design, IDL classes should be able to interact with Ion, VB,
> C++, perl, python or any other front-end.

I have no doubt all this stuff is very important. But in context. My interest is
to look at my data. That's pretty much it. I slapped together my widget program
(which was significantly less than a couple hundred lines) solely because I was
tired of backspacing and changing an structure array index on the IDL command
line to look at a different variable; that is to say, my class functionality
consists of PLOT and SHADE_SURF. For what I do, IDL is simply an easy to use
(most of the time!), relatively non-specialised tool to let me visualise my data
quickly, and in a variety of ways, so I can glean as much info/insight from it
as I can.

> Think outside the widgets.

If it's any consolation, I apply object based design principles as much as I can
to my software written in my workhorse language, Fortran 90. :o)

paulv

-- 
Paul van Delst           A little learning is a dangerous thing;
CIMSS @ NOAA/NCEP        Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring;
Ph: (301)763-8000 x7274  There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
Fax:(301)763-8545        And drinking largely sobers us again.
                                         Alexander Pope.