Universal API for Smart Groups (was More options for Smart Groups (writable files, changed today...) ?
Universal API for Smart Groups (was More options for Smart Groups (writable files, changed today...) ?
- Subject: Universal API for Smart Groups (was More options for Smart Groups (writable files, changed today...) ?
- From: Jim Witte <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 13:35:39 -0500
This raises the question in my mind (probably more appropriate to
the Cocoa list or an Omnigroup list) of whether a universal API for
using Smart Groups in apps could be made - which could then be plugin
expandable (somehow). I would envision this as a standard API that
would take a NSDictionary (the source componenents), another
NSDictionary (the rule parameters), a constant or function-pointer
(the rule, be in "built-in" or user-defined or added somehow) and
return a third (ordered) NSDictionary (the output - I'm not sure if
NSDictionary's can be ordered - but some ordered container class).
This would allow Apple to standardize the UI creation and
presentation layer of Smart Groups (at least provide a way of doing
it - the way that rules are shown in the iApps, and possibly the
"source lists" - if this itself is standardized in some object), and
allow any application (including things like xCode which don't have a
very flexible SG system compared to the iApps) to use them quite easily.
I'm not sure how expansions would be done efficiently though. An
entire bundle file for just a single function and some plist defining
things (like an Applescript dictionary I guess) seems like overkill.
Such a system might also be able to be integrated somehow with
Spotlight - we can already create plug-ins for the "back-end" of SL
(the metadata index), but not the front end (as in a new kind of find
attribute for the Finder) AFAIK.
On Oct 30, 2007, at 1:52 PM, Kyle Sluder wrote:
I personally don't find them useful. If there's ever an instance
where you actually need smart groups, your team probably already has
(or really should get) a source control system, which is a better
place to look for these sorts of things. I don't think the bugs that
smart folders have introduced w/r/t the file list are worth it.
Just my $0.02 (worth less and less every day).
--Kyle Sluder
On 10/30/07, Chris Espinosa <email@hidden> wrote:
On Oct 30, 2007, at 5:16 AM, DAS Loop wrote:
There is any way to group files other than by file name? It will be
great to have, for example, a list of all the files modified since a
date or writable files (files that I have checkout from the
repository) to put two examples.
The best fit will be a Smart Group with more options (as iTunes for
example) but maybe I can use other functionalities to reduce the
number of files and to focus on the few ones that I'm working on.
It wouldn't be hard at all, but so far we've wondered whether
Smart Groups
have actually been very useful in the field. Please file an
enhancement
request at http://bugreporter.apple.com with the kinds of things
you'd like
to group files by.
Chris
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Xcode-users mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
40gmail.com
This email sent to email@hidden
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Xcode-users mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
40bloomington.in.us
This email sent to email@hidden
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Xcode-users mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden