Talk:GUI variable types
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Request: move contents
I've been reading trough some GUI scripts lately and needed a command like float to define a variable. It could be considered as a GUI command.
So instead of having this article link trough to 3 other, miniature articles, wouldn't it be better if these links are placed on the GUI commands page instead of through this article? --Kamikazee 18:13, 22 May 2007 (CEST)
Your call
It's not really a command. It's simply the data type in a variable declaration.
Uniformity should be what we're striving for here. Variable declarations and data types are covered in their respective articles.
Some restructuring is probably necessary here. Either the scripting articles need to be revised so that they are more inclusive of GUI scripting or GUI scripting needs it's own "Scripting basics" article.
I'm not really sure how to work that in. In all honesty, the "scripting basics" article should probably be merged with the main scripting page. I'm not really sure why it needs to be separate like that. It's not necessary.
--Rich 05:38, 23 May 2007 (CEST)
Undecided
- Posted by Rich 05:38, 23 May 2007 (CEST) (Original text indented)
- It's not really a command. It's simply the data type in a variable declaration.
Ok, you are right. Since it's not used in a code block, it doesn't really qualify as a command.
- Uniformity should be what we're striving for here. Variable declarations and data types are covered in their respective articles.
- Some restructuring is probably necessary here. Either the scripting articles need to be revised so that they are more inclusive of GUI scripting or GUI scripting needs it's own "Scripting basics" article.
I think uniformity is far-fetched in this section. Now I think of it, GUI building seems to need a home of it's own. It is quite similar to the whole "declarations" problem,[1] this is a different beast compared to regular scripting.
Still, the problem remains with the confusion caused by the term "scripting". To make a difference in name, I would replace the term "GUI scripting" with "GUI building". I know everyone mostly refers to it as "GUI scripting, but GUI files sit in their own directory, they do not use DoomScript and they actually consist of both design and script. I would say that is enough to give them a different name.
(If more specific names are needed, you may even split it up into "GUI design" and "GUI event handling". The latter is a long name, but at least it doesn't reference DoomScript.)
So to summarize which steps I would take should I have the time to complete it in (nearly) one go:
- Rename Category:GUI scripting to Category:GUI building and move it to Category:Engine reference (Might turn out to be tiresome. Should work though, thanks to the nice nesting of categories.)
- Rename GUI scripting to GUI building as well.
- Write page GUI event handling with all the info on how to write events, etc.
- Remove links from scripting pages to articles in the GUI categories.
- Put new links from the Modding page to the GUI pages, modify existing links from the mapping sections to the GUI pages and add the GUI stuff as related to scripting.
This leaves quite some pages to be updated. So I ask once more if it is OK to do so, reverting this would be some work as well.
- I'm not really sure how to work that in. In all honesty, the "scripting basics" article should probably be merged with the main scripting page. I'm not really sure why it needs to be separate like that. It's not necessary.
At one point, the scripting page held the script syntax reference. It turned out to be messy, too long-winded and not that helpful for anyone clicking the "Script events" link in the Quick links box. So that's why it was moved to it's own page, to deserve the attention it needed.
I think that the same applies for the Scripting basics page. It keeps the Scripting article from being swamped, and bundles all longer generic script examples on one page. I meant it to be a manual on DoomScript so you could just link there when you don't want to explain something over again on a specific page like Level scripting. (In fact, most of it is geared towards level design.) Stuff about GUIs just doesn't seem to fit in there and weapon/AI scripting is advanced to the point that they deserve their own page to explain it.
Of course, this is just my point of view. If you have more things to discuss about the Scripting basics page, I guess it would be better to do so on it's own talk page. --Kamikazee 03:02, 24 May 2007 (CEST)
