[Lazarus] Object inspector hints ?

[Howard Page-Clark]

On 30/4/12 11:54, Hans-Peter Diettrich wrote:
> Howard Page-Clark schrieb:
>

> What's the use of such additional information in OI?
>
> You can let the OI create the event handler for you, no need to bother
> with parameters here.

For people who use a stable release all the time, set up according to 
their established preferences, this is true.

I prefer to work mainly with the cutting-edge. And working help for some 
reason is often the first casualty of a new installation.
Since Lazarus does not yet install all help files on all platforms 
ready-to-run, I often find on upgrading or using a daily snapshot that 
help and hints have stopped working for me, and require quite a lot of 
downloads and file copying and setting of help parameters (as URLs, not 
usual directory locations) before the new help installation is rolling 
again. Unaccountably this process sometimes goes quickly and smoothly, 
and at other times takes far too long, and I have to refer to wiki 
articles and mail list archives to try to solve the problem.

OTOH the OI already lists all published events nicely, without need to 
look up the sources. So it is quicker for me (if help is not yet 
working) to drop a component on a form, inspect some information in the 
OI as needed, and perhaps delete the component again if it is not 
actually needed. Obviously for classes that are not on the Component 
Palette this method is not applicable, but often it seems the quickest 
way to get to the information I need. Otherwise I quickly end up with 
loads of source files open in the Editor (which I prefer to avoid 
because it makes it harder to find the few files I am working on; and if 
ever I close a file, I nearly always seem to need it only a few moments 
later).

Howard