liquidmotion
29th December 2002 23:32 UTC

Slate Blue v3.0
After some back and forth PM with kichik, DuaneJeffers and I have decided to redo Slate Blue (hence the version jump).

What we need from you, the NSIS community of users, are some ideas. Any and all of your ideas, in fact, for the next-generation IDE/Script Editor for NSIS. I have included some of kichik's ideas so you can get an idea of how great it really could be with proper realisation.

* An outlook like IDE, with buttons on the left side for pages, sections (files, registry, system files, etc. below sections), callback functions, GUI, etc.
* Plug-ins
* Costumizble wizards, for the MUI for example. Other wizard downloadable.
* Visual editing of pages, custom pages, IO pages, sections somehow, maybe a nice graph of the program directory and system if any files installed there.
* Compiler output parser (I will help making the output more strict if needed) so upon errors or warnings the appropriate line can be highlighted.
* Nice XP ballons, or something alike on every command that exaplains the command usage. Extensions possibilty for the MUI again, and for everything else that might come along.
* Live update of the program itself and every files around it. Maybe a built in download center for wizards, config files and every other possible extension.
* Plug-ins to allow even more extensions
* Nice icons of course with purty colors
* Projecting option to hold all of the files under one object, icons, .nsi files, txt, rtf, bmp's, files used in the installer. Ability to drag files from the project pane to the script for usage anywhere.
* User tools - calling other programs to do something to or with the edited file
* MDI env of course...
* .nsi file stripper for easy uploading to the forums for request of help. Will strip files, set the license to the license included with NSIS, include in a zip file all ini files needed, etc.
* Search box to search NSIS archive, the forums, possibly other resources, Google, etc.
* Ready to use actions, part of the wizards I was talking about above, for usage of NSIS-dl, IO, UserInfo, other plug-ins, etc. Like before wizards will be some kind of config files that will be able to be downloaded, edited, distrubted.

veekee
29th December 2002 23:39 UTC

why not to get some ideas we had fom N²E !
http://nne.sourceforge.net/

Some of features we wanted to have were (in addition to some you've already mentioned):
* config files for the different NSIS release (to know what commands are allowed...)
* script insertion using right menu (to add some magic functions, for example)
* multilanguage (:D)
* syntax high-lighting
* contextual help (that would change following word at the current position of the cursor)
* ... and so on .... ;)

Dick4
30th December 2002 03:44 UTC

• line numbers
• autocomplete - like writing vba in excel or regular vb
• ability to have multiple files open at once

muz
30th December 2002 08:46 UTC

This sounds great, question though, what do you plan to program it in? Slate Blue was in VB if my memory serves right. Are you sticking with VB or c++/MFC.. or anything else?

Will the source be available? I'd love to help if I could, not sure I know enough, but would like to try if source is available.

Luke.

liquidmotion
30th December 2002 17:19 UTC

Currently we are thinking Delphi OR C++ Builder. Both are relatively the same in terms of IDE and code. What do you think?

This will be less a GUI and more a script editor (in case I failed to mention that earlier), although it will allow you to compile scripts.

We would love help with the project, so let us know soon.

lobo_lunar
31st December 2002 01:13 UTC

My noble suggestion
You may use (not copy) the style of ISTOOL (The script maker of inno).
Just some checkboxes, buttons, auto-complete lines, radio buttons...
I'm a programmer too, so I know the hard work....

Good luck... :up:

:p

matini
31st December 2002 03:06 UTC

Hi liquidmotion
You may take a look at MyDevStudio. It's the editor I use to write my scripts now.

liquidmotion
31st December 2002 06:44 UTC

we may have to check that out.

thanks!

rpetges
31st December 2002 12:22 UTC

I think, the best solution would be a tool like ISTool for Innosetup (www.istool.org). It allows you to create the script using dialogs and more advanced users can always create their scripts manually in it and make their final adjustments using dialog boxes.

For me, it's the best combination.

Best wishes for 2003 !

Romain

liquidmotion
31st December 2002 14:42 UTC

that is what Slate Blue v2.0 tried to accomplish; a fully-functional text editor along with a wizard interface.

SB v3.0 will have a wizard, but the main focus will be on script editing. We will also be including wizards for generating InstallOptions dialogs and such.

muz
1st January 2003 13:36 UTC

I think something like ISTool would be great, so instead of having the script(code) on the screen, you have list of files that are to be installed, which you can change options for them etc. and InstallOptions dialog builder would be great so you can easily build customs pages.

liquidmotion
1st January 2003 19:27 UTC

well, that's pretty much what the Wizard will be. and i've already made an IO dialog builder (see morphedmedia.com), but we'll build a better one into SB.

liquidmotion
4th January 2003 20:33 UTC

we're starting work tonight...any last minute ideas?

(sneaky bump) :)

Joost Verburg
4th January 2003 20:50 UTC

The IO dialog builder is not compatible with InstallOptions 2. A few suggestions for the new one:

* A possibility to load existing INI files
* IO uses dialog units now, no pixels
* Support for a custom Rect
* Support for dialogs with custom sizes, for other interfaces. Maybe you can make the Modern UI size one of the default sizes.
* A possibility to configure all flags from the UI (including the new grouping/tabstop flags) should

For all the new IO things, check Readme.html is the IO directory.

liquidmotion
6th January 2003 20:01 UTC

excellent! thanks guy.

we'll keep you posted.

isaiahbarney
15th January 2003 17:04 UTC

Additional Ideas
Another great feature would be dynamic folding.
This was implemented into Macromedia HomeSite 5.
You just select any amount of text, two minus
buttons appear in the margin, click one,
and it folds into a button.

If you would like a screenshot, I could post one.

I also love the idea of AutoComplete.

:cool:

When do you plan have the first preview done? The Final Release?

Joel
26th January 2003 17:26 UTC

How is it going with slate blue 3?

:)

virtlink
29th January 2003 10:37 UTC

• Make the nescessary changes to a script to make it last version compatible if it is not (like replacing some changed names with other names, warn the user when he/she has to change something and give a suggestion on how to solve it)
• Forum search engine for answers
• Browse in en download from the archive
• A special type of file which contains codw with some tags around it which tells Slate Blue where to insert the code, what code to change, remove, check if it exists already (like '!include', which shouldn't be written twice when you insert a script); for an easy 'insert script'.

liquidmotion
10th February 2003 06:42 UTC

**update**

started actual coding work on SB3.0 tonight (feb 9, 2003).

after a night of coding, i've got some good layout ideas down, and am working on syntax highlighting :D

Sunjammer
10th February 2003 09:12 UTC

For syntax highlighting you might want to use flex (as myDevStudio does and NSIS Archive does) but this requires you to be coding in C. The myDevStudio site has their flex parser code for download, and I can get you the NSIS Archive one (much simpler) and the flex binary to you if needs be.

virtlink
10th February 2003 12:52 UTC

KiCHiK didn't understand a thing about Flex or Lexer or something, and I didn't understand it eighter. I don't think liquidmotion knows C(++). What irritates me most, is that those so called 'awesom' examples of highlighting in VB don't do anything but selecting a word, coloring, deselecting, selecting the next word, etc...
This is very time consuming (for the programmer and the program itself), and not the right way to do it. Altough I don't know a better way.

virtlink
10th February 2003 12:53 UTC

He gave me this link:

http://www.gnu.org/software/flex/flex.html

Sunjammer
10th February 2003 13:21 UTC

Flex is a proper parser generator. Ideally you'd want to use something like flex or lex. Unfortunately they only generate C code. Perhaps there are similar tools out there for other languages but I'm not aware of them.

Sunjammer
10th February 2003 13:23 UTC

Hmm I guess a flex generated c parser could be placed into a DLL or COM object and then used from within VB to syntax highlight text passed to it... if I get time I might try to put something like this together for you to at least see.

virtlink
10th February 2003 16:41 UTC

*if* you worked that out, could you please provide me with a copy of it too?

liquidmotion
10th February 2003 17:58 UTC

1) i do know a bit of c(++); enough to write SB in it, anyway.
2) the current highlighter will be every bit as good as lex/flex.
3) why not just port lex/flex to delphi?

:D

virtlink
10th February 2003 19:11 UTC

Delphi? Never used it. Can you program in Delphi, liquidmotion?
Delphi sounds outdated, complex, without enough functionality, etc... ;)

liquidmotion
10th February 2003 19:15 UTC

:P

yes, i can program in Delphi. they just released a new version earlier this year, it is relatively simple (although it depends what you do with it), and it contains plenty of functionality :D

virtlink
10th February 2003 19:23 UTC

It just sounds old: like Borland...

liquidmotion
10th February 2003 19:42 UTC

just like Microsoft...

virtlink
11th February 2003 10:33 UTC

Yep: Microsoft sounds old too! DOS also.
But is Sunjammer trying to create the plugin for Delphi or VB? I'd like the VB version better, of couse.

Sunjammer
11th February 2003 10:46 UTC

I know nothing about Delphi, I'd be targetting VB.

virtlink
11th February 2003 11:01 UTC

Yesssss...

B.t.w. keep up the good work!

Kiaser Zohsay
11th February 2003 15:58 UTC

FWIW, I use Flex and Bison generated files with Delphi. Both generate C code, which I compile with Borland C++ 5.5 (the free command line tools version). Delphi only likes OMF formatted object files, and VC++ and cygwin generate COFF files.

Flex generates a tokenizer which reads character input and breaks it up into tokens, such as keywords ,identifers, operators, etc.

Bison generates a full fledged parser that reads tokens from a tokenizer (such as flex) and matches them against syntax rules.

Using Delphi to call a bison parser requires using the $L compiler directive to link to the .obj file, declaring the generated functions with the cdecl keyword, and implementing stubs for a handfull of C std library calls (malloc, free, fprintf).

kz

liquidmotion
11th February 2003 20:55 UTC

interesting. oh well, this way will work just fine.

i think SB3.0 will support VB/Delphi plugins :D

i might even throw in a small scripting language (although it begs the question, "why have a scripting language in an editor of a scripting language?")...

virtlink
12th February 2003 10:42 UTC

Answer: "To make some (boring) tasks automatical."

AMandato
10th July 2003 00:53 UTC

Hello Everyone,

I have been working on Venis, another NSIS editor. I notice this forum has received lots of responce but the Forum I created does not have any feedback.

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....ighlight=Venis

I am planning a new release of Venis very soon. The latest version refines features for editing NSIS files. Take a look at the Venis web site to get info on the next version features: http://www.spaceblue.com/venis/home.htm

I will include a screen shot of the latest build.

Thanks,
Angelo

trankyfunky
10th July 2003 14:02 UTC

My little personal suggestion:
maybe an automatic pairing (push/pop, FileOpen/FileClose, Section/SectionEnd, [/], {/}, etc... ) funtion will be useful.

My little personal question:
Why not open a SouceForge Project and merge all the GUI/IDE projects for NSIS togheter in a unique, big, complex and beautiful instrument?
(I'm just curious...)

MindlessOath
6th March 2004 07:41 UTC

i guess this is still wip? or is it dead dream?

Joost Verburg
6th March 2004 10:15 UTC

It doesn't look like there has been much progress. Other editors have been developed in the meanwhile, which you can find at http://nsis.sf.net/download