Re: SetOptions does not work with Grid
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg115802] Re: SetOptions does not work with Grid
- From: Armand Tamzarian <mike.honeychurch at gmail.com>
- Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:31:18 -0500 (EST)
- References: <igmcri$5e$1@smc.vnet.net> <ih3rdm$bgu$1@smc.vnet.net>
On Jan 20, 10:32 pm, AES <sieg... at stanford.edu> wrote: > In article <ih6eb4$3d... at smc.vnet.net>, > Armand Tamzarian <mike.honeychu... at gmail.com> wrote: > > > As it happens I just asked tech support today why SetOptions doesn't > > work with Grid (or Column) but does work with Row. The answer was that > > Row is a RowBox and Grid and Column are GridBoxes. "GridBox does not > > support SetOptions" > > > In other words it doesn't work because SetOptions isn't supported but > > no explanation of why SetOptions isn't, or can't be, supported. > > > Interestingly to demonstrate this behaviour of GridBox the response > > was first to Options[GridBox], to show the options, then > > SetOptions[GridBox] to get the message. Then do the same for RowBox. > > > When you do that you see that the system tells you GridBox has options > > but you cant SetOptions (you get a message), whereas RowBox doesn't > > have options (empty list) but you can SetOptions! > > Just a few more additions to Mathematica's extensive "gotcha!" list > (or, as someone else started calling them -- and it's a great label -- > "Today's WTF" list. The irritating thing in this case is the lack of any messages advising the usage of SetOptions is futile. Sure there is a message for GridBox but not for Grid, which is the Head most people will be trying to SetOptions for (not the underlying GridBox). Additionally there does not seem to be a source or list of what SetOptions works on and what it doesn't work on. Nothing in the SetOptions documentation. The place to spell this out to users is, IMO, in the More Information part of the documentation for a function/ Option etc. I'm also finding that many control elements cannot have their options set using SetOptions. Mike