do we need colored buttons?

[epruesse]

The Motif wrapper allows giving colors to buttons. Do we need this really? Here's where it is used:

./PARSIMONY/PARS_main.cxx:    awm->create_button(0, AWAR_PARSIMONY, 0, "+");
./PARSIMONY/PARS_main.cxx:    awm->create_button(0, AWAR_BEST_PARSIMONY, 0, "+");
./RNA3D/RNA3D_Interface.cxx:    aws->create_button(0, "1C2W: 7.5 A^ Mueller et al. J.Mol.Biol.(2000) 298, 35-59.", 0, "white");
./MERGE/MG_main.cxx:        awm->at("db1"); awm->create_button(0, AWAR_DB_SRC"/name", 0, "+");
./MERGE/MG_main.cxx:        awm->at("db2"); awm->create_button(0, AWAR_DB_DST"/name", 0, "+");
./MERGE/MG_names.cxx:        aws->create_button("MATCH", AWAR_ADDID_MATCH, 0, "+");
./MERGE/MG_names.cxx:        aws->create_button("STATUS", AWAR_RENAME_STATUS, 0, "+");
./NTREE/NT_ins_col.cxx:        aws->create_button(0, AWAR_INSDEL_AFFECTED, 0, "+");
./NTREE/ad_trees.cxx:        aws->create_button(0, AWAR_TREE_NAME, 0, "+");
./NTREE/NT_branchAnalysis.cxx:    aws->create_button(0, ntw->user_awar, 0, "+");
./EDIT4/ED4_root.cxx:    awmm->at("ecoliTxt");   awmm->create_button(0, ED4_AWAR_NDS_ECOLI_NAME, 0, "+");
./SL/DB_UI/ui_species.cxx:        aws->create_button(0, AWAR_NN_SELECTED_HIT_COUNT, 0, "+");
./SL/DB_QUERY/db_query.cxx:        aws->create_button(0, query->awar_count, 0, "+");

[westram]

Another place where colored buttons are used, is color-config (just to be complete).

As far as i can see, the buttons listed above are all used for displaying some status or similar, so i would say

• no, we don't need colored buttons,

but

• yes, we need some kind of status display.

Proposed steps (in trunk):

• add a method create_status_field to AW_window
  • pass only awar. assert no callback is bound.
• replace the above calls with that method

[epruesse]

How about always showing that a "label" (as created by create_button w/o cb) is backed by an AWAR? E.g. by putting a box around them?

I could of course implement the color thing, it's just that "+" isn't really a color. My guess is that it means "a bit lighter than before", but I'm not sure.

[epruesse]

example for frame in r10605

[westram]

Replying to epruesse:

How about always showing that a "label" (as created by create_button w/o cb) is backed by an AWAR? E.g. by putting a box around them?

Would be ok for me - but not in all cases:

If you look at NTREE/Sequence/InsertDelete/usingSAI there are two kinds of AWAR driven buttons/labels:

• one containing 'selected ranges' or 'selected columns', which is acting as part of the explaining text
• another showing the number of ranges/columns currently selected (this one should be highlighted by some means)

I could of course implement the color thing, it's just that "+" isn't really a color. My guess is that it means "a bit lighter than before", but I'm not sure.

It means "a bit lighter than the background color" (setting the background color is completely ignored in gtk version atm).

[epruesse]

Replying to westram:

Would be ok for me - but not in all cases:

True. I noticed the "ECOLI" in the editor is an AWAR, too. Might be a useful feature for DEBUG mode though.

It means "a bit lighter than the background color" (setting the background color is completely ignored in gtk version atm).

GTK suggests to mess as little as possible with the theme as this should be configured by /OS. Since I doubt we want ARB to be one of those Apps coming with a completely custom theme, I'd stick to that. Also, GTK3 has lots of changes in this regard (CSS theming for the application) so I'm thinking that we should limit the customizations in order to make GTK3 support simpler.

Maybe interpreting the "+" color as "make a frame around it" would work for the time being?

[westram]

Replying to epruesse:

It means "a bit lighter than the background color" (setting the background color is completely ignored in gtk version atm).

GTK suggests to mess as little as possible with the theme as this should be configured by /OS. Since I doubt we want ARB to be one of those Apps coming with a completely custom theme, I'd stick to that.

ack

Maybe interpreting the "+" color as "make a frame around it" would work for the time being?

I'd use a bool highlight parameter (either in create_label or some wrapper).

Did you see that the function was already called create_label in ancient times?

[epruesse]

Replying to westram:

Replying to epruesse:

It means "a bit lighter than the background color" (setting the background color is completely ignored in gtk version atm).

GTK suggests to mess as little as possible with the theme as this should be configured by /OS. Since I doubt we want ARB to be one of those Apps coming with a completely custom theme, I'd stick to that.

ack

Maybe interpreting the "+" color as "make a frame around it" would work for the time being?

I'd use a bool highlight parameter (either in create_label or some wrapper).

I'm trying not to mess with the interface too much for now. The "+" is already there, so I'd just mark it with @@@MERGE or create a ticket to refactor it post-merge?

Did you see that the function was already called create_label in ancient times?

Nope, didn't check. Funny, though.

[westram]

Replying to epruesse:

Maybe interpreting the "+" color as "make a frame around it" would work for the time being?

I'd use a bool highlight parameter (either in create_label or some wrapper).

I'm trying not to mess with the interface too much for now. The "+" is already there, so I'd just mark it with @@@MERGE or create a ticket to refactor it post-merge?

mark with @@@MERGE is fine

Did you see that the function was already called create_label in ancient times?

Nope, didn't check. Funny, though.

​One of the first refactoring tools mentions it.

[epruesse]

fixed by r10614