Block If unreadable

[stonda]

On my computer, for each if ... I have an unreadable text for example <actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22PageTitle%22%20%2f%3e%20%20%3d%3d%20%22Vente%20de%20Billards%20professionnels%22" >, instead of <actinic:block if="<actinic:variable name="PageTitle" /> "Vente Billards professionnels"" >.
I would like to know where does the problem come from ?
Thanks

[jont]

In design tab mode click on the green >< icon to make it readable

[stonda]

Thank you John. It is easier to read !!!

[leehack]

I'd love to know why they are like they are, it stinks of yet another almost great feature. I love the blockifs, but reading them is pathetic. CamelCasing please or something else that works.

[jont]

I'd love to know why they are like they are

MakesYouThinkThatZoltan,BruceAndChrisDWereDownThePubAnd
HadAFewBeersTooManyAndCamUpWithTheWackyUnreadableVariablesAndLayoutNames

[leehack]

Thats sums it up perfectly, at least i can read it. What i don't get is how somebody never looked at them and thot, that looks shit, lets get that improved. 3 weeks useability study! scratching their bits or what?

[jont]

Not just the readability but also what they have called some of the layouts and variables.... praise be to the search facility otherwise you wouldn't stand a chance of finding owt. Probably stems from having a team of coders using their own ideas and conventions.

[Bruce]

Jont & Lee,

I have passed your sentiments on to the development team loved the description ...

Regards,

[zmagyar]

MakesYouThinkThatZoltan,BruceAndChrisDWereDownThePubAnd
HadAFewBeersTooManyAndCamUpWithTheWackyUnreadableVariablesAndLayoutNames

Ok, I must admit we really were down the pub...

Anyway, the <actinic:block> is an XML tag and the condition is stored in the "if" property. According to the XML syntax if the property value contains space then it must be quoted (see http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-xml-20001006). The quoted attribute value must be encoded to avoid problems resulted by quotes in the value. That's the reason why you see this "mess" in the editor in advanced mode.

Obviously we didn't think it is user friendly. Therefore we spent lot of effort making the editor a bit more easy to use. Can you imagine v8 with a notepad like markup editor like the current editor in advanced mode (without syntax highlight, auto complete, variable property dialog, condition editor, etc). Probably it could be done better but unfortunately only this could fit in the schedule.
Once the enhanced editor was done there was a long argument if we should completely eliminate the advanced mode to hide the internal markup. Finally we left it in assuming that there will be users who like to see what's under the hood.

BTW if you would like to see the condition unencoded then just hold the mouse pointer on top of a blockif and it will be displayed in a tooltip. :-)

[gabrielcrowe]

i dont see the code anymore.

all i see is blonde, brunette, redhead...

[leehack]

Thanks for techy point of view, question still stands - WHY did you not camel case them instead? Is this not a standard way of doing things in programming, everyone knows about the problems spaces can cause?

Were they all created and then someone said oh crumbs look at that mess in the editor and nobody could be bothered to spend 2 hours removing spaces?

You don't need extra time if it is done correctly in the first place?

If the answer is in the link you provided, i din't read it as the link doesn't work.

[jont]

It is also the naming ... some are very obscure and fit no apparent convention or pattern so finding the correct layout or variable can be a struggle until you learn where to start looking.

[zmagyar]

i dont see the code anymore.

all i see is blonde, brunette, redhead...

Gabriel deserves a personal eastern egg. Watch for v9.

WHY did you not camel case them instead? Is this not a standard way of doing things in programming, everyone knows about the problems spaces can cause?

Sorry, but what do you want to CamelCase? The problems are not with the spaces in the attribute value but rather the quotes. CamelCase wouldn't help there.

If the answer is in the link you provided, i din't read it as the link doesn't work.

Sorry, by some reason the forum thinks that ')' is also part of the link. If you remove that the page will appear. This is the correct link: http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-xml-20001006

It is also the naming ... some are very obscure and fit no apparent convention or pattern so finding the correct layout or variable can be a struggle until you learn where to start looking.

Originally developers created the variable names. You know, we are really good at inventing obscure names.
Anyway I rather leave this to ChrisD to comment when he is back from the pub.

[jont]

leave this to ChrisD to comment when he is back from the pub.

Hopefully it will be sorted by v10

Zoltan - I am impressed you are now a "Super Administrator"

[leehack]

%20 or %28 or %3d etc. <---- when i see that kind of junk making something almost unreadable, i don't understand why.

If i have an image called 'Actinic Variable.jpg', i'd expect to see 'Actinic%20Variable.jpg' online, not always but you catch my drift I'm sure.

Whereas, it should be called 'Actinic-Variable.jpg', 'ActinicVariable.jpg' or 'Actinic_Variable.jpg' etc.

So when i try to read a condition full of junk, to my simple way of thinking, it has been poorly thought out and the end user has been disregarded to some degree. I should be able to (in 2007) read a condition in something resembling plain English.

What i am trying to ascertain is why on earth this:

<actinic:block if="%28%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22PageType%22%20%2f%3e%20%3d%3d%20%22Section%22%20AND%20%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22IsStoreFrontPage%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20TRUE%29%20OR%20%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22PageType%22%20%2f%3e%20%3d%3d%20%22Brochure%22">

is so unreadable. If that is how programming is in 2007, fair enough, you can only use the tools available. However, if that could be displayed in a format readable and it wasn't, i would like to know why on earth this was not done?

Too many actinic features are good and bordering on great, they will only ever become great if as developers, you take the time to think about your target audience.