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Slate Blue v3.0

45 posts

liquidmotion#

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.
Duane and I have also come up with some ideas regarding plugins. the architecture will be much like winamp 2, where there are different kinds. one set will deal with the loading and formatting of scripts, one with output, etc.

Let us know and we will be working on this more and more. thanks!
veekee#
why not to get some ideas we had fom N²E !


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 (😁)
* syntax high-lighting
* contextual help (that would change following word at the current position of the cursor)
* ... and so on .... 😉
Dick4#
  • line numbers
  • autocomplete - like writing vba in excel or regular vb
  • ability to have multiple files open at once
muz#
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#
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#
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... 👍

😛
matini#
Hi liquidmotion

You may take a look at MyDevStudio. It's the editor I use to write my scripts now.
rpetges#
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#
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#
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#
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.
Joost Verburg#
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.
isaiahbarney#
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.

😎

When do you plan have the first preview done? The Final Release?
virtlink#
  • 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#
**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 😁
Sunjammer#
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#
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.
Sunjammer#
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#
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.
liquidmotion#
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?

😁
virtlink#
Delphi? Never used it. Can you program in Delphi, liquidmotion?
Delphi sounds outdated, complex, without enough functionality, etc... 😉
liquidmotion#
: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 😁