» Forums
» NavBar
» Feature requests
» Expand Items
» Re: Expand Items
» Re[2]: Expand Items
» Re[3]: Expand Items
» Re[4]: Expand Items
Re[4]: Expand Items
2005/09/23 20:18
Viewed 17592 times
Replies: 1/2
by mcraig

Definitely bad news. One of the features I need, and have accomplished through some ColdFusion programming, is the ability to "start" the navigation bar but add components as my code runs (using fusebox framework) so that different sections will appear or not appear based on context. In and of itself, that works...but everytime one is added, another "section" variable is simply used...rather than a unique variable name I cannot track later. I'm sure I can come up with a way but this is going to be tricky at best. If you change it, it would be nice to have that as an attribute of the section rather than have to set it after you generate().
Re[5]: Expand Items
2005/09/23 20:25
Viewed 20436 times
Replies: 1/1
by Mihai Bazon

I know; it just didn't make too much sense to implement a better API, since we're planning to bulldoze everything about NavBar and start all over for a better product. :) But this takes time...

Anyhow, I hate it when customers are not happy. If you can suggest an API that will suit you, I will do my best to implement it in the current code base as soon as possible. Just let me know how would you like it.
last
Re[6]: Expand Items
2005/09/23 20:48
Viewed 23273 times
Replies: 0/0
by mcraig

You seem extremely capable so I probably don't have any advice that would be of great help other than in the usability. The important thing (to me) is to NOT lock someone into having to just write a single script that handles everything. While I could...it is so much nicer to have a "start"...then make sections whenever you feel like it..then and "end". In fact, with my implementation, I don't use the "initializeDocument()" or whatever that example function was....in fact, I cheat and put the create code for the navbar inside the <div> tag...then, because of the fusebox environment, I build any section I want to at any time...technically they are not even viable at that point, just script components in a huge saved content variable. Once the request is complete, the layout triggers and creates (the aforementioned) "starting point", then ALL the HTML is rendered which contains the script for each section created, then each section is generated, then and "end point" process creates and synchs the menus. It works great except for not being able to API control the section at a more granular level. Fusebox is designed to basically do everything EXCEPT display the end result which is what makes tools like this tricky...you assume a linear pathway to create the menu when in some frameworks, that path is anything but linear.

The technique works great but is fundamentally flawed because the ability to create, accept components of the navigation bar and initiate require certain things (named div tags for example) in order to start...when in fact, if everything were more "componentized" this would be much much easier. It's a more OO approach to development that Javascript would not natively support. So, in a nutshell...this would be great:

  • a-
    • Be able to initialize the navigation bar at any point, even if it is with information that does not exist yet (precisely the initial div segment needed).
  • b-
    • Be able to create (append) a section to the initialized menu at any point and be able to set visual and functional methods for each section seperate of the parent menu object.
  • c-
    • Be able to generate the menu at any point.

...but those are just my thoughts based solely on the environment in which I work. Don't get me wrong...the products are great. I own three of them and love working with them.

Mike
last
Google