[TxMt Plugins] Dialog API improvements

[Hans-Jörg Bibiko]

On 21.09.2007, at 09:21, Hans-Jörg Bibiko wrote:
> NEW:
>  -s, --show <InlineMenu,OpenPanel {<accessory view  
> nib>},RequestString,Alert,MyNIB,HTMLToolTip,InteractivePopUp...> =>  
> sync
>  -i, --init <nib_file> => async
>
>  -c, --center
>  -d, --defaults <plist>
>  -n, --new-items <plist>
>  -m, --modal
>  -p, --parameters <plist>
>  -q, --quiet
>
>  -l, --list-windows <token>
>  -r, --refresh-window <token>
>  -k, --kill-window <token>
>  -w, --wait-for-input <token>
>

Furthermore one could set not only $DIALOG but also the following  
variables in order to abbreviate common used commands:

$DILAOG_SHOWNIB nib plist => tm_dialog -m -s $1 -p $2
$DIALOG_INITNIB nib plist => tm_dialog -i $1 -p $2
$DIALOG_SHOWPANEL panel {nib} plist => tm_dialog -s $1 (argc==3)? 
$2:"" -p (argc==3)?$3:$2
...

and I forgot the option -h for help. This option would open a pdf/ 
html/man... file showing a complete manual with examples for tm_dialog.

Chris' suggestion with:
- (void)dispatchCommandLine:(NSArray *)commandLineItems{}

is a very flexible approach and has many advantages.

The question is: What will the future bring us? As far as I  
understood the philosophy of tm_dialog it is a tool to provide the  
user 'only' with several kinds of dialog windows. There are some  
things which are in my mind and worth to be added to tm_dialog, e.g.  
to place the window to given origin point or place it under the  
caret's position, to change some attributes of the window or of nib  
components in respect of appearance, fading, resizing etc. but all  
these things can be specified within the PLIST. This would also mean  
that options like '-c' and '-q' could be set within the PLIST if one  
understand the PLIST as parameters which control the content AND the  
appearance of the given nib.

Other commands like Play a self-defined macro, or Execute a batch of  
bundle macros, snippets, commands, templates, etc. belongs to an  
other plug-in.

By my opinion: Keep things simple as possible.

--Hans

PS:
On totally other approach I read in the internet is to specify the  
behaviour of the nib within the nib as hidden Switches, Radio  
Buttons, etc.. That would mean you have Radio Buttons for Sync and  
Async; Switches for quiet, modal, and centered etc. These have a  
default and can be overwritten. But I believe this is not adoptable  
to tm_dialog.