Which topics would you like to see in Xdev?

As I think constructive criticism is best, why not ask which topics you want to read in Xdev. If you have a question or want to know more about something, here is your chance. To get you started:

• Xojo resources in depth (MacOSlib, Windows Functionality Suite, StringUtilities, etc)
• Start Open Source Project: Multiple document template (easily a 10 article series)
• Start Open Source Project: iTunes style sidebar
• Start Open Source Project: Enhanced ListBox (e.g. with printing, Select and Copy Columns, read & save from databases)
• Speed traps and how to avoid them (ListBox, TextArea, Databases, etc)
• Do it right: how to create a control (e.g. use constants, localize, etc - many examples are for the US market only)
• The MBS Corner
• It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find the relevant articles in Xdev, so: Article on how to create an app to catalogue your Xdev collection (searchable index, tags, pdf import, direct links to article in pdf or split article out or make a special edition app which includes all previous issues [hopefully free to those who have all issues])

I had actually started writing an article about a multiple document template. Not sure if it is any good (probably not) as I’m an advanced beginner at best but maybe I let Marc be the judge.

Over to you.

In-depth articles on WE, servers, and databases.

I think the magazine could contain fewer pages, with only a few tutorials.

@olivier vidal See my comment in Markus’s other silly thread. But really, if new authors typically get the kind of reception voiced in that thread, they’re probably not going to bother with you guys.

HiHi. Saw your comment. Laughed out loud. You request constructive suggestions

rather than offering to actually contribute something

but when I do you troll anyway. Nice going :slight_smile:

The kind of “filler” material I’d like to see (because I realize you can’t have multiple highly technical, detailed articles every issue) is an insight to a developer or business - what they have done with Xojo, their background, what they’re planning, ways they work, issues they contend with, anything specific they do to get the most out of Xojo and so on. Yes, that’s pretty fluffy but it’s on-message. I know there have been occasional articles like this before but this could be a fairly regular thing. If Marc is interested, I’m happy to get it started.

I would love that Gavin!

While even a single article would be great, I’d actually like to see that as an ongoing series, a column “The Developer’s Life,” let’s say, each short (2 pages) and focusing on a specific non-programming task that developer’s face. Bob was doing a consultant one, but ran out of ideas, I think (it was too specific on the problems consultants face). A broader one on all types of developer challenges would be really interesting.

Would you like to write it? (You can contact me off list and we can discuss it.) :slight_smile:

[quote=31351:@Marc Zeedar]I would love that Gavin!

While even a single article would be great, I’d actually like to see that as an ongoing series, a column “The Developer’s Life,” let’s say, each short (2 pages) and focusing on a specific non-programming task that developer’s face. Bob was doing a consultant one, but ran out of ideas, I think (it was too specific on the problems consultants face). A broader one on all types of developer challenges would be really interesting.

Would you like to write it? (You can contact me off list and we can discuss it.) :-)[/quote]

Email on the way.

From this Forum, I see lot of newbies having problems with error codes and how to handle bugs in code. So maybe some lessons how to use the debugger in Xojo and how to handle Exception Error. Mastering the debugger save you lot of time

I would love that, John!

I’d write it myself except that honestly, exceptions completely befuddle me. I come from an old-school programming background (Pascal, mid-80s) and have no clue about exceptions. They seem like a ton of extra work to me. (I’m supposed to test for every possible error in my “try” exception block???)

So generally I just write flawless code that doesn’t generate any errors or exceptions. :wink:

Seriously: if anyone reading this is good with exceptions and explaining how they should be used, please write me an article on the subject. I’ve actually asked a few people in the past but they didn’t have time.

From the other thread, to keep them in one place:

One thing I would love to see is a breakdown of how to properly setup a project shell for cross-platform projects. There are a gazillion ways to setup a project, and while I can get it to do what I want most of the time, I often feel like things are in the wrong place, unsure of the order of events firing when the project starts, where to declare globals, where to register plugins, best place to make database connections, read reference files, stuff like that. A best practices method for setting up a project that is meant to service Mac / Windows / Linux.

That’s a good one. There must hundreds of “how do you do that in the ListBox” questions between the old and new forums. Marc could certainly solicit tips from users and have a ton of material to work with on that topic.

I liked the JC Cruz article on error trapping in the 8.6 issue, that it was very in depth and well written in my opinion. But I would welcome anything on the debugger, I am constantly lost in that hierarchy.

I was going to reply in the more negative conversation but I do think that this more positive conversation is the place to be writing. Marc, I think that the magazine is uniquely positioned, the Xojo online documents and language resources are ok though sometimes poor especially when it comes to example usage. Then when I search on here and Google the internet there is some good information buried amongst all of the warring and/or misguided comments. The information in the magazine can at least be editorially controlled to remove the noise.

How do you get more interesting content? Well I think Markus has started something good in this respect even if he seems to have initiated it in a challenging fashion - so well done Markus :slight_smile:

How do you get more readers? That is a more difficult one, it has to be worthwhile for you commercially. Having experienced some of the attitudes on this forum it is hard to manoeuvre. If you gave away a single issue for free to try and get more interest then you would get flamed by those who paid for a subscription asking for a refund. If you went to a Readr service then you would get flamed by those who paid for a subscription even though Readr will cost $119.88 / year (sure the subscriber gets more than just one magazine).

I took a look at my August printed edition MSDN magazine (88 pages) online here , the cover lists the articles as:

Main Articles
Bringing RESTful Services to C++ Developers
Real-Time, Realistic Page Curling with DirectX, C++ and XAML
Building Cross-Platform Web Services with ServiceStack
Unit and Integration Testing of SSIS Packages
Architecture for Hosting Third-Party .NET Plug-Ins

Columns
Creating Mobile-Optimized Views in ASP.NET MVC 4
The Windows Runtime Application Model
Coding for Domain-Driven Design
Converting Numerical Data to Categorical Data
Going Dynamic with the Gemini Library
Navigation Essentials in Windows Store Apps
Finger Painting with Direct2D Geometries
The Decade of UX

Quite a few of those articles have similar concepts in Xojo. In Xojo we can do REST, can code page curling (obviously not with XAML),
can produce web services, can produce unit tests (not necessarily for SSIS), we have a plug-in design that few understand although the MSDN article is about something different. We can create mobile web views, (skip Windows Runtime for now), would benefit from understanding DDD, categorical data may be interesting to some, we could do something dynamic with script, dictionaries and operator_lookup, we need ideas for navigation and UX and the best for last - finger painting! And that is just one issue.

xDev (and Xojo) can do it! However the content, delivery methods and commercials may need some thought.

Marc wrote earlier:

I come from an old-school programming background (Pascal, mid-80s)

I do not know how many people have this background, but if the number is high, one (or many) can wrote articles comparing ‘how people do that in the 80s’ and ‘how we can do it today with Xojo’.

Also, a column on how to do things with RegEx can be a good idea. (one example in each columns). I saw how powerful it is, but I (nearly) never use it.

Beside getting writers, one may need subjects.

I wrote in the mid 80s for a French computer magazine (for Apple IIgs) and learned how fine the reader’s letters are nice: often, they comes with ideas (How can I do this or that ?).

I’ll volunteer to do an article on regular expressions. Even a series, if there is interest.

I’d like to see a “best of” collection of tips gleaned from the forums.

I used to read a magazine for a little-known OS (RISC OS) - it dedicated 4 or 5 pages each issue (it was an A5-sized mag) to a recap of the best information/tips/gotchas/how-tos from the public forums.

One area that I would like the magazine to explore is algorithms to include number theory and data structures. There is a wealth of topics in this area that include arbitrary precision math, sorting, and data structures (such as queues, heaps, fifos). Getting the word out that Xojo is a good tool to create math software might attract more student users to the language. If others have an interest in this area I would be willing to submit some articles.

i remember RISC OS. Used it for a month. I was working with PICK OS and RISC OS is able to support application create for PICK OS.

That would be wonderful, Kem to write about Regular Expressions.

I use some of it in my application especially for checking Date Format and i think for Amount Format.

I’d subscribe to read an article covering how to use COM.