[Lazarus] Configure Build Lazarus

[Juha Manninen]

On perjantai, 4. joulukuuta 2009 10:05:10 Vincent Snijders wrote:
> It is not just for IDE developers, but also for LCL developers to set extra
>  options (e.g. enabling range checking).
> 
> FYI, originally, there was only the advanced tab (without tab), but users
>  found that too complicated. So the current content was put on a advanced
>  tab and a quick build was added in front.
> 
> http://www.mail-archive.com/lazarus@miraclec.com/msg16989.html
> http://www.mail-archive.com/lazarus@miraclec.com/msg17833.html
> http://www.mail-archive.com/lazarus@miraclec.com/msg18289.html

Thanks, I read the mail threads. I mostly understand the use cases. Not 
everybody was happy with the solution then 2 - 2,5 years ago but it was a good 
compromise.

Still, the GUI design is non-standard and non-intuitive. I mean synchronizing 
controls between pages without visual feedback. Please ask any GUI-design 
expert. The initial impression of that dialog was weird. The problem is that 
one gets used to any UI after learning it and using it for a while but still 
it is weird for anybody new.
Then there is this mythical non-advanced user.  Who is non-advanced? I think 
(in geek-world) we are all advanced.

One of my points is that the Quick page could be visible also for "advanced 
users". It would not do any harm.
A solution for this problem was proposed already in the first archived thread 
(above) by Al Boldi. I don't know why nobody commented on it then.
>Instead of pages, have an "Advanced" button
>that fold and unfold additional config.

This detail-part of a dialog is getting more common and I like it. It is 
intuitive. It would solve most of this weird GUI behavior problem without 
changing any logic of the current tabs. The unfold / fold button would say:
"Show Details >>" when collapsed and "Hide Details <<" when expanded.
or "Details >>" / "Details <<"
or "Advanced >>" / "Advanced <<"
or "Expert >>" / "Expert <<"
or "Expand >>" / "Collapse <<"

Some other things like 2 comboboxes mapping into one radiogroup control should 
be cleaned, too. It is just not good GUI design.

I understand there are many use cases for this dialog. There could even be 
profiles adjusting the visibility options, like "LCL cross-compile" profile, 
"IDE cross-compile" profile and so on, but let's not complicate things too 
much now. 


Regards,
Juha Manninen