The Cranky Programmer: Nits And Bits

Posted December 7 1999

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Harrumph!!

So they thought they could keep the Cranky Programmer down by piling on so much work that he didn't have time to eat or sleep, did they?

Well, I sneer at their pitiful efforts (even though they DID work and I haven't eaten or slept in... slept in... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz).

Oops, sorry. Now where was I...

Clarion 5.5 Beta 1 - the Big Teasy

In my meanderings through the newsgroups throughout the previous month, I had read quite a few enthusiastic endorsements of the new Clarion 5.5 Visual Property Editors, otherwise known as VPE. (If you are not familiar with the new features of C5.5, check out the recent preview article by Carl Barnes.)

After reading some messages that claimed vast productivity improvements because of them, I was definitely looking forward to trying them out myself.

Well, I don't know what version these people were using, but it couldn't have been the one I got. (Hmmm... on second thought, most of these raves were from Team TopSpeed members, and you can bet your booties that they have newer builds than the one on the CD. <sigh>)

In any case, I got my CD, installed C5.5 (let's see, that makes a nice round ten versions of Clarion currently installed on my machine), and loaded in an app. Actually, I loaded the one sample app that comes with 5.5; I wasn't about to use a real application for my first shot at a Beta 1 product.

Zowie - look at that cool tree on the right. Scroll up and down through it and there are all the bits for the selected procedure: the list of files (oops - tables), local data, the window definition, filled embeds, extension templates used, the whole enchilada. Nice. Very nice!

I scrolled on down to the Window item, expanded the tree by clicking on the plus sign, double clicked on a window control and presto - there was the dialog box. Boy, I'm thinking, I could get used to this FAST. Then I saved the dialog and...

DOH!!!

The list collapsed and tossed the selection back to the very top of the list. A little more experimentation proved that no matter what I did, from where, the VPE tree collapsed and reset after every action. Ooh, what a timesaver that is. Kind of like having an ever-so-helpful assistant who puts the hammer away every time you reach for the next nail.

Argh! So tantalizing, so cool looking... and so incredibly annoying! Cruel TopSpeed! Bad TopSpeed to tease me like this!

Even more experimentation turned up that not only does the list reset, it returns to its default mode of collapsing the window, and expanding the tables, data, embeds and extensions items. Umm, guys, the idea is to preserve the tree the way I want it to be, where I want to be on it...

Guess the wait is on for Beta 2 to get a really functional VPE. (I still love the concept, though.)

As for other application tree enhancements, I really like the new "modified" tab. It shows the list of procedure in reverse modified order, i.e. from the most recently changed procedures at the top down to the neglected, never touched procedures at the bottom. Or maybe I should phrase that as: From the hinky* ones causing you all the problems down to the perfectly functioning procedures at the bottom. Your choice.

But I digress. Being the "never-say-enough!-because-then-they- will-stop-giving-you-cool-new-things" type that I am, it immediately made me want to see the date and time of the last modification as well. I kept scrolling to the right in vain, but nope - no soap. You listening, TopSpeed?

Can I Buy You A Map?

Is it just me, or has the Clarion IDE become progressively more stupid when it comes to dealing with compile errors in embed code? I've had to do some work in CW 2 lately, and it really brought home something that has been nagging at me for while.

In CW 2, ninety percent of the time you are taken to the correct embed point when there is a problem with the code you've written (ok, ok - the code I've written). Fix it and bang, you're on your way again. The only exceptions were for major errors where the compiler just had no CLUE as to what the code was meant to do.

In Clarion 5, though, well over half the time I get the ever popular "Edits made in generated source will be lost on next re-generate" message. It obligingly shows me the error, but not in a way that I can simply fix it and move along. Grrrrr.

Example: If I go to an EVENT:OpenWindow embed and type in a bogus procedure name (say, for example, "Bogus" - I'm SO imaginative, aren't I?) I will get the "Edits..." message when I click on "Edit Errors" to fix the compile error.

Because of this, I find myself losing a fair amount of time, and often not even bothering with the "Edit Errors" button anymore. And THAT makes me cranky!

Late Flash! There's hope on the horizon. The same sequence as I used in the C5 example actually WORKS in C5.5 (it takes me to the "Bogus" procedure call in the embed point). Even better it take me there via the Embeditor so I can make related changes right then and there if necessary.

Ok. That does it. I WANT BETA 2! NOW!!

You Talking To Me?

What? You're not talking to me? Well, why not? Is everything so rosy in your Clarion world that you don't have anything to get even a TEENSY bit cranky about?

Didn't think so.

Drop me a line, get it off your chest. Ask me a question. Who knows, maybe I'll answer it in the column. Come on, here's your chance to get cranky and help the world at the same time.

I remain,

Cranky

From the Cranky Programmer's Guide to Technical Terms, Volume 42, Section 3.50:

Hinky: Exhibiting somewhat flawed behavior; logically or functionally challenged; filled with unexpected features and surprises; i.e., someone else's fault, or written by your evil twin when you weren't looking.

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