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Re: Frontend suggestions

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg111792] Re: Frontend suggestions
  • From: Simon <simonjtyler at gmail.com>
  • Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:57:05 -0400 (EDT)
  • References: <i3r0kt$deb$1@smc.vnet.net> <i40ep0$bo1$1@smc.vnet.net>

On Aug 12, 7:26 pm, "S. B. Gray" <stev... at ROADRUNNER.COM> wrote:
> On 8/10/2010 12:55 AM, David Bailey wrote:
>
> > Since the subject of possible enhancements to the FE is being discussed=
,
> > I wonder if we could determine which feature would be most popular. I
> > have two requests:
>
> > 1)  Infinite undo!
>
> > 2)  Better documentation of functions such as Import that perform a
> > range of operations. So many details seem to slip between the cracks.
> > For example, nowhere does there seem to be a statement that .mid files
> > can be exported but not imported!
>
> > 3)  A total ban on the word "typical" - it doesn't belong in
> > documentation that is supposed to be definitive!
>
> > Please add suggestions in replies and we can see which is the most popu=
lar.
>
> > David Bailey
>
> >http://www.dbaileyconsultancy.co.uk
>
> I vote for infinite undo, AND -
>
> 1. MUCH more rational behavior of text handling in general. Some of the
> things it does are either gross bugs or totally bizarre decisions. If
> anyone else cares I will list the ones that bug me the most. Given all
> the dumb things that it does I would never consider it for serious
> writing tasks.
>
> 2. Selection of noncontiguous text like MS Word (finally) does, so you
> can apply changes to a bunch of separated text all at once.
>
> 3. Better visibility of cell properties for example non-evaluatable,
> text cells, etc.
>
> 4. Better visibility of found strings during searches. I waste time
> trying to find the things it just found. Add backwards searches and
> better notification of what it's doing.
>
> 5. An easy way to have Print work more like it does in C (a language
> that I hate). Specifically a way to print pieces of lines while Mathemati=
ca is
> calculating rather than Print working only in whole lines.
>
> Steve Gray

1) Infinite undo might be difficult in a notebook -- too many ways to
change things, but some level of multiple undo would be handy.
(Although I find teaching students in computing labs, the single step
undo is handy -- I can show them something then delete it and they
can't recover it with undo)
Also, a convenient method of version control / back-ups would be
useful.

2) I'm not sure what you mean by this...

3) I'm happy with the cell brackets - but it could be changed.

4) I agree.  Also you should be able to use the Mathematica (string)pattern
matching in their search...

5) I think that there's good reasons that Print doesn't work like in
other languages. I normally only use print when I'm debugging. But I
had a go at writing a function that does what you want:  PrintOn[expr]
will append expr to the previous Print cell.  It could do with some
cleaning and hardening though....

PrintOn[expr__]:=Module[{nb=EvaluationNotebook[],ebox=Riffle[ToBoxes/
@{expr},""],data,old},
NotebookFind[nb,"Print",Previous,CellStyle];
old=NotebookRead[nb];data=old[[1]]//.RowBox|BoxData|InterpretationBox-
>(#1&);
NotebookWrite[nb,ReplacePart[old,1-
>BoxData[RowBox[Flatten[{data,"",ebox}]]]]]]

Simon


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