[ann] pillar support in gtinspector

Offray Vladimir Luna Cárdenas wrote:

Hi Doru,

I really like the advancements in this direction. If fact what I have trying to do, as a newbie, by making a Glamorous Toolkit powered outliner/tree like interface for writing structured documents tries something similar. I think that writing is mainly a non-linear experience and the usual metaphors of document processors are not powerful enough in expressing/exploring the structure of ideas in the writing process (some thought about it ane examples about how implement non-linear academic writing are in [1], in Spanish).

[1] http://mutabit.com/offray/static/blog/output/posts/la-forma-en-que-escribo-para-el-doctorado.html

I would like to create Visual Data Narratives inside Pharo/Moose/Roassal that use file system and web, and LateX as "exportation formats", but where the writing/structuring experience happen mainly inside Pharo. For that persistence/change of trees is important, but as I have documented in other threads, I'm having problems with it, using Glamorous Toolkit (specifically on updating objects from text panes and from emergent windows for tree names/properties).

With your post, I'm wondering who difficult is:

a. To put support to Pillar/Markdown inside text panes (something similar to the "smalltalkCode" message for showing Smalltalk in text panes but with "pillarCode" or "markdownCode" (or some dictionary with the #syntax keyword and the language as a value).

b. To execute some parts of the code, for example the ones that are inside "[[[" "]]]" while the cursor is there, so we could not only preview imagages, but also execute code for visualizations or other computations

I have been thinking previously, that it would be good to have named code blocks "[[[ ]]]", some of which are visible which appear in the end document, and some are invisible, just used to scaffold the live document, e.g. to generate pictures.  For example, visible code block code A might show the text to "create a class definition and accessors" and invisible code block B might say...
"close all windows.
run code block A.
open System Browser at origin: 100@100 extent 500@300.
System Browser select class and accessor just created.
Screen snapshot and save to filenameXXX.png."

cheers -ben

c. The ability to support drag and drop to files to the tree (a Glamorous Tree) and get some kind of node pointing to that file.

d. Tha ability to preview thumbnail images in a similar way of the "contextual places" for printing described on your post at [2]

[2] http://www.humane-assessment.com/blog/rethinking-print-it-in-pharo/

e. The hability to show a preview of the pdf/html in an emergent lateral panel in a simlar way to what TeXStudio or TeXmaker do[3]

[3] http://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/texmakertop_big.png


So here I put my other ideas about "bringing liveliness to documentation" as you said and I would like to build them together.

Cheers,

Offray

Ps: In the other threads I'm asking about how to advance in the outliner metaphor for live doc writing on Pharo/Moose/Roassal. I'll keep you posted.

On 09/07/2014 08:41 AM, Tudor Girba wrote:

Hi,

Documentation is important. To make it more likely and more enjoyable for people
to write more of it, I teamed up with Andrei and Jan to build up support for
Pillar in the GTInspector.

The current solution brings the following:
- Pillar specific syntax highlighting including Shout highlighting for code snippets
- Embedded files validation and preview possibility
- Quick browsing of Pillar book projects when inspecting the book folder
- Class comment rendering using Pillar syntax when inspecting the class object
- Text editor support for custom highlighting in Glamour (using Rubric for now)
- Island parsing for quick specification of incomplete parser

You can learn more about it here:
http://www.humane-assessment.com/blog/writing-pillar-books-with-the-gtinspector

Inline image 1

There is much more to do in this direction, and I would be happy to inspire some
of you to join forces. Please let us know what you think.

Cheers,
Doru

--
www.tudorgirba.com <http://www.tudorgirba.com>

"Every thing has its own flow"

Tudor Girba wrote:

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. Indeed, your points are much inline with where we
should go next.

On Sun, Sep 7, 2014 at 9:50 PM, Offray Vladimir Luna Cárdenas <
[hidden email]> wrote:

  

Hi Doru,

I really like the advancements in this direction. If fact what I have
trying to do, as a newbie, by making a Glamorous Toolkit powered
outliner/tree like interface for writing structured documents tries
something similar. I think that writing is mainly a non-linear experience
and the usual metaphors of document processors are not powerful enough in
expressing/exploring the structure of ideas in the writing process (some
thought about it ane examples about how implement non-linear academic
writing are in [1], in Spanish).

[1] http://mutabit.com/offray/static/blog/output/posts/la-
forma-en-que-escribo-para-el-doctorado.html

I would like to create Visual Data Narratives inside Pharo/Moose/Roassal
that use file system and web, and LateX as "exportation formats", but where
the writing/structuring experience happen mainly inside Pharo. For that
persistence/change of trees is important, but as I have documented in other
threads, I'm having problems with it, using Glamorous Toolkit (specifically
on updating objects from text panes and from emergent windows for tree
names/properties).

With your post, I'm wondering who difficult is:

a. To put support to Pillar/Markdown inside text panes (something similar
to the "smalltalkCode" message for showing Smalltalk in text panes but with
"pillarCode" or "markdownCode" (or some dictionary with the #syntax keyword
and the language as a value).

    

That is precisely what already happened. If you load the code, you can take
a look at the FileReference>>gtInspectorPillarIn: method to see how to
specify the presentation.


  

b. To execute some parts of the code, for example the ones that are inside
"[[[" "]]]" while the cursor is there, so we could not only preview
imagages, but also execute code for visualizations or other computations

    

Exactly. That should definitely be a direction. We need to experiment here
with the exact semantics. For example, you will not always want to execute
the code. Or not all code is meant to be executed.


  

c. The ability to support drag and drop to files to the tree (a Glamorous
Tree) and get some kind of node pointing to that file.

    

That is indeed something I would want as well. For example, we should be
able to drag and drop a pier file from the outside and spawn an editor on
it.



  

d. Tha ability to preview thumbnail images in a similar way of the
"contextual places" for printing described on your post at [2]

[2] http://www.humane-assessment.com/blog/rethinking-print-it-in-pharo

    

Yes. This will likely come soon :)

e. The hability to show a preview of the pdf/html in an emergent lateral
  

panel in a simlar way to what TeXStudio or TeXmaker do[3]

[3] http://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/texmakertop_big.png
    

I do not know how to do it at this time. For this purpose, we would need to
be able to embed a browser in a Pharo UI, and I am not aware of how to do it
  

Maybe...
http://www.i-programmer.info/news/136-open-source/7433-google-open-sources-pdf-software-library.html

cheers -ben

So here I put my other ideas about "bringing liveliness to documentation"
as you said and I would like to build them together.

    

Great. Please keep experimenting and keep us posted.

Cheers,
Doru



  

Cheers,

Offray

Ps: In the other threads I'm asking about how to advance in the outliner
metaphor for live doc writing on Pharo/Moose/Roassal. I'll keep you posted.

On 09/07/2014 08:41 AM, Tudor Girba wrote:

    

Hi,

Documentation is important. To make it more likely and more enjoyable for
people
to write more of it, I teamed up with Andrei and Jan to build up support
for
Pillar in the GTInspector.

The current solution brings the following:
- Pillar specific syntax highlighting including Shout highlighting for
code snippets
- Embedded files validation and preview possibility
- Quick browsing of Pillar book projects when inspecting the book folder
- Class comment rendering using Pillar syntax when inspecting the class
object
- Text editor support for custom highlighting in Glamour (using Rubric
for now)
- Island parsing for quick specification of incomplete parser

You can learn more about it here:
http://www.humane-assessment.com/blog/writing-pillar-books-
with-the-gtinspector

Inline image 1

There is much more to do in this direction, and I would be happy to
inspire some
of you to join forces. Please let us know what you think.

Cheers,
Doru

--
www.tudorgirba.com <http://www.tudorgirba.com>

"Every thing has its own flow"