The Datafile PD-CD 1 Issue 2/PDCD-1 - Issue 02.iso/_editors/editors/_zap/!Zap/Changes

Text File | 1994-10-24 | 11KB | 212 lines

**************************************************************************
* Changes in Zap between versions 1.10 and 1.20                 *
**************************************************************************

This file documents the changes in Zap between versions 1.10 and 1.20. It
also indicates my future plans for Zap and how to contact me with
suggestions.

Changes 1.10-1.20
-----------------

Well, here we are again - another release of Zap. As usual, looking at the
list of things below which I have done and comparing it to the proposed list
of things to do in v1.10's 'Changes' file I see there is very little
resemblance!

I've changed assembler, rewritten all the menu code and data transfer
protocol code and made other internal changes which don't have much 'visible'
effect so the list below isn't as long as I planned.

* Menus are now user redefinable. The menu structure is stored in a text file
  'Menus' in the Zap directory. The format should be self explanatory. You
  will have to reload Zap for the changed file to have effect. Many new
  commands have been added to support all the menu options. See the HelpData
  file for a full list of commands.
* Data transfer protocol code has been rewritten to be much neater :-) There
  may still be bugs in it. If you have any problems please contact me.
* 'Read memory' can now read Taskwindow memory. Simply drag the icon onto
  the required taskwindow.
* 24 bit colour is now supported (for the Risc PC) and a new colour selector
  has been provided. (Old format Config files will automatically be
  converted).
* DOS text files are now supported (ie, those with &0d0a line terminators
  and possible &1a file terminators). Conversion takes place on loading/
  saving. A 'D' in the titlebar indicates that the file is a DOS file.
* A new command (Stripspaces) is provided to strip spaces from the end of
  lines. This is executed on saving on a mode configurable basis. Also,
  it can tabify a program, (intelligently) converting spaces to tabs. Try it!
* Clicking Adjust on a window which does not have the input focus will now
  place the cursor at 'point' (the little hollow rectangle).
* Windows are no longer recreated on a Zap-mode change so the toggle size
  coordinates are preserved.
* Search has been rewritten so:
  1. You can now search through all loaded files.
  2. Basic search detokenises properly & code search disassembles.
  3. Search and search as you type are now a lot faster.
  4. More options are now accessible from the Search window.
  5. The search commands can now take string arguments.
  NB You can still search for words via the \w and \h commands. You can
  still perform all the search types present in v1.10.
* In windows with writable icons, all option states (eg radio-icons) can
  now be toggled by use of ctrl-letter key short cuts. The letter should
  be obvious (usually the first capitalized letter of the option string).
* More ctrl-letter keys are now passed on to Taskwindows. ^C, ^Z and
  function keys are still not. ^C copying to input bug has been fixed.
  Escape now cancels Copy mode without aborting the whole line.
* Interactive help has been rewritten, as has the HelpData file. Help is now
  on ^H. You can find help on a given key or function name by using
  ^h k or ^h f. Please look at the HelpData file for help on modes etc.
* The throwback mode has been moved to the main Zap module so you needn't
  load ZapBasic if you don't use the Basic modes.
* Triple click on a throwback window brings the match to the front.
* Anti-alised font spacing calculations have been redone to give a better
  result. The standard edge reductions are now all 0.
* An OSCLI command has been added (also a CLI command).
* Minium and maximum auto-width bounds have been added in the keys file. Also
  auto-width is now mode dependent (auto-width is on by default now).
* If a file has been changed on disc while being edited and is then loaded,
  it will not overwrite the one in Zap and a warning will be given.

From third parties:

* New version of the LineEditor - thanks to Olly Betts.
* Updated ZapMje - thanks to Martin Ebourne.
* A softwrapping text mode - thanks to Daniel Wagenaar.

Bugs fixed:

* Several throwbacks running at once should now put things in the right file.
* Cursor now flashes properly even when using !Help.
* Keypad keys now work in the minibuffer (including shift space!).
* Search to buffer on 'wide windows' no longer crashes (major bug in 1.1).
* Date format string can no longer overflow in the 'Save' box.
* Multiple views on a file no longer causes rescans of the file.
* Window title now left to the Wimp on RO 3.5 + :-)
+ Many other minor things.

Bugs still present:

* The Computer Concepts Turbo driver bug still hasn't been fixed - be ware!
  (If anyone can tell me how to fix it then please write!!!)
* Quick outline fonts on funny Risc PC modes can still chop off descenders.
  Should now be ok on RO3.1 and below.

Thanks to the following for help/suggestions/donations/bug reports:

P.Allen, M.Astley, M.Avison, J.Aylett, M.Ben-Gershon, O.Betts, C.Booker,
M.Borcherds, S.Borrill, B.Brand, T.Browse, B.Brunswick, N.Carson, D.Cass,
C.Cepurneek, P.Colmer, A.Corey, M.Corley, J.Coxhead, N.Craig-Wood, G.Crow,
R.Darlington, J.Davidson, M.Dorey, M.Ebourne, F.Elisei, A.Finch, J.Freeman,
M.Geddes, I.Giblin, D.Gilbert, S.Glass, D.Good, M.Grainger, P.Greenham,
Z.Gunnar, R.Hallas, B.Harris, P.Hazel, P.Hedderly, J.Hendrix, G.Heslington,
D.Holden, D.Howe, E.Hughes, T.Hughes, M.Hughes, P.Ingram, R.Johnson,
H.Klingspohr, C.Latham, D.Layfield, T.Leddi, G.Lee, G.S.Long :-), P.Long,
M.Lukat, C.Marshall, J.Marten, C.Manning, G.McCaughan, A.McMurry,
P.McTiernan, A.Merritt, P.Moore, D.Murphy, E.Naish, T.Olsson, J.Ovesen,
I.Palmer, D.Pottage, O.Reinert, A.Raab, T.Roddis, H.Rogers, K.Sangrar,
B.Scattergood, K.Schlichting, O.Schoen, J.Smith, N.A.Smith, R.L.Smith,
A.Southgate, X.Syntixakis, G.Taylor, L.Taylor, A.Thoukydides, C.Turnbull,
J.Tytgat, E.van de Pol, J.Veness, D.Wagenaar, J.Wallace, R.Watts, P.Wheatley,
T.Willemse, M.Williams, R.Wilson, M.Wooding, Wookey, D.Xanthakis, D.Yule,

and all members of the Oxford Arc User Group.

Proposed changes 1.20-1.30
--------------------------

This version is late (as usual due to bugs turning up at the last minute) so
don't expect 1.3 to be on time! I have tagged on part of my growing
suggestions list below just so you know what things have been suggested -
don't expect me to do more than a few of them by the next version. There are
several things that are definite though:

 1. Automatic generation of backups (copying previous versions to a ~
    directory as in Emacs) and auto-saving etc.

 2. Fixing of quick anti-aliased fonts & user definable bitmap fonts.
    In particular a 16*8 set for the Risc PC would be nice. If you want to
    start designing some fonts then the format of a 'font file' will be a
    sprite file containing a single mode 0 sprite which has the characters
    arranged in a grid manner (touching each other). For example a 256
    character set of 8*8 pixel characters could be done in a 128*128 pixel
    sprite (128=16*8).  The quick anti-aliased fonts still don't work
    properly on a Risc PC. I think this is due to mode definitions (I cache
    the font to a sprite of the sam 'mode'). This will be fixed. If (as I
    suspect) it is just a problem with the ZapRedraw module then I'll
    release a patch.

 3. Proper colouring in both basic modes (PROC's and Assembler etc).

 4. Colouring in throwback mode (highlighting match etc).

 5. Explicit support of OLE.

I hear that some people are complaining about the size of Zap - saying it
takes up too much RMA. I do not see this to be a problem since the 'standard
size' of memory seems to be growing larger all the time. For the record the
RMA space taken up by Zap 1.10 was precisely 170k, and checking the beta
test version of Zap 1.20 I see it is still 170k. (That's because I have
removed Bryan's C mode from the default setup, but I don't imagine many
people wanting to run Bryan and Martin's C modes at the same time. Anyway,
Bryan's is only 7k). If this is too big then you'll have to run an older
version!

As to the date of release of the next version (1.3), that is not so certain.
It's the last year of my course (which ends October '95), and then there is
that little matter of finding a job!! So, it looks like being a very hectic
year. Maybe I should aim for April 11th, the 25th anniversary of the launch
of Apollo 13. Or maybe not, recalling what happened to it - but I'm not
superstitious! Please be patient :-)

Suggestions list:
-----------------

This is part of my accumulated suggestions list. I don't know how many I will
be able to do by the next version. If you have a suggestion not on the list
then please (e)mail me.

* Global folding - don't hold your breath!
* Adjust drag for resizing minibuffer.
* A CR<->LF command.
* Reconnect taskwindow command.
* Option to load dual edits in Read Only mode.
* Adjust on title of file removes whole throwback of that file.
* Function to expand tabs to spaces.
* Bracket matching in basic mode.
* Have a option to run a list of Zap commands in the first few lines of a
  text file, when the file is loaded.
* Indication in title when taskwindow still linked.
* Search and replace confined to region.
* Count option in search and replace.
* Update cursor posn when GotoBox open.
* Edit tabs should stop at ('s (also word plus/minus).
* Configurable pixel indent from lhs of window.
* Variable line number column width.
* Cycle window (all window) + move next one to top commands.
* Create a new window in mode/filetype via minibuffer.
* Separate commands for swap case of a char and region?
* Option to have the goto/search dboxes behaving as messydos - ie, first
  put the old choice in the dbox, but remove it if the user starts to type
  over it.
* Grungy repainting of cursor in margin borders to be improved.
* Update menu shortcuts when basemap changes.
* Want click on window with minibuffer open -> minibuffer.
* Configurable string sent to printer at end of quickprint.
* Completion of commands in the minibuffer.
* Dynamic entry of instructions in code mode.

Suggestions/Contacting me
-------------------------

If you have any suggestions concerning the main Zap module, please don't
hesitate to contact me. I will almost certainly reply if you use e-mail
(unless I can't get through, which has happened a couple of times). My
address is in the 'Copyright' file.

If your suggestions concern one of the extension modes (eg C mode) or
template files, or one of the other things in the 3rdParty directory not
written by me, then please write to the author concerned, and not to me
(unless you have trouble getting through). All their addresses are in the
3rdParty.ReadMe file.