Desired improvements in Girder

[Ron]

As mentioned here

http://www.girder.nl/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=898&forum=4&3

I would love to fix the 'crappy UI' (TM) but time is just to limited. I will look into the F9 Issue and mabye the logging thing. The backup should not be to hard either. Give me some hints as to how Girder should backup the files.

I was thinking this:

Before a save:
Copy target file to %TEMP%GIRDERBACKUP.GIR
Actaully overwrite the file
After save:
Delete %TEMP%GIRDERBACKUP.GIR

At the next start of girder offer to reopen
the GIRDERBACKUP.GIR file if it exists.

[ssheth]

I think Ron has done a great job on Girder. However, in using it, I have come with a few things that could really improve the user interface as well as make the program a lot easier to debug and more reliable.

1. Overhaul tree-based interface into a combo outlook style tree/table interface where table shows current state, total states, and other info for quick overview. (Perhaps use different icons for different states also).

2. Create logging option. Girder should be able to automatically record in a log file an entry every time an event is triggered. Record what event, what time, what action taken, etc. This would make life much simpler for debugging rules.

3. Backup data file before overwriting it in case of program failure. I have had several cases where the program dies while writing out the data file and contents of original file are lost as well.

Wishlist .. create a flowchart interface to make the building of state machines a lot easier.

[ssheth]

Another UI bug that i have noticed:

Both the Enable/Disable Input Device(s) and Reset All States menu entries have the same keyboard accelerator, F9. So, when trying to reset all states via F9, you instead end up disable the input device.

Can one of the two be moved to a different accelerator (perhaps Shift-F9)?

Sanjay

[ssheth]

How about just copy target file to GIRDERBACKUP.GIR in the data directory itself?

That way, if girder doesn't restart, the user doesn't have to go hunting through all the temp directories to find the file. Since you are deleting at the end anyways, it will have the same effect unless there was a crash.



I was thinking this:

Before a save:
Copy target file to %TEMP%GIRDERBACKUP.GIR
Actaully overwrite the file
After save:
Delete %TEMP%GIRDERBACKUP.GIR

At the next start of girder offer to reopen
the GIRDERBACKUP.GIR file if it exists.