Scripting - Watch list - Variables dissapear

[bad4u]

Hi. I've got a little problem when in scripting / editor mode and I put some variables on the watch list.

I have the variables window stuck on the bottom of the editors window. When the window is not stretched to whole screen and I move it around, the variables dissapear from the list, or to be more precise they get invisible (when I stretch the window to fit the complete screen I can see them again). They only disappear when I move the window from right to the left, not vice versa (or is it only when the window reaches the right side of the screen and then is moved back ?) ^^

I do not think that this happened on previous (3.5.0.x) version, too, cause I use this pretty often to see more of quite long variables (on getpage etc) - I move the window to the left, then stretch the right side as far as possible. But I will try previous version this evening again..

Btw. I tested on two different computers and the bug appears the same (they have both ATI graphics - one onboard X200, one AGP 9800 - I hope it's not the current version of the ATI Catalyst driver).

[bad4u]

Just did some more tests.. no problems on 3.5.0.2 , same problem on 3.5.1rc4.

[antp]

That's a quite interesting bug... and I wonder how I will fix that.
It is probably in the library that I use for the toolbars, which was upgraded between 3.5.0.2 and some beta/rc version of the 3.5.1
Maybe the best way to "solve" that would be to display variable value in a popup window when you double-click on it? (like when you do "evaluate" in the code).
So you would not have to stretch the window.
If it is OK for you I can quickly add that.
Else I will have to find a trick to force the window to refresh correctly...

[bad4u]

So the bug is reproducable for you ?
I've noticed that it always appeared when the right frame of variables window has reached the right side of the screen and you then move it to the left again. It appears if variables window is not stuck to editor window, too.

If the variable could be shown in a popup when double clicking, this would be helpful for checking very long varibles, as even if stretching the window to the maximum only shows the beginning of these (stretching the window is limited). Just to be sure about that: The popup would be in addition to the variables list, it would not replace it, correct ?

Btw.. do you still have rc1 to rc3 uploaded somewhere ? If so, I could test on which version the problem appeared first, maybe that could give some more hints for solving it. I would guess that it happened when you improved Vista support (if I remember correct, there was a bug on Vista that made the field descriptions disappear under certain conditions.. similar bug?)..

But there is no need to hurry.. it only makes editing uncomfortable, not impossible

[antp]

Just to be sure about that: The popup would be in addition to the variables list, it would not replace it, correct ?

Sure. The popup already exists actually: if you do a right click on a variable in the code and click "evaluate", it shows it. I was simply planning to add the possibility of getting that popup from the watch list in addition of getting it from the code editor.

Btw.. do you still have rc1 to rc3 uploaded somewhere ? If so, I could test on which version the problem appeared first,

As I did not change anything in that, I guess that it appeared when I updated the toolbar library (toolbar2000/tbx), which also handles these floating windows. I do not see what else could be the cause of that.
It is not related to the bug happening in Vista, though that the result is similar.

But there is no need to hurry.. it only makes editing uncomfortable, not impossible

Adding that popup is just 1 line of code, and so I can built another exe for you

[bad4u]

Sure. The popup already exists actually: if you do a right click on a variable in the code and click "evaluate", it shows it.

Argh.. shame on me. I just did not know this.
I don't think there's a need to call the popup from the watchlist then. Or just add it for the next official update, no need to compile a new exe for it now - but thanks a lot

But would it be possible to add a scroll bar to (i.e. for long variables from getpage) and/or the possibility to mark and copy text from that "evaluate" popup (didn't work on watch list, too, and I was missing that seriously ) ?

[antp]

You can copy window contents with Ctrl+C (and then paste it in a text editor for example) but indeed it would be easier with a text area in a window, allowing to scroll and select text. So I will do that in next version.

[J]

Hi antp,

unfortunately the same problem appears to me when moving the variables window the way bad4u did. There is still a tiny part left at the right side of the window, but there´s no way to stretch it again or get access to it.
Using evaluate is mostly a practical workaround displaying one variable, but not that comfortable.

But there is another problem for me with the variable window.
When I tryed to display a very long variable I used with getpage, the second time I started the script, I got an access violation error in modules comctl32.dll and user32.dll or sometimes got straight back to desktop.
This is still reproducable when only pressing the "add variable watch" button and then running the script twice.
With access to the variable window, the solution was to clean the particular variable before the next run, but now i´m not able to do this.

Anyway, without using the variable windows the problem isn´t that important. Hope you get the problem fixed for the next version, and also missing a scrollbar for variable watch.

Thanks
J.

[antp]

But what's the use of such long variable in the watch list?

[J]

To be precise, not the variable name itself is long, but the content.

To answer your question, it´s a fast & easy way to watch the result after cutting a lot of different HTML-stuff out of a long movie description. (e.g. at filmstarts.de i wrote a script for).

[antp]

To be precise, not the variable name itself is long, but the content.

Sure

To answer your question, it´s a fast & easy way to watch the result after cutting a lot of different HTML-stuff out of a long movie description. (e.g. at filmstarts.de i wrote a script for).

Indeed, but for that a multiline window would be better then, as with the watch-list you do not see much of the page contents.
Maybe one small floating window per variable is better for that kind of data (i.e. a non-modal "evaluate" window which refresh itself)

[J]

Right.

Not really a mess, even the evaluate window is not sufficient in any case. But it works much better than the watch-list does.

Sorry to ask, but how do I open more than one window for different variables at the same time?

[antp]

Currently you can't