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Post by Robert on Jun 21, 2023 13:41:39 GMT -5
But you are the one who puts =PROF> etc. on the other lines. How did YOU do it?
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Post by George on Jun 21, 2023 14:57:33 GMT -5
Robert: I'm not entirely sure, but it's done via some table of line cmd entries that gets tweaked depending on how big the user chooses to make the size of the line command area. Nothing is trivial. The format of the 'special' entries like ==PROF> is customized for each different size of the line command area.
That's why I react so negatively to some of your requests for what seem to be trivial 'prettiness' changes. It's never as simple as you'd think.
George
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Post by George on Jun 24, 2023 12:47:56 GMT -5
Robert: Comments? George
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Post by Robert on Jun 24, 2023 13:43:43 GMT -5
George, I like the angle-bracket format. Showing <LRECL 0> is different enough that users will understand there is something "special" about it, in case they had any questions. It's brief and clear, without being too hard technically to pull off, and is also attractive.
Besides, the users themselves are the ones that added those operands to the EFT line. It's not like it's going to be a surprise. All we are doing here is confirming that what happened is what they expected to happen.
To me, this is so clear, that I would say the entire ==EFT> line is not needed. Once this notation is documented, everyone will know what it is. When they do, the ==EFT> does not add any more information that <LRECL 0> doesn't already convey.
I realize I pushed you into adding this ==EFT> line, and to the extent I needlessly made extra work for you, I regret that. But, I have to honest. Seeing an actual display of the whole thing is your basic picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words.
In my honest, humble opinion, ==EFT> is not needed.
R
===> One more thing:
Suppose you are concerned about "getting the word out" about the new <LRECL 0> format. Here is a thought:
Add a new checkbox to the General Options GUI, which would be set on by default. The checkbox would read,
[x] Notify if EFT has been overridden during Edit
If the box is checked, you would show a popup message at open time to remind them.
If you wanted the message to be "general", it could show what the ==EFT> line is showing in your sample. If you wanted it to be more informative, you could custom-build the message to list the specific PROFILE options that got overridden.
If/when users don't care about that any more, they can clear the check box.
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Post by George on Jun 24, 2023 13:57:49 GMT -5
Robert: What about the EFT line showing the actual command string from the EFT entry. A previous iteration did that, and it's trivial to put it back.
George
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Post by Robert on Jun 24, 2023 14:36:39 GMT -5
Again (and apologies for not being consistent earlier), but if you show <LRECL 0>, won't you necessarily have an EFT line containing
Pattern = FileType, DCB LRECL 0
on it somewhere?
Yes, you could explicitly show the EFT operands, but does it convey any "new" information? To me, it doesn't seem like it.
I would say, reach out for other user comments. I've told you how I see it, but how does everyone else see it?
After all, right now, you don't show that EFT is even involved, not directly anyway. You have to 'infer' it when you are editing an INC file and the status line shows Profile: BAS as the name of the profile.
So far, you haven't been overly worried about making a point that an EFT of INC = BAS was in effect.
There's no real right answer here. It's a matter of style and preference. I would only point out that one of the guiding principles of SPFLite "style" has been to keep it short and sweet.
That would be my advice, especially the "short" part. IMHO, don't over-explain the obvious.
===> About your remark, "What about the EFT line showing the actual command string from the EFT entry. A previous iteration did that, and it's trivial to put it back."
I know I said don't over-explain. However, my reaction was triggered by your screenshot. If it's trivial to put back, maybe do that and show us a new screen shot that contained that, plus your <LRECL 0> notation. Maybe it will look better than I think it will. I have never actually seen a screen that had those things in it together. I want to give your idea a fair shot.
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Post by George on Jun 25, 2023 8:06:34 GMT -5
OK, here's the alternative.
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Post by Robert on Jun 25, 2023 11:47:40 GMT -5
I would simplify it some more:
==EFT> INC = BAS, DCD OLD CRLF LRECL 0 RECFM U
=PROF> PROFILE BAS LOCKED, ACTION OFF, ... etc.
The above would appear in response to an EFT Line of INC = BAS, DCD OLD CRLF LRECL 0 RECFM U
Reasons:
1. By showing the actual EFT contents, we know how EFT has been derived and overridden. It's not necessary to actually say the word "overridden" or show any other "message". The contents alone speak for themselves.
2. By including the actual ==EFT> line, we know that EFT was involved, so it's not necessary to say PROFILE BAS EFT LOCKED.
3. Fields displayed like <LRECL 0> confirm this.
and,
4. I know my prior comments and suggestions have led you astray, and my apologies again. But I feel sincerely that this is the cleanest look.
The only potential issue is that in a EFT line of
pattern = profile, etc.
the whole thing might not fit on one ==EFT> line, depending on the size of the pattern (and the size of the override parameters, depending on how many might be present, the current screen size, etc.) You'd have to decide to truncate it on the right, or alter it some other way.
Suppose you had,
really*long*absurd*file*path.BAS = , DCD OLD CRLF LRECL 0 RECFM U
You might shorten it to
==EFT> <path> = BAS, DCD OLD CRLF LRECL 0 RECFM U where "<path>" would literally appear that way as a "stand-in".
I am sure most patterns will be short and not have this problem.
Maybe you could just do a simplistic truncate in case you had to, and defer a fancier solution until someone complains some day.
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Post by George on Jun 25, 2023 14:23:33 GMT -5
Robert: There's no problem with truncation. If someone wants to see the overflow data, just scroll right.
Other ideas are fine, I'll do the mods.
This is turning into a MUCH more involved change than first anticipated. It's a true 'scattergun' change with many changes to many different areas. I call it the "begat's", like the Bible. A begat's B, B begat's C, and on and on. This affects far more area's than we ever thought.
Testing is just a nightmare, there's just so many variations to manage. And every minor correction basically means re-doing the previous tests because everything is so intertwined. I may never get through this.
George
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Post by Robert on Jun 25, 2023 14:54:05 GMT -5
And, 15 years ago, you thought this was going to be fun. You are the one who was fooling foolish enough that when Linda said, "you're a programmer, do it yourself!" you listened to her.
You got this far. You can handle it.
R
===> (typo) ... not sure who's fooling whom ...
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Post by George on Jun 25, 2023 15:24:50 GMT -5
Yeah, but it gets tougher now. Age has it's effects.
George
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Post by Robert on Jun 25, 2023 16:01:59 GMT -5
Interesting, I didn't realize that =PROF> lines could be scrolled with F10/F11. Thought they were fixed.
Can't recall ever needing that, remembering it, or even thinking about it.
I was going to suggest issuing an EFT primary command to see the full text of the EFT line, but F11 is clearly better. Geez, don't bother truncating anything on ==EFT> line, it's totally unnecessary.
(Re)learn something new every day. My brain cells (and days) are numbered. Sigh.
R
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Post by George on Jun 26, 2023 9:27:44 GMT -5
Robert: Here's the latest iteration. George
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Post by Robert on Jun 26, 2023 9:59:51 GMT -5
Looks real nice. Never thought about the comments on the EFT line getting displayed here, but if you're copying the EFT line as-is, then showing the whole thing would be consistent, so it makes sense to include it.
Cut. Print. It's a wrap.
R
[Note]
To avoid excessive line length, I shrink out multiple spaces down to 1, a lot of comments are entered over on the right side.
[/Note]
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Post by George on Jun 27, 2023 11:17:07 GMT -5
The new EFT Profile overrides are pretty much done. There were lots of wrinkles to overcome as there was a considerable amount of cross-tab manipulation to revise. The latest Profile display is as follows: The 1st profile line has gone back to EFT LOCKED. I needed this to help debug the most recent changes, so I left it that way. One side effect when an edit is running with an EFT overridden Profile, you cannot make profile changes that are saved, even if the underlying profile is unlocked. e.g. an EFT entry for .INC to use BAS, and override the EOL character. Even if BAS itself is unlocked, no changes to BAS will be saved. They will take effect in the session, but will not be saved. The BAS profile can only be altered when used directly, or via a PROF EDIT BAS command from a non-EFT-Locked tab. This restriction is non-negotiable. I'll be releasing a Beta soon, again, testing help is appreciated, this was a much more significant change than I anticipated. George
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