Eric,

Turns out current releases don't let you use h1 and the like even though you can define them with the GUI. This has already been addressed in the pending 8105 release with an HTML Object component where the user can write a line or lines of HTML.

Waz,

You really don't get answers?

Hi David, I think it got lost in the heated discussions.

quote:

David, any chance of some detail of what can be changed in the HTML file via a text editor, so we limit these issues.


I have had some circumstances where I had to edit the file, due to something I did in the GUI, that ended up adding two parameters to a control, where one of the parameters no longer exist, and adding a background colour to a control, then not being able to delete it, as the GUI removed it but it still existed in the underlying code.

I've ended up editing in an external text editor, saving the file without closing the text editor, so I can reverse out the change if something goes wrong.

David,

Thanks for letting me know about the upcoming functionality in 8.1.05. I'ld be interested to be able to see how that works when it is released.

I'm sorry. We discussed this internally and the following will be added to our documentation:

"The HTML Canvas is intended for the business developer who needs to create a launch page for WebFOCUS reports and charts. It shields the business user from the complexities of HTML, CSS, XML, and JavaScript. HTML Canvas files are not meant to be manually edited and doing such will most likely render them unable to run and we cannot support them. Developers who are familiar with HTML, and JavaScript coding who want to write their own code are encouraged to make use of the WebFOCUS Web Services Enablement Option along with the HTML Authoring Tool of their choice. There is a right-click menu option when on an HTM file in the Configured Environments tree of "Edit in windows associated tool". The user can use Windows Explorer to associate the HTM extension to an HTML editor of their choice and then this option will cause that editor to open with the HTM file. Please see the WebFOCUS Web Services documentation for further information."

So, it looks like there is no middle ground. Either you use HTML Composer or you write all the code outside of WF.

I think this can be improved for all by adding an 'HTML Text Edit' which would be turned on by a WF Admin (special license code?) and is limited to users who have permission to do this operation. If a user modifies code their USRERID and Date/Time are inserted into the HTML code as a comment. This way any changes are easily found by the user and support as needed.
The HTML Composer would see these changes and recreate it's check-digit, if everything checks out. Then, an authorized user can go back and forth between the Composer and text to take advantage of the strengths of both.

Comments?

"What do you need to do that the GUI does not allow?"

I feel this is a really unfair and leading question.

HTML Composer in App Studio v8.0.08 (the version that we'll be using for the foreseeable future) cannot do some of the things that HTML Composer in App Studio v8.1.04 and App Studio v8.2.01 and ... and ... can do. So there are several things we cannot do now using HTML Composer that we can do using code. What's the point of mentioning new features of future versions of HTML Composer? The future always looks rosy until you get to it. Quite often, it takes several updates before these new features can reliably be used.

I would like to create a responsive page with HTML Composer in App Studio v8.0.08. I cannot. I can using code.

(I'm watching discussions like this one intently, as my company is about to make the leap from v7.7.05 to v8.1.04.) This particular topic seems to show that IBI has taken the tack of "teaching to the slowest student" by not offering the desired HTML text editor which advanced users universally would welcome. To me the solution is simple: Offer up the editor and allow IBI to disavow anything altered by it. "If you break it, you OWN it!" IBI would say, and we users would have to concede.

Craig

Tech Support should have a code verification tool that can verify if the code was manually edited. If so - no tech support.

I agree with these latest suggestions.

Though, there are companies that do not/can not release their code from their control.

Tech Support already has a way to check if HTML code has been changed, the check-digit and this can be checked with Remote-Assist. This check-digit also works for users by notifying them that their code has been modified outside the HTML Composer.
What's missing is the option to edit the code outside the HTML Composer AND for the HTML Composer to reset the check-digit if all the code is valid and works, both, within WF and the HTML Composer.
With this, a competent developer could start an HTML page in the Composer, tweak it outside, and comeback to the Composer to add more WF controls that it does better than hand-coding.

I believe that their can be a middle ground if there is a will to find it.

Now, gregv's response sounds like the best suggestion put forth to date.

Oh, and I found this quote with a Google search: "Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity. It is what makes nations great and marriages happy" -- Phyllis McGinley

Thanks, Greg!

Craig

Thanks Phyllis.

Hey David,

App Studio 8201 has a bug - when I try to link a Javascript file, it doesn't get linked. I opened a ticket, and was told:

"Manually add the path to the src attribute"

We're going to production on Thursday, so if you can get us a patch by last week, maybe we won't need the text editor - until next week.

Oh, wait. You changed the functionality of the "Send Display Value" checkbox, and some of our drop-down controls have an associated _TEXT variable, and some don't. We'll still need the text editor to check for these, unless you can get us another patch for that - last week.

Thanks,
Rob

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MathematicalRob,

Hopefully David won't read this - as far as I know, he is no longer responsible for App Studio.

Meanwhile, I'm happily CODING in Dev Studio 7.7.05.

I do like "Views: 12,825" on this thread...

LOLZ

After more than 2 years of activities in this thread, it seems that the ability to edit HTML code outside HTML Composer (as it was possible prior WF8) is still a hot topic

It is only a matter of time until someone figures a method of extracting the HTML file from the BLOB in the Content area, edit it with their favourite editor and update the BLOB with the modified file.

Now if only the generated HTML would have decent code style... But, there are tools for that too!

"After more than 2 years of activities in this thread, it seems that the ability to edit HTML code outside HTML Composer (as it was possible prior WF8) is still a hot topic"

Is it because management stupidly puts developers in front of App Studio?

My 2 cents is:

As the tools stand now, InfoAssist+ should be the GUI focus, while they should be optimizing AppStudio for the developers that have to work around the GUI to get things done. Because THAT is why developers are still involved honestly (on top of user management). Either the GUI doesn't provide everything working in FOCUS still can (and takes far longer to do simple things in the GUI than just typing it out), or front-end development capabilities are still lacking and restrictive to the point we still don't want to use the GUI.

Upon seeing and hearing about the 5th version of their web client and designer they've been working on that refreshes and integrates both IA+ and AppStudio into it (if I heard and saw correctly), they might just have something good coming up that will address all these issues we've been having. I think they are going the SAAS route wherein everything will be web-based. Again, I am only going off what I've seen and heard from various folks in the know (as well as personal speculation).

Note: 8.2 is v4. I've seen v5.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CoolGuy,

Still after the carrot?

Francis,

No, I'm actually actively participating in the direction the product goes trying to influence IBI in going the directions we all want them to go in, while you help here on the forums. We've all got our place. Yours seems to be racking up forum entries and complaining. Mine is to put aside our collective differences with how the product stands at the moment and make the best of it instead of wallowing in negativity on a regular basis. Tired of that route. It just isn't enjoyable or productive. Best wishes.

Good luck with your approach. 13,000 views and many constructive suggestions here didn't make a difference.

Thanks. You as well.

quote:

Yours seems to be racking up forum entries and complaining

I wasn't suggesting that I enjoy seeing the count go up - rather that this subject seems to be of interest to several people. The thread started two years ago, and I don't think we've made any headway.

At the beginning of the thread you will see posts from someone quite arrogantly suggesting we are not developing parameter screens the correct way.

I believe the solution to this subject is quite easy: The GUI tools generate .htm files. App Studio can easily detect the file type, so why not make .html files editable only in a text editor and .htm files only in a GUI?

Oh, and Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

quote:

No, I'm actually actively participating in the direction the product goes trying to influence IBI in going the directions we all want them to go in, while you help here on the forums. We've all got our place. Yours seems to be racking up forum entries and complaining. Mine is to put aside our collective differences with how the product stands at the moment and make the best of it instead of wallowing in negativity on a regular basis. Tired of that route. It just isn't enjoyable or productive

I tried that route also a few years ago. They weren't receptive to the struggles of developers at that time. I hope things are different for you. The impression I got at that time was that unless you are one of the top 10 spending customers that make it on to that customer board that they take their ideas from, it was a waste of time. There was some talk about starting something similar with developers like us, but I never heard on whether that happened. Good luck fighting the good fight though. I hope you can help convince the right people that we need a middle ground.

Francis,

I wasn't suggesting you did enjoy it. I've had my rounds with IBI, trust me, and it didn't take me down a path I liked. All I'm saying is I'm trying to be positive now amidst the inconveniences (read bugs/"features") aplenty this product divvies out like Christmas gifts...every release. I'm not even going to look at the older posts you're mentioning. I'm just going to move on.

IBI tends to support out of dates systems and practices, such as .htm files in this case. I honestly think they should do away with .htm extensions (meant for DOS, Windows 3.x, OS/2, etc.), Palm Handheld meta tags, HTML 4.xx doctypes, outdated IE compatibility, etc. But there's probably a few customers they have that for some really sad reason need these compatibilities baked in (I fight my own "site" with what they want to support still (IE mainly).), but still want the latest and greatest features w/o being responsible enough to upgrade their practices and existing applications. Thus, IBI caters to them in this instead of cleaning their product up and forcing these handful of customers to do their part on their end. My 2 cents.

Eric,

I'm sorry to hear you didn't get anywhere with your attempts. Thanks for your encouragement. I honestly think they are going in the right direction with what they've got cooking at the moment. We may not see it till end of year or even next year, but from what I've seen, I miraculously had no quarrels with...yet. I haven't played with it myself, but hoping it makes things better.

This is how far I've got to searching inside the repository:

SELECT DISTINCT
T2.PRT_PATH ,
T2.OBJNAME ,
T2.OBJTYPE ,
T2.CLASSNAME ,
T2.CREATEDBY ,
TO_CHAR(T2.CREATEDON, 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS') CREATEDON ,
T2.LASTMODBY ,
TO_CHAR(T2.LASTMODON, 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS') LASTMODON ,
T4.OBJDESC
FROM
SVC_WF_PRD.WF_CONTENT_REVS T1
INNER JOIN
SVC_WF_PRD.WF_REPOSOBJ T2
ON
T1.OBJ_HANDLE = T2.HANDLE
INNER JOIN
SVC_WF_PRD.WF_NLSOBJ T4
ON
T2.HANDLE = T4.OBJ_HANDLE
AND T2.DEF_LNG = T4.WF_LNG
WHERE
INSTR (T1.BCONTENT, CAST('search string' AS BLOB), 1, 1) > 0
AND T2.PRT_PATH LIKE '/WFC/Repository' || '%'
and T2.CREATEDBY ='created by user id '
and t2.OBJNAME like '%name of fex file%'