[Geany] compile, build, run for custom filetype

[spir]

On 02/07/2012 10:00 PM, Lex Trotman wrote:
> On 8 February 2012 03:29, spir<denis.spir at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> On 02/06/2012 09:11 PM, Lex Trotman wrote:
>>> PS Note there is a wiki entry on configuring the build system at
>>> http://wiki.geany.org/howtos/configurebuildmenu
>>
>>
>> First, thank you and bravo for this wiki page on the topic. It is great and
>> above all clear. Reading it not only helped but also launched a few comments
>> to possibly still ameliorate the system on details, and a 2 questions on
>> remaining obscure points.
>> If ever I finally understand things well enough, I'll help and improve the
>> wiki page.
> Yes, please help explaining, but please check proposed changes here
> first, it annoys the wiki administrator having to revert erroneous
> changes.
Right. Anyway i need to be sure i understand properly.
>> Also add one on settings for Go, and possibly a general one on
>> how to introduce a new language (this badly lacks in geany doc).
> New wiki pages are welcome.
Right (they don't break existing stuff ;-)
>> *** Questions ***
>>
[... all fine, thanks for your clear answers ...]
>> *** Comments ***
>>
>> * Build Menu orga
>> It may be reorganised so that the 3 configurable sections (out of 5) come
>> 1st, 2nd, 3rd. And --is it possible to have a bigger separation with the
>> other 2 sections?
> The organisation has been the same for a long time, you would have to
> have a good argument to change it.  (and probably expect to be flamed
> on the ML, users get *so* attached to their GUIs) I wasn't around when
> it was first proposed, but as I say in the wiki, I believe it is laid
> out in the order of the usual C workflow, compile/link one file, make
> a whole lot of files, search for the errors, execute the result if no
> errors.  And prefs is last as usual.
Right.
>> * No dealing with system config
>> The user ideally should not have to deal at all with system-general config
>> files, which also deal as geany defaults IIUC.
>> Possible solution: In the latest versions, there are entries in the 'Tools'
>> menu to allow editing some config files directly in geany itself. One of
>> this entries allows editing filetypes.common; if the user version does not
>> yet exist (in the user config folder), it is then created by copy (from the
>> system config folder). Add one entry to edit user filetype config files. Do
>> the same as for filetypes.common. To select the filetype: (1) a submenu like
>> for setting the filetype (2) a popup with a rolling list (3) a popup with a
>> text field to type the (case-insensitive) filetype name.
> Yes, extending the menu to the other config files is likely to be
> useful, patches welcome.
This would be very nice.
>> * Easy config of new filetype
>> This would deal as recommended way to create a *new* filetype: open an
>> existing one for edition in geany, save it at once as config file for the
>> new filetype, edit it. There should be a standard one having the structure
>> and entries with common sensible values, for cases when no appropriate model
>> filetype exists (present filetypes.Geany.conf seems to be configured for
>> Vala). Entries for which no sensible value exist should be present anyway,
>> so that the user knows about them.
 > 1. if making a custom filetype (which is based on an existing one) 
you would copy the existing filetype as a start
 > 2. if making a completely new filetype there is no prototype, it 
depends on what capabilities the lexer in Scintilla exposes and how they 
are mapped to the config file.

Sorry, I was unclear. I was referring to the point above, the ability to 
edit filetype config files from within geany, with transparent copy to 
the user config dir if not yet existing:
To create a new filetype, it is clearly good practice to copy from an 
existing one. Instead of explicitely copying from the system-wide config 
files, as we do now, using the above feature we could just open the 
existing filetype config file inside geany, and save it under the proper 
name for the new filetype. (The only issue beeing the difference in 
naming scheme for custom filetypes, evoked below, but that's independent.)

>> * No "filetypes.Lang.conf"
>> Filetype config files should all have the same naming pattern. For a new
>> language, instead of filetypes.Lang.conf, why not just filetypes.lang? In
>> addition, having the name capitalised only for new filetypes is a source of
>> annoying issues.
> You can call your custom language anything, up to you, but since it is
> displayed it is better to use a name with capitalisation.  For builtin
> types there is an internal mapping to the displayname, so they use
> lower case, but for custom filetypes it always has to be the same so
> that Geany can relate settings in filetypes.extensions to the language
> etc.
Right.
>
> Custom filetypes have a conf extension so that they get the right
> filetype (.conf) when opened by Geany.  It would be nice if the
> built-in filetypes did the same, I am often annoyed by Geany trying to
> format filetypes.c as a C file, but it would be hard to change and
> remain backwardly compatible with all the existing edited
> filetypes.lang files in user directories.
Right ;-)
>> * Filetype config file names
>> Better, also solve this: filetype config files are often edited in geany
>> (else, other editors also have styling for common languages). Since the
>> names of the config files end in the name of the languge, thjey are styled
>> as if they were source code of this language, instead of just config files.
>> Solution: reverse the logic, or rather reset it as should be: lang.cfg
>> instead of filetypes.lang.
> See above.
Pleased to see I'm not the only one.
>> * no tweaking of filetype_extensions.conf
>> Filetype extensions should be declared in the filetype config file.
> You find the config file by looking up the language name in
> filetype_extensions.conf.  Geany does *not* read all the language
> definition files, only the ones needed for open files.
>
>> Actually, all the config for a filetype should be in a single file. I first
>> thought there could be no filetype_extensions.conf at all, but this may
>> force geany to read all filetype confg files at startup. Instead, there
>> could a generated one, updated when filetype config files are edited in
>> geany, or whenever geany detects a modif (by last edition time), or via the
>> menu entry "Tools/Reload Configuration".
> This would still require Geany to look at all the config files to see
> which ones had changed, ok its stating it not loading it, but you
> would have to keep doing it.
Is it a big deal at startup to review the time stamps of files 
filetypes.* in ~/.config/geany/filedefs, and extract an "extension=*.x" 
line for the ones having changed? (I'm really asking, not making bad 
spirit.)
Since I'm learning Go, I may find the time to do it as an exercise, i 
have not yet touched the os or fs packages ;-) (You would just have to 
translate back the routine to C or c++ --I don't even know in what lang 
geany is coded!)
>> * config file doc
>> Comments in config files may be rewtritten (they have improved, but
>> still..).
> Patches are welcome :)
>
>> Some param names can be clearer. (Naming is doc.)
> Provide suggestions, being aware that backward compatibility needs to
> be kept as much as possible.
>
>
You know, I have stopped to do that for a while already, because it is 
depressive experience to do sincere and durable efforts for the common 
good (after such suggestions as yours) and never see your work into the 
product, or 1% of it, or 3 years later. Guess you see what I mean...
Reason why I love wikis. Geany's doc could be a wiki --not only 
additional texts such as your guide for the build menu. But it's only 
me, indeed.

Denis