ScriptOnlyUI Library

ScriptOnlyUI is a library that will automatically save and regenerate objects and their properties on a scriptOnly LiveCode stack. The intention is to simplify the use of version control.

ScriptOnlyUI takes a minimalist approach and only supports a limited subset of LiveCode features. Essentially anything that makes version control of object properties complicated has been deliberately left out.

• no image text so all images must use filenames
• no custom properties so all custom properties must be set in script
• no object ID
• no ID means:
  • using behavior stacks or setting behaviors at runtime
  • no icons so all icons must be set in script
• no scripts so all object handlers must be handled in the script only script
• all objects must have unique names and will be assigned uuid based names if they don't have a name
• any session state (field text etc) in object properties must be cleared during saveStackRequest to avoid merge conflicts
• no support for shared groups at this stage although it is probably possible
• no support for substacks

A file with the same filename as the script only stack but with a *.livecodescriptui extension is saved next to the stack.

In order to use the library open it in LiveCode and run the following command:

start using stack "ScriptOnlyUI"

Now create a script only stack and add the following handler to the script:

on ScriptOnlyUI
    return true
end ScriptOnlyUI

From now on whenever you save the stack any controls will be saved in the file alongside it in a format that is easy to read and edit in a text editor.

At the moment there are a few issues that need resolving before this can be used in any significant way:

• Setting the visible of a stack to true during preOpenStack will trigger the window to open prematurely so at the moment it is left to the stack author to set the visible some time later
• It is not currently possible to import a widget from an array into a group and relayering doesn't work unless the card is open
• It only supports array properties that have a single dimension. This is OK for legacy control properties (at the moment) but unlikely to be OK for widget state properties.