There are people still using the script editor? It doesn't have any debugging facility integrated so I find it pretty much useless for any script bigger than 20 lines. All my scripts are external, that way I can actually attach a debugger and look at object values / place breakpoints. Now if only I could do the same for internal scripts...

I'm curious how other people debug their scripts, as maybe there is some stuff available I overlooked.

Damn!  That is awesome!!! 

All I can ask for that hasn't been mentioned here would be 2 small things.

 

1. A way to toggle sounds in DX. People are always asking me how to kill those annoying sounds, while others, like myself, like them.

2. A way to turn off labels on the shortcuts added to DX. For instance. When I make a DX theme, after uploading it to the gallery, I add my shortcuts to the drag and drop menus. About 64 to 80 of them. Then I export it as a widget. I can make the label color default a magic pink, but when you export as a widget, that is nullified. So I have to go properties for each of the 64-80 icons and delete the text. It is ugly and cumbersome to have the text left there...especially if it is something like, "SureThing CD Labeler Microboards Edition 5." Takes up a lot of space in a menu. A simple way to toggle labels would save me a lot of work.

3. ( I know I said 2.) A simple way to have said drag and drop shortcuts to lock into place, rather than doing it one at a time for all 80 shortcuts. sViz has created a template that locks the shortcut, and removes the text and it works very well, but not all users know how to script. Of course, I can go into object navigator and highlight only the shortcuts and right click and lock in properties, but a simpler way would be nice.

 

Other than these 3 things, I can only think of one more request.....God-Like powers hard coded into DesktopX !!!!  

Dear Zu, you are always encouraging me.    So I'm very calm and happy now!    

It's funny but I'm one of those strange people.   Just a little habit...

One more important detail!

Many of us likes use the DesktopX Form to create simple Toolbox or Control Panel for their widgets/gadgets. No doubt - this is very useful addition to DesktopX. But there is one unpleasant problem. We don't have any chances to edit the size of its elements (like TextBox, Combolist, etc..). As well to change their position inside the Form and the distance between each of them.    As a result - the final product looks like unfinished...

So please add the ability to edit (customize) DesktopX Form and its elements. It would be really great!

Still listening.  Thanks!

Another impotrant thing... It would be great to see *.avi in the list of Supported Formats (Object -> States -> Appearance -> Image) to use the real animated textures in the widgets/gadgets skinning...

I think that there are several improvements that can be made which fall into 4 main categories:
1. Bugfixing
2. Additional functionality
3. Developer tools
4. Ease of use tools

1. Bugfixing
In addition to those already mentioned ...
Fix AX control bugs e.g. ...
Control.Border = False is broken on the DX Edit control
Sometimes controls don't appear on loading until they/their parent is moved
On crashing sometimes a duplicate of the last object in the navigator is created. This causes subsequent problems and crashing until manually removed from the theme2.ini file

2. Additional functionality
Some simple things could be added like improving tooltips
a. Allow a custom background
b. Allow custom font
c. Control over positioning relative to cursor
d. Maximum width/auto wrapping

3. Developer tools
Improve the Object Navigator
a. Ensure that it defaults to a sensible font so I don't have to manually uninstally fonts like Batang he to get it to display correctly / allow font choice to be saved globally
b. Make viewing more sensible - allow a tree view so children can be hidden unless I want to see them
c. Allow colour coding so I can quickly and easily find a specific object
d. Fix sorting - if I click to sort using a column how do I get it back to the default view without closing and reopening the Navigator
e. Allow me to exlude certain objects from export. In scripting objects are often created dynamically (e.g. calendars) and it would be easier to allow objects with certain names to be excluded when you "Select All"

4. Ease of use tools
I think that there have been a lot of valid points made above and I like the concept that you presented sViz, but I think we need to step back and make sure that this model is extensible.
Let me explain further ...
The key thing is that we have templates already. That is one of the key benefits of DX, in that you can load widgets and tweak them. These are our templates!

For example here is a perfectly functional calendar and here is the article explaining how to use it.
Whilst this is 5 years old it is still totally valid today.

Likewise, if you want weather then here is an equally old, but equally functional object.

What we need is an agreed standard for how we publish and utilise these within DesktopX.

Once we have this then what sViz proposed in the video is totally doable and extensible, because new "template" items can be added in a structured way (probably a tree/dropdown rather than icons because this is more flexible).

Users can create their own template item whether this is a complex set of objects, or a simple template for a text object or mask as per the video.

A standard implementation method is what will be required to sure that object names are not duplicated. Though clever use of programming (Object.Parent and Object.Name) we can ensure that all object names are relative and therefore it would be easier when cloning (using a method different to the current one).

Finally I believe we need a standard way to interact with the user. These template objects need to know where to get and put information in a structured way. Several years ago I proposed a CUI (which stood for common user information), which basically was an XML file when standard information was stored (Example of the draft).

OK, I think that's enough of a document for now.

I'd be delighted to assist in the development of this sort of thing. It's just the sort of thing that would encourage me to spend more time with DesktopX. However, what I (and I expect other developers) need is some reassurance that this sort of hing would be implemented and that the time spent working on this wouldn't be in vain.

Look forward to hearing what other people think.

M.

Also a few words about DesktopX E-mail Notify plug-in...

Certainly this is very useful addition! But it doesn't alow us to check incoming messages on Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo (and on a few other popular Web Mail Servers). 

At the same time the similar plug-in which included to the Wincustomize Toolbar can do this! So I think that DesktopX Developer Team can make us very happy if they finally decided to modify the DX plug-in and it will work no worse than the similar part of WC Toolbar!

Let's wait...

P.S. Hey Martin! You've wrote a great article!

I just started with DesktopX, but one thing I'd like to see, is a way for DesktopX to use Themes that are marked "for this or that resolution ONLY". One in particular is the LCARS Theme by HG_Eliminator which can be found here.

I browsed the entire gallery, and you have no idea how many great-looking Themes I had to discard from consideration because they were only for certain resolutions that I cannot/do not wish to use.

If only that was possible,self-resizing DXthemes. 

That would be even better than hoping for all themes to be RI in the future.

I would have a downloading-gasm.

Well how about a submission rule:
"All submitted Themes need to be Resolution Independant to be considered for Moderation."

I am Admin on a website for the Logitech G15 keyboard, and I do Overlays for said Keyboard.
Request Thread
G15v1 Thread
G15v2 Thread
And I have very strict rules for user-submitted Overlays, probably as a result of this,
most of the Overlays there, were done by myself.
The rules however ensure that every posted Overlay is easily usable for anybody,
regardless of their printer or experience with graphic programs.

IMHO.. resolution dependency has held back DX more than anything.

 

I'd have to totally agree with that, I had a look a long time ago at DesktopX, but the resolution problem held me away from buying.

Nuts.. that was one i really want - in Acad programming there was a way to "place" items into the dialog box.

Things like "ROW" "COLUMN" "WIDTH" etc.  Being able to modify this screen even with a layout file of some sort would be awesome.

 

One other item that i would love to be able to work on is a "dynamic" change to the task icon, so i could make a gadget with say a weather icon that shows the current weather in the icon, or even the current temp.

 

I think there are TONS of posts out there with bug fixes and issues that need addressed.  I just spotted this thread, and will have to work out some new ideas.  Most have to do with ease of re-use of code, componants, etc. 

 

Also.. .one of the major things is to have a much easier way to access "code".  I had plans for this with desktopx.info but that just didnt work out, the idea of a "script repository" and an "integrated" way to import these into dx EASILY would make coding so much better.  Things like Read/Write/Create INI Files, reading drive space, etc.  I know a lot of things have been made into DLL's but these are not easily updated, a web-based repository would be aweome, and having this supported by SD would make it that much better.   Id be more than willing to help put together some scripts, etc.