

Show HN: Cappuccino-like framework in JavaScript, here is my start on "Atlas" - visualR
http://nodestep.hokuasoftware.com/ib/

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veidr
Why call it the exact same name as the very-similar-but-not-the-same
Cappucino/Objective-J IDE product from 280 North?

Even though 280 North's IDE named Atlas is now defunct, think of all the
google-search confusion that will result. It'd be kind of like naming a new
GNUStep Objective-C IDE for Linux "ProjectBuilder".

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visualR
It wont be called Atlas. Right now Im just relating it to Atlas, which like
you said is defunct. Im just in the early stages of developing the framework
and tools and am looking for feedback.

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veidr
Ah, I see. Hence the quotes, sorry, I should have gotten that.

I developed some pretty complex apps using Cappuccino and Atlas, before
Motorola bought them and shitcanned it. But even before that happened, I
stopped using Atlas, and I think there are probably a lot of lessons about how
not to make a GUI-builder-IDE-like-thing that one could derive from Atlas (and
a lot of similar projects). Doing the GUIs in code actually ended up being a
lot easier.

Smart guides and drag and drop are great when they work, but infuriating when
they don't snap to the right coordinates, and the inspectors don't let you
edit all the properties you need.

My advice/feature request for you and anybody contemplating a similar project
is to have some part of your GUI builder that lets the user get 'close to the
metal', such that in cases where the GUI to build your GUIs isn't yet
smart/sophisticated enough to do what they need, they can directly edit the
underlying representation of the GUI objects (which kind implies that it is
some kind of human readable textual format)/

E.g., if under the hood your GUI definition is a big JSON structure, have an
'Advanced' tab where you can directly edit that JSON, so that the user can
edit literally every single property of the objects when they need to.

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visualR
Thanks for the advice. You are right, each object is serialized as a JSON
structure (freeze dried) and then instantiated when the GUI loads. Definitely
that JSON should be editable.

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dottrap
Awesome! Are you going to rebuild Atlas? Is this going to work with
Cappuccino?

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visualR
Thanks. I am going to rebuild Atlas, but not in Cappuccino, in a new
JavaScript-only (no Objective-J) framework im calling cupertino.js. Just
looking for feedback on the idea right now.

~~~
dottrap
What will your strategy to be to associate widgets to code? Are you going to
have target/action and outlet things you can drag to separately displayed
controller source code like with Interface Builder?

