[Lazarus] Documentation for the packages shipped with Lazarus

[stdreamer]

On 11/10/2012 5:27 μμ, Mattias Gaertner wrote:
> stdreamer <stdreamer at freemail.gr> hat am 11. Oktober 2012 um 15:43 geschrieben:
>> [...]
>>> Now that your Lazarus is updated, the goal is to have:
>>> - A light blue gear at the top left denotes a design package
>>> - A green arrow at the top right denotes a runtime package
>>> - A crossed out light blue gear and a green arrow denotes a runtime
>>> only package
>>> - No overlay at the top denotes a design + runtime package
>>>
>>> Stephano
>> That's over engineering in its finest I guess. you have only 2 states
>> for a package and 4 icon sets?
>> As I see it
>> 1) blue gear = design time package.
>> 2) Green arrow = run time package.
>> everything else is not needed.
> No.
> The package type is not *two* booleans. For instance there is no type "not
> designtime and not runtime".
>
>
>> If an overlay is shown then that state is part of the package if not
>> then it is not. This leaves one icon state with no meaning ee. no
>> overlay is shown.
> The purpose of an overlay is to spot the specials easier.
> By far the most packages are "design time and run time". Therefore they should
> not have any overlay or at most a very plain/unimposing one.
> There are three special package types:
> design time  - usable by projects, but not compiled into projects
> run time - usable by design time packages, but not directly installable
> run time only - not installable, not even indirectly
>
> These are abstract topics and I doubt that you will find icons that the majority
> will understand.
>
> Maybe the overlays should be different for each dialog.
> For example the install package dialog only shows "design & run time" and
> "design time".
> The project inspector and package editor can show all four, but only the "design
> time" is noteworthy.
>
>
>> it would make more sense to me to change the crossed gear to design time
>> but not installed or something and this has already been taken care off
>> by the list boxes so you have two states to many.
> We need multiple overlays.
> One set for the type.
> One set for "base" = "uninstallable".
> One set for "is/will be installed".
> Maybe one for "repository", for example the package "is in the Lazarus sources"
> or "comes from fppkg" or whatever repository.
>
>
> Mattias
>
> --

OK lets take a step back, and see this a bit simplistic.

1) The type of a package.

A package can be

1) run time package
2) Design time package.
3) Both
what else a package can be? Can a package

So far I have thought those things as flagged for a state or not 
flagged. for example a package that is flagged for run time it can be 
used by end user programs if it is not flagged it shouldn't. If it is 
flagged as design time the the IDE needs to load it and show what ever 
design time
The run time only state makes no sense to me, I would like an 
explanation but I do understand if this is outside this threads scope.

2) The Base. That is a big one this requires a new icon in my opinion eg 
shift the icons color to the red spectrum red is always danger or gold 
it is always considered needed.

3) installation state. There is no need for this to be shown on the icon 
area this can be done by changing the background color or the text color 
of the name why would you want an overlay for this?

4) Repository. Is not the icons job to show anything of the sort. if you 
must show that then I recommend to either add one more column that will 
show the packagers name or go for a treeview structure and keep 
everything grouped by the packager or both.

In sort the package icon should say things about the package only not 
the state of the installation or the package manager. Its a convenience 
that looses its value the moment that more than 1 overlays start 
cluttering that 16x16 pixel space.

Regards
Jo.