What would you add, delete, change or add to the way the current Xojo Property Inspector works.
Astheics? Functionality? anything?
I would make the default value specific to the data type i.e. a switch for a boolean value, numeric input only for number types and a popup menu for enum selection.
use less space
keyboard accessible
basically the old REAL Studio / REALbasic style that was just a custom listbox
More space for edit fields - especially method names & parameter lists.
oh I wouldn’t put method editing in the property list at all
theyre not “properties”
Allow it to be visible at the same time as the Library palette (maybe stacked vertically) without floating them.
The inspector is awful. It needs to be a property list. The lack of uniformity and wasted UI look unprofessional, and make me cringe.
I want the thing not to move when I edit something (<https://xojo.com/issue/57894>) because it makes me curse every time I edit a control. Sorting alphabetically also would be nice.
Rename the silly “value” back to “text”. I search for “text” for the default. No, it’s now “value”.
Aw. Personally, I think exactly the same about the Real Studio property list. It looks like an ugly uncreative hack.
Geoff really wanted something more like Xcode, that was more designed and less automated. You can see a little bit of that in the locking selector and font properties. The inspector was smart enough to see the 4 locking properties exist for the object, and will bundle them all into one locking editor. If you were to remove a locking property from a control, the inspector would revert to just showing 3 boolean switches.
But the fact of the matter is some level of automation is required. And that automation is completely at odds with the human-designed inspector.
I’m not sure what I’d do differently if I had to do it all over again, aside from filling in more “designed” property groups.
I’d like to see collapsible property groups. Also less flickering on windows.
See here for an example (written in Xojo). https://forum.xojo.com/42618-more-flicker-on-windows/10
Mouse over a property name, right click to show contextual menu… scroll to select " Help for (property name). That is, just as in the code editor.
Alternatively, add an info box at the bottom of the inspector area (as in the Library Inspector, where mousing over an icon will display info at the bottom of the window).
One of us is confused… I am not talking property such as variable, but Property Inspector (aka Library Inspector)
Dave, I agree fully… one of us is confused.
I was referring to this: http://documentation.xojo.com/getting_started/using_the_ide/inspector.html
In my use case, suppose I wanted to know what “Allow Auto Deactivate” means? I would mouse over the text, right click… select “Show Help for RectControl.AllowAutoDeactivate” from the (new) popup/contextual menu, and then be taken to the language reference page with that name.
Have a look at VS. RAD studio does the same thing, albeit it defaults to the wrong side. 
There’s a COMPLETE list of every property, with current values in each one. Ellipses if the property requires a dialog (font chooser, color, long text, etc.)
What drives me more crazy than the properties being all over the place instead of a list (and some on the inspector, some in settings) is that not all properties are listed in the Xojo Inspector.
I’d love to see property binding, but I get that Xojo doesn’t really support binding…
+1
That relates to the IDE’s use of the inspector & library
That wasnt Dave’s question though
Imagine you’re going to lift the inspector all by itself out and make a new user defined control that maybe you were going to sell as its own component
What would you change about the Inspector (just the inspector)
[quote=465810:@Norman Palardy]That relates to the IDE’s use of the inspector & library
That wasnt Dave’s question though
Imagine you’re going to lift the inspector all by itself out and make a new user defined control that maybe you were going to sell as its own component
What would you change about the Inspector (just the inspector)[/quote]
Id make it collapsible (accordion-like)
We made the feature request to put all build settings on one screen in the middle and not in the inspector.
Also shrinking height of entries to fit more there could be helpful.
Collapsible sections, fields and editors that make sense (method name, method parameters )
Much more dense Inspector
Font is not an “advanced” property of a control and should not be on an “advanced” tab
Lose the iOS-style switch
Basically a more modern version of the Real Studio/REALbasic Inspector.