Re: XyWrite for Windows

["Bob Brody" rabrody@xxxxxxxx]

From: "Carl L. Distefano" 

> SmartSet is indeed unremittingly, unrepentingly command-driven -- my
> personal preference. I've considered adding a menu interface for some
> routines, but ... vita brevis.

Understood. Well, if someone has to pop up a help screen for
syntax or explanation, then they've turned to a menu (and waste
time going back and forth when what they need could be
collectively in front of them at the outset). I confess I don't
have a great memory for recalling lots of commands with
innumerable parameter arguments or interpreting abbreviations
pushed together to fit on a status line. Especially with
infrequently used things. Custom fashioned fill-in screens where
apropos have always been better received at my end for
accomplishing parameter intensive job-specific tasks. That's what
made III+'s help facility so extensible. A best of both worlds
combination, IMHO, rather than rigidly one or the other.

There are menus and there are menus. The contrary argument oft
seems to lump it all into one frowned upon generalization. To
traverse a tier of menus to, say, set a bookmark is crazy when a
command or keystroke will do it (the menu being an option when
the command is not remembered). But a parameter intensive
operation is a different matter and to put it all together via
fill-in screen has its advantages. Similarly multiple choice
operations. I have for instance eleven kinds of running headers
and footers I use, unique to my needs. Via III+'s help facility
I'd pop up a screen, all eleven are there with captioned info, I
pick the one I want and it's inserted instantly. Done deal, I'm
back to work. I don't consider this a training wheels approach to
using one's software. To the contrary I think it complements
productivity and is clearly way faster than trying to recall which
command syntax produces which result, getting it wrong, having to
do it over, etc.

I'll plod along and see what's available. I can't find anything
in the XyWin manual respectively. I've yet to understand why a
program comes with proprietary extensible programming yet no
offer of documentation accordingly.

Thanks for the DEADLINE update.

Bob

p.s. Don't get me wrong, SMARTSET is slick and already an integral
part of my setup. I just also want to add some fill-in routines
as well.