Re: Some feature ideas.

[Lars Clausen <lrclause cs uiuc edu>]

On 09 Jul 2002, mickael.wolff@laposte.net wrote:
>   Hello the ml !
> 
>   I'm experementing use of this tool, in professionnal condition (I make
> analisys of my stage's project with it). And I'll need some
> improvements. I'm using UML capabilities.
> 
>   I wanna add an class attribute without edit entire object, simply by
> object menu (third mouse button). This can be productive. In same topic,
> you can implement adding an attribute to a selection of object.

Changing the simple (boolean) properties of a class (or group of classes)
could easily be done from the object menu.  Adding new attributes that way
would take more work, though I can definitely see where it would be handy.
Especially for adding to a group of classes.

>   More, growing selction capabilities (as nautilus or MS-Explorer with
> ctrl-Mouse_Click). But I think you allready think it.

Shift-click will already grow selections.  And the Select menu have
some rather fanciful selection options.

>   Restrict working area to paper/A4/Letter format (be optionnaly, off
> course), for easy printing.

Well, the blue lines already show the paper format.  Or you can set it to
fit to a certain number of pages (typically 1x1 is good) in the page setup
dialog.

>  Finally, for lisibility of document, in a class, align messages,
> properties, arguments and type of message. Like it :
> 
> /------------------------------------------------------------\
> |  My class                                                  |
> >------------------------------------------------------------<
> | +name_message          (arg1:type, ard2:type)  :type       |
> | -very_big_name_message (another_arg:some_type) :other_type |
> \------------------------------------------------------------/

I see your point, but it can also lead to unusually wide classes:

/---------------------------------------------------------------------------\
|  My class                                                                 |
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------<
| +short                 (arg1:some_very_long_type, ard2:type)  :type       |
| -very_big_name_message (another_arg:some_type)                :other_type |
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------/

If there are many methods in a class, this is likely to happen.

-Lars

-- 
Lars Clausen (http://shasta.cs.uiuc.edu/~lrclause)| Hårdgrim of Numenor
"I do not agree with a word that you say, but I   |----------------------------
will defend to the death your right to say it."   | Where are we going, and
    --Evelyn Beatrice Hall paraphrasing Voltaire  | what's with the handbasket?