Syntax Highlighter - Ideas/Suggestions.

[Lyerae]

I may or may not be making a new syntax highlighter for JASS2 languages (vJASS, cJASS, Zinc), and Galaxy when SC2 comes out. I won't unless I get some good ideas for extra features.

Be warned, this won't be out until 2010, when I'll be a lot less busy, but if it isn't done by summer, it'll be a lot longer (vacation in Europe. Yay. ).

But still. I wanted to get ideas, so I can better plan it.
So just throw 'em at me, and I'll see how they sound (descriptions are nice too).
This'll be in Visual Basic or C# by the way, with a port to Python sometime after summer next year.

Current features to be implemented:
- JASS highlighting.
- vJASS highlighting.
- cJASS highlighting.
- Zinc highlighting.
- Customizable themes.
- MPQ Editor.

Name suggestions are also welcome (so long as they aren't lame. )


REMEMBER!
This program depends on your ideas! Without them, it cannot be made! :thup:

Hmm. Forgot to mention. This'll be open-source when it's out of beta (version 1.0.0). :thup:

 

[Vestras]

Hello Lyerae.

I started a syntax highlighter back in early 2009. Still not finished. A syntax highlighter isn't something you just do, I suppose you're going to base your editor on the RichTextBox? That's what I did - bad idea.

It has taken me 8 months to create proper syntax highlighting, do you think you can do it faster / better? Luckily for you I'm releasing my Storm framework which is a framework for creating IDEs, however in the license it says that you cannot use it for any project that will compete with my IDE, Moonlite.

Furthermore, I don't think that you'll be able to make something that's better than mine. Sorry, but I really don't think you can. It has vJass/Zinc/cJass/Jass syntax highlighting and autocompletion, advanced parsing for syntax tree and class explorer generation, Ribbon interface like Office 2007, docking windows, the text editor is able to split into 4 dynamic views, special file formats/projects, highly extensible plugin / theme / color scheme (both for the Ribbon, text editor and docking windows) engine, etc.

My text editor has bookmarks, code folding, line numbers, smart indentation, hover-tooltips, native Win32 GDI+ rendering, etc.

Did I mention that the autocompletion dynamically gathers information about functions, methods, structs, etc., in the code and adds them to itself for easier and faster development?

It also has a automatically updating function tree/explorer which also shows the code of selected functions.

Don't believe me? Screenshot:

Spoiler

(Since I spent so much time on Storm, I haven't got that far with Moonlite... yet)
Written in C#.
Get the point?

 

[Lyerae]

> I suppose you're going to base your editor on the RichTextBox?
Nope. Was going to find a 3rd party tool, or figure out how to make one myself.

 

[Vestras]

> figure out how to make one myself

Read the rest of my reply

 

[Lyerae]

I did, and I must say, there is one line that truly annoys me.

> however in the license it says that you cannot use it for any project that will compete with my IDE, Moonlite.

I understand wanting your IDE to be the best. Every programmer wants their program to be the best. But essentially eliminating competion is a poor way to do it.
While I'm positive you can make a better IDE than me, programs like these need some kind of competition. It helps motivate the creators to actively update, create new ideas, and provides options for the users.

If you want to keep it the way you have it, your well within your right to do so. I'll just have to make my own framework, even if it takes me a year.

 

[Vestras]

> poor way to do it.

No it's not. Every software company does it. However with your arguments being quite good I will rethink that part.

 

[Im_On_56k]

Hello Lyerae.

I started a syntax highlighter back in early 2009. Still not finished. A syntax highlighter isn't something you just do, I suppose you're going to base your editor on the RichTextBox? That's what I did - bad idea.

It has taken me 8 months to create proper syntax highlighting, do you think you can do it faster / better? Luckily for you I'm releasing my Storm framework which is a framework for creating IDEs, however in the license it says that you cannot use it for any project that will compete with my IDE, Moonlite.

Furthermore, I don't think that you'll be able to make something that's better than mine. Sorry, but I really don't think you can. It has vJass/Zinc/cJass/Jass syntax highlighting and autocompletion, advanced parsing for syntax tree and class explorer generation, Ribbon interface like Office 2007, docking windows, the text editor is able to split into 4 dynamic views, special file formats/projects, highly extensible plugin / theme / color scheme (both for the Ribbon, text editor and docking windows) engine, etc.

My text editor has bookmarks, code folding, line numbers, smart indentation, hover-tooltips, native Win32 GDI+ rendering, etc.

Did I mention that the autocompletion dynamically gathers information about functions, methods, structs, etc., in the code and adds them to itself for easier and faster development?

It also has a automatically updating function tree/explorer which also shows the code of selected functions.

Don't believe me? Screenshot:

Spoiler

(Since I spent so much time on Storm, I haven't got that far with Moonlite... yet)
Written in C#.
Get the point?

I am wondering why it took you 8 months to make this. Not to mention (almost)everyone of your features are what is generally expected for every syntax highlighter to have, or at least expected by the general public even though many of those 'features' are rather pointless.

I also find the ribbon interface quite annoying, maybe it's just that I don't like a third of my screen (exaggerated) being covered up by one big ass toolbar.

 

[Vestras]

I am wondering why it took you 8 months to make this. Not to mention (almost)everyone of your features are what is generally expected for every syntax highlighter to have, or at least expected by the general public even though many of those 'features' are rather pointless.

I also find the ribbon interface quite annoying, maybe it's just that I don't like a third of my screen (exaggerated) being covered up by one big ass toolbar.

It took me 8 months because of the fact that I am a perfectionist. It takes time to create good stuff. I wanted to find the best, most efficient way to do all the kind of stuff that my Controls need to do, which is all in all 50 things or so. I think that 8 months for figuring out how to do 50 things the best way is OK.

You might not know it, but making your own syntax highlighter is a tough and long work. And I think you misunderstood something, the syntax highlighter didn't take me 8 months, it was the whole framework.

You might not like the ribbon interface, but the overall PC user uses the ribbon interface every time they use the Office 2007 pack, which mostly is rather often, and therefore they get used to it. That's why I use it. But hell, I might even make a mode to use menustrips instead of the ribbon.

 

[Im_On_56k]

It took me 8 months because of the fact that I am a perfectionist. It takes time to create good stuff. I wanted to find the best, most efficient way to do all the kind of stuff that my Controls need to do, which is all in all 50 things or so. I think that 8 months for figuring out how to do 50 things the best way is OK.

You might not know it, but making your own syntax highlighter is a tough and long work. And I think you misunderstood something, the syntax highlighter didn't take me 8 months, it was the whole framework.

You might not like the ribbon interface, but the overall PC user uses the ribbon interface every time they use the Office 2007 pack, which mostly is rather often, and therefore they get used to it. That's why I use it. But hell, I might even make a mode to use menustrips instead of the ribbon.

The overall PC user does not use office everyday. The overall PC user generally runs some form of application which does not use the ribbon interface. You have your theory backwards.

You might not know it, but making your own syntax highlighter is a tough and long work

I've made one before. The main features of a syntax highlighter mainly share the same base code, it's just bits and pieces you have to add to declare how the text is manipulated, which isn't really complicated at all.

In the end I am still puzzled on your 8 month time frame to make this, even with what you have stated.

 

[Tru_Power22]

Very cool, I'm looking forward to seeing the first release of this.

Wish you could implement it into the Jassnewgen pack.

 

[Romek]

Quit hijacking this thread, Vestras.

If you're looking to advertise your stuff, this isn't the place for it.
I've deleted some of the useless posts.

 

[quraji]

Lyer, are you talking about making syntax highlighting or making a code editor?

And I think you misunderstood something, the syntax highlighter didn't take me 8 months, it was the whole framework.

It has taken me 8 months to create proper syntax highlighting, do you think you can do it faster / better?

Weird.

 

[Lyerae]

> Lyer, are you talking about making syntax highlighting or making a code editor?

Stand-alone syntax highlighting, like JassCraft.
I might actually be doing this in C.
There's a project that I want to help develope, and it's written in C, so if I decide to help develope it, I'll make this in C instead.

@Romek
Thanks.