Replacing "Start Up Center" and mapping the IDE startup chain

[OpenXTalkPaul]

So when the IDE starts up it loads libraries (front scripts, back scripts, etc.) and the home script, then it launches a "Start Up Center" Stack.

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The startup center is basically the equivalent of the "Home" Stack that HyperCard users will remember.

After quickly commenting out or changing branding stuff, links to a certain business, and other things related to commercial builds theming (different color/icon sets). I'm left with something like this:

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Notice the file links on right that were still left in from when the stack was originally built!

There's a seperate behaviour script that replaces the contents of this start center stack on startup, adding things like announcements retrieved via internet. I don't like that as it slows down loading, and there's no point to having it anymore.

It might be good and easiest to just replace the whole start center stack?
Maybe something like the old "Home" stack, that's user customizable?
Thoughts?

[OpenXTalkPaul]

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[richmond62]

Just replace the thing with a stack that has a brief "Welcome" message and
an explanation that OpenXTalk is "son of Superman".

[boley]

Sometimes I think a blank page is too intimidating to people. Icons representing links to some built in examples and functionality like the original Hypercard would be useful I think. I also prefer to only display "brag screens" behind "About" icons and menus, otherwise its just a useless extra click each time you go to do work when starting the program.

[richmond62]

In LiveCode on can stop the Startup Center from showing, which I always do.

[richmond62]

One thing that is a right pox is that with LC 9 any changes one makes to IDE stacks from inwith the IDE do not
stick between sessions, something they did in earlier versions.

[xAction]

I think first run it should come up with something, definately not that overloaded Hypercard mess. Yikes.
Much more streamline.

A splash screen for the software is important, a menu or tab to card of default examples would be handy for first run, include a 'hide this in the future' checkbox and

A 'choose a new start up stack' option which could be useful for educators to direct their students to specific content

An 'open last user stack on startup' option should be available.

A "reset first run splash card (always, once) " option in the preferences would be good for resetting the IDE for whatever reason, like a new group of students.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

One thing that is a right pox is that with LC 9 any changes one makes to IDE stacks from inwith the IDE do not
stick between sessions, something they did in earlier versions.

You have to explicitly save them after you've edit them, I use Project Browser & Contextual menu to do that.

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[OpenXTalkPaul]

I think first run it should come up with something, definately not that overloaded Hypercard mess. Yikes.

I was just joking, that was HC 1.2! HC 2.x home had a little bit less clutter.

A splash screen for the software is important, a menu or tab to card of default examples would be handy for first run, include a 'hide this in the future' checkbox and

I agree

A 'choose a new start up stack' option which could be useful for educators to direct their students to specific content

An 'open last user stack on startup' option should be available.

A "reset first run splash card (always, once) " option in the preferences would be good for resetting the IDE for whatever reason, like a new group of students.

I think these are all good ideas! I definitely think it should be a user customizable "Home" start stack and settings.
I found that very useful with HC, I added script to that stack and had message box "macros" to do certain things, like type "re" to launch Resource Editor. And It had "recent stacks" and I had a link to a stack used to store GUI elements for later cut and pasting. Of course now there's "plug ins" that can be used like that too I guess.

[richmond62]

Is there not a danger that we get distracted, when, initially at least, our
job (such as it is) is to remove all the LC branding and replace it with OXT stuff;
then we can fiddle around with stacks and the IDE.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

Is there not a danger that we get distracted, when, initially at least, our
job (such as it is) is to remove all the LC branding and replace it with OXT stuff;
then we can fiddle around with stacks and the IDE.

Yes but there was branding, and links to sites on that thing, and it's the loads (or not) from home stack's on startup script.

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I basically made it non-functional in the process of removing those things.

[xAction]

Yeah just remove whats there an dstart from scratch with that. Start with nothing, then develop something for the startup later.

[richmond62]

Those blue stars look like a widget.
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I used the Application Overview to strip out almost everything with no obvious problems:
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[richmond62]

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Seem unable to import images! Add buttons, or anything else, which leaves me unco forfauchit.

[richmond62]

Nothing added, almost everything taken out.

[richmond62]

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Aaaaaaah!
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[SethMorrow]

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Aaaaaaah!
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This is great, thanks Richmond! I like both the unbranded and rebranded versions. I'll probably go with the second.

I replaced

Code: Select all

put revEnvironmentToolsPath()&"/toolset/resources/community/ideskin/splash.png"

with this this one, and it looks great. Paul's awesome icon is, well.. awesome.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

With a couple of more adjustments to the menubar menus items and that toolbar thing that goes across the top (upgrade btn), I THINK most of logos, LC name text, and links to LC specific sites have been removed or altered to be more generic.

I didn't change some things like links to handy web lessons pages because I don't have something suitable to replace it with.

As another example there's a link in the help menu that searches stack overflow site for things staged with [livecode] so I added +or+HyperTalk (the only other xTalk there as an existing tag, so far as I could tell) to the"Technical Questions..." url for that menu item.
I guess those could mostly be removed from that menu entirely. I've never really used them, just the example stacks and lessons.

[SethMorrow]

With a couple of more adjustments to the menubar menus items and that toolbar thing that goes across the top (upgrade btn), I THINK most of logos, LC name text, and links to LC specific sites have been removed or altered to be more generic.

I didn't change some things like links to handy web lessons pages because I don't have something suitable to replace it with.

As another example there's a link in the help menu that searches stack overflow site for things staged with [livecode] so I added +or+HyperTalk (the only other xTalk there was an existing tag on SO for) to the url for that menu item.
I guess that could be removed from that menu entirely.

I've been playing with your revMenuBar and revAbout stacks from the DPE github today. I actually removed all but a few items from the help menu, as many of them link directly to LC. i personally removed all but the start center, forums, license agreement and about. I also debranded the about stack. I could try to submit changes to your github if any of that sound like something you'd incorporate into your version.

[OpenXTalkPaul]

I had already rebranded the about box, but I might not have pushed it to my repo.
Please do use GitHub if you can, that way it's a little easier to track what gets changed.

I think a color scheme would be good to have. I left the Community Green in a bunch of spots, just stamped out the logo, but I was thinking Black, Purple/Blue and Orange/Peach? Sort of like the icon (and HC's Icon) or the forum is now?

It's now mostly just a mater of replacing those image files.

Also for the about, I think we should keep the scrolling box of names of people who donated to the kickstarter, and add names from stretch and the other funding campaigns they did, and any new contributions to our project here. It's just a text file in the IDE root