[Lazarus] Sparta Docked Formed Editor Removed Without Discussion?

Anthony Walter sysrpl at gmail.com
Mon Oct 16 14:23:09 CEST 2023


I have been happy using Lazarus without rebuilding the IDE from source for
some time but yesterday I finally built a new version from GitLab source
trunk.

I noticed that the Sparta docked form editor was removed and there doesn't
seem to be any discussion here on the subject. Is there an
equivalent package to Sparta that is part of the default component or
designer options that are currently part of the Lazarus source included in
the official GitLab repository?

For those who do not know this is a screen capture of the Lazarus IDE with
the Sparta docker form editor installed.

https://cache.getlazarus.org/images/docked-lazarus.png

Please take note that the Lazarus form designer is docked within the code
editor window using a code / designer tab. Some of you might be used to
working with multiple monitors to split code editing and form design, but
my vision is impeded. I do not have room on my desk for more than one very
large monitor. I also often use large screen laptops where I only have just
the one laptop screen.

I realize there was a bit of drama and perhaps some "bad blood" between
some of the core team working on Lazarus the original developer of Sparta
docked form editor, but the removal of a functional package without a clear
alternative seems perplexing, especially if it had utility for a segment of
users. If there is no replacement, then given the choice of using Lazarus
in multiple window mode versus using it in single window docked form, I
will continue to use and encourage other people (along with my students) to
use old versions of Lazarus.

To reiterate, while some users may prefer multiple window mode, it makes
little sense to remove the ability for other people to use a working docked
form editor mode. Yes there might have been conflicts with the Sparta
generics unit, but those conflicts in no way impeded other code. As far as
I can tell this is the only note I can find about the removal, which is
lacks reasoning or a discussion context:

https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/commit/9964bfc872f8c2e3a0664153277d30ca945b3893

Thank you for your attention.
Anthony
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