[Texmacs-dev] Re: configure flag for our design recovery tool?

[David Allouche]

On Thu, Jul 25, 2002 at 06:20:54PM +1000, Amir Michail wrote:
>
> I was wondering whether you would consider adding a configure
> flag for our design recovery tool (perhaps --drt?).

I am rather *for* supporting any external tool, but I am not convinced
that putting explicit support into texmacs is the right way to go.

> Basically, to get it to work with TeXmacs, several things are needed:
> 
> * compile with -g and -finstrument-functions

That can be supported easily by a new CXXDEBUG variable in the
makefile.

Joris: Since all platforms should set it to none, I do not think it
is required to support it explicitely in the configure.

> * link with our tracer code (this involves adding our obj file to the
> link)

Well, one can also support that with an additional variable.

In the end you would say:

    To compile texmacs with DRT support, type:

        ./configure
        make CXXDEBUG="-g -finstrument-functions" \
             EXTRA_OBJ=~/path/to/tracer.o

> * make the cursor color 254,1,1 instead of 255,0,0 (we use 254,1,1
>   to track the cursor to identify the focus of the user during a demo
>   of the app; 255,0,0 is likely to clash with other aspects of the
> display such as the icons.

I do not think that is the right solution. Maybe we should instead
use hidden (meaning not visible in the GUI) preferences options for
the cursor and environment box colors. That way, TeXmacs could be
reconfigured by script using the -b option and some piece of Scheme
like:

    (set-preference "text caret color" '(254,1,1))
    (set-preference "math caret color" '(254,1,1))
    (quit-TeXmacs)

But that is not very good either since there would be no obvious way
for the user to revert the preferences back to the default.

Another option would be to let DRT start TeXmacs as:

    texmacs -b /path/to/drt/texmacs-config.scm

where the texmacs-config.scm would look like:

    (load-init-file) ; user or system, based on usual heuristic
    (set-text-caret-color-rgb 254 1 1)) ; these will be built-in ...
    (set-math-caret-color-rgb 254 1 1)) ; ... functions of texmacs.
    ; now, let texmacs run with customized colors

Indeed that would be the best from the TeXmacs point of view.


Joris? Do you concur?

-- 

                             -- David --