TODO.md

TODO

Completed but not released (1.2.11.0)

• Fixed:
  • #include <arm_acle.h> is needed for __yield in VlppOS.cpp

Known Issues

• Replace LoadLibrary with GetModuleHandle in EnableCrossKernelCrashing.
• GuiVirtualRepeatCompositionBase.
  • Eliminate double ForceCalculateSizeImmediately() calls in TestCompositions_VirtualRepeat.cpp (TODO) and related files.
• FakeDialogService
  • FakeDialogServiceBase::ShowModalDialogAndDelete place the window in the center of owner instead of the screen.
  • Specify multiple extensions in one filter, exactly like Win32 API.
  • Extensions not applied before checking file existance.
• Expanding collapsing tree nodes cause the whole list to rebuild, which glitch during multiple passes of layout.
  • Only affected items need to rebuild.
• Bindable list control (optional)
  • When a property referenced by <att.XXXProperty> is updated, the list item is not refreshed.
    • Need to find a way to listen to the event.
• For all list controls, adding item could cause flashing during rendering for about 1 flame.
  • If this issue is solved, remove document in Breaking changes from 1.0 and List Controls.
• controller(Unr|R)elatedPlugins in IGuiPlugin(Manager)? lower dependency safety.
  • Change GUI_PLUGIN_NAME to GUI_PLUGIN_CONTROLLER_(UN)RELATED.
  • Remove the two parameters from IGuiPlugin, the macro above already specified it clear enough.
  • Unrelated plugins are not allowed to depend on related plugins.

Known Issues (Unit Test)

• Tests that assuming DarkSkin:
  • (H|V)(Tracker|Scroll)/Mouse
  • ToolstripSplitButton
  • GuiDatePicker/Mouse
• Tests that are OS awared:
  • GuiDatePicker, GuiDateComboBox, inject unit test specific time and locale object. Otherwise Window and Linux will see different printed date in snapshots.
• Same issue
  • (H|V)(Tracker|Scroll)/Mouse
    • when Drag to Center the handler should be highlighted, because the mouse is right above the handler.
  • GuiBindableDataGrid/ComboEditor
    • When a data grid cell editor is created under the mouse, the editor does not receive MouseEvent event.
• GuiScrollContainer
  • Only calling Set(Horizontal|Vertical)AlwaysVisible(false) doesn't make scrolls disappear. SetVisible(false) on scrolls are verified called.
  • When the content is changed, configuration needs 2 idle frames to be correctly configured.
• GuiListItemTemplate/ArrangerAndAxis(WithScrolls)
  • items are not aligned to proper corner when scrolls are invisible.
• Stop hard-coding coordinates:
  • GetListItemLocation.
  • GuiToolstripMenuBar/Cascade/ClickSubMenu's Hover on File/New try to avoid specifying relative coordinate just because half of the menu item is covered.

Release (optional)

• GacUI Binary Resource (when new features are added)
  • Upgrade GacUI XML Resource to 1.3, force on all resources instead of only depended or depending resource.
  • Require binary pattern "[GXR-1.3]" at the beginning of the binary resource.
  • Resource compiler and loader will check the version and only accept 1.3.

Release Milestone (1.2.11.0)

• GacUI
  • Fix Global Objects in GacUI.h.
  • Thinking about promote SyncDom data structures for unit test, and complete a diff algorithm.
    • Unit test framework
      • Generate domId for each dom node:
        • root = 0
        • element = (element.id << 2) + 1
        • virtual = (element.id << 2) + 2
        • hittest = (composition.id << 2) + 3
          • the renderer maintaining an increasing id, when one is allocated it is cached in the composition
      • Diff algorithm based on domId
      • Mouse wheel trigger functions.
    • Unit Test Snapshot Viewer
      • Show dom nodes in a tree view in the right side of the rendering tab optionally.
      • Select dom node and jump to other tabs with highlight.
• Remote protocol redirection back to native rendering:
  • In the test project, C++ side will expose the remote protocol via dll.
  • Implement the remote protocol on a native INativeController instance.
    • It could not be used on GuiHostedController or GuiRemoteController, which is not a native implementation.
  • The experiment will only run a very simple UI that covers all implemented remote protocol so far.

Release Milestone (1.2.12.0)

• More unit test
  • Ribbon Controls
  • GuiControl and servives
  • [TAB]
  • ControlThemeName property
  • Multiple active GuiWindow, modal, order, Enabled
  • GuiTab item manipulation and [TAB]
  • MouseWheel
    • Behavior on scrolls, trackers, scroll containers and list controls
    • GuiListControl item events
    • GuiVirtualTreeListControl node events
  • A button calling a modal window
• GacUI
  • <RawRendering/> element.
    • It will be mapped to GDIElement or Direct2DElement in different renderers.
    • In remote protocol, it is an element with no extra properties.
    • In HTML, it would open a <div/> and you can do whatever you want using JavaScript.
• JavaScript rendering:
  • Delete all GacJS code. This repo will be used to implement the HTML logic.
  • A codegen for remote protocol and print TypeScript code.
  • In the test project, C++ side will start a HTTP service on Windows.
  • JavaScript side will separate the rendering and the protocol.
  • Try DOM.
  • Try Canvas.
    • https://github.com/WICG/canvas-formatted-text/blob/main/README.md
      • layout provider could not be done until this is implemented.
  • Try EsBuild to replace WebPack.
  • The experiment will only run a very simple UI that covers all implemented remote protocol so far.
• Copy control unit tests, snapshots and snapshot viewer to Release repo.
  • Build and run test.
    • Explain this in decicated README.md and mention it in the root one.
  • Verify vcxproj contains all files.
  • Ensure build woriflow tutorials.
  • Update Win11 menu tutorial in Release repo to use new virtual control

Release Milestone (1.2.13.0)

• All control unit test (using DarkSkin)
  • Tooltip.
  • Dialogs.
  • A mechanism to replace vl::filesystem implementation.
  • Add window resizing constraint messages.
  • Implement ColorizedTextElement
    • Typing trigger functions in unit test framework.
    • GuiSinglelineTextBox
    • GuiMultilineTextBox
    • GuiBindableDataGrid with predefined text box editor.
    • Ribbon with predefined text box toolstrip component.
  • Implement DocumentElement.
    • Think about how to calculate size for document.
    • GuiDocumentViewer
    • GuiDocumentLable
      • <DocumentTextBox/>
  • Check all control key operation, ensure accessibility.
    • Cannot scroll GuiScrollView, key operations needed and also need to be disabled for GuiListControl because it has already defined item selection keys.
    • Gui(Bindable)TextList cannot check or uncheck items by key (enter and space).
    • GuiVirtualListView cannot operate column headers by key.
    • Active menus without Alt assighed (TAB and arrow keys?).
    • GuiDateComboBox does not receive focus property, so that when open year/month combo by ALT or mouse, list item cannot be selected only by key.
      • Add Alt and fix Mouse test cases after this is fixed.
• Sample unit test project included in release.
  • Reflection enabled
    • Application and LoadMainWindow script in separated XML resource files.
    • Application and LoadMainWindow script in separated compiled resource files.
  • Reflection disabled
    • Application in compiled C++ files.
    • There is no LoadMainWindow in this case.
• Document
  • Unit test framework.
  • Unit test framework in Vlpp.
  • Remote Protocol.

Release Milestone (1.3.0.0)

• Implement ColorizedTextElement and DocumentElement in all already implemented remote renderers.

Release Milestone (1.4.0.0)

• SyncObj architecture that streams ViewModel object changes.
  • See README.md in Workflow repo (ViewModel Remoting C++ Codegen).
  • GacGen offers Metadata of interfaces
  • Network protocols are not included as default implementation
• New tutorials
  • A GacUI D2D process connecting to a server process for streaming ViewModel
    • ViewModel implements in C++ and C#
• Document
  • SyncObj.
  • Fix /doc/current/home.html
    • Introduction to hosted / remote
  • Fix /doc/current/gacui/home.html
    • Introduction to hosted / remote

Release Milestone (1.4.1.0)

• A remote protocol implementation on existing INativeController implementation.
  • Network protocols are not included as default implementation.
  • Take care of wchar_t when server and client have different understanding to its size.
• New tutorials.
  • A GacUI SyncDom process connecting to a server process for streaming graphics.
    • GDI+ implements in C#.
    • GDI/D2D implements in C++.
• Rewrite GacBuild.ps1 and GacClear.ps1 in C++, but still keep them just doing redirection for backward compatibility.
• Get rid of Deploy.bat in GacGen.ps1 and GacGen.exe.

Release Milestone (1.5.0.0)

• Variant and Union with full support.
  • Document.
  • Document vl::Overloading.
• Extensible CLI argument parser acception different OS convention, serialization and module dependencies.
  • Structured error report.
  • Extensible error message localization relying on GacUI XML Resource localization feature.
  • Pre-made main function per OS, defining arguments for different renderers for the current OS, including remoting server with predefine protocols.
• More optimistic SyncDom strategy to reduce messages.
• Windows
  • Ensure INativeWindow::(Before|After)Closing() is not called on non-main-window between the main window is closed and the application exits.
• Enlarging window slower than shrinking.
• vczh-libraries/Vlpp#9

Release Milestone (future releases)

• Strict check in different for-each loops.
• A new non-XML instance format
• <eval Eval="expression"/> tags.
• <ez:Layout/>
  • xmlns:ez by default:
    • presentation::composition::easy_layout::GuiEasy*Composition
    • presentation::composition::easy_layout::GuiEasy*Layout
  • A vl::presentation::composition::easy_layout::GuiEasyLayoutComposition
    • with properties:
      • Top, Bottom, Left, Right: boolean of border visibility
      • Padding: thickness of border and between all leaf containers
    • accepting following tags as child:
      • <ez:Top/>, <ez:Bottom/>, <ez:Left/>, <ez:Right/>, <ez:Fill Percentage="1">: Will be implemented by stack or table
      • <ez:Row RowSpan="1" ColumnSpan="1"/>, <ez:Column RowSpan="1" ColumnSpan="1"/>: will be implemented by table
    • properties of other ez: object
      • Padding, -1 by default means inheriting the value from its parent, defining a new padding of its children
  • Any ez: layout could have multiple ez: layout or one control/Composition
    • Such control or composition will get AlignmentToParent changed in BuildLayout if all components are -1 at the moment
    • A flag will store into such object, so the second call of BuildLayout will know the value is set by itself, and update it propertly
      • Such flag could be the <ez:Layout/> itself passed to calling SetInternalProperty
  • There is no constraint about the number and their order of ez: child object
    • All consecutive rows or columns will be grouped into a table
    • All direct child of rows of a rows, or columns of a column, are flattened
    • Use stack if possible
  • A BuildLayout method will be called after the layout tree is prepared. Changing the layout tree will not take effect without calling this method.

OS Provider Features

• Windows
  • INativeImage::SaveToStream handle correctly for git format. It is possible that LoadFromStream need to process diff between git raw frames.
• UI Automation.
• Test Automation.
  • Standard test for OS providers, may need a test purpose automation service to do https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winuser/nf-winuser-sendinput

Control Features

• IColumnItemView.
  • Change column size from int to {minSize:int, columnOption:Absolute|Percentage, absolute:int, percentage:float}
  • Column drag and drop.
    • ListView: only raises an event, developers need to update column headers and data by themselves.
    • DataGrid: swap column object, cells are changed due to binding.
• ListView.
  • Make a common template base class for IItemProvider implementation of bindable and non-bindable pair of the same virtual control:
    • The template argument would be the base class which implements the differences.
    • list::TextItemProvider vs GuiBindableTextList::ItemSource.
    • list::ListViewItemProvider vs GuiBindableListView::ItemSource.
      • Extends to list::DataProvider.
    • tree::TreeViewItemRootProvider vs GuiBindableTreeView::ItemSource.
  • GuiBindableDataGrid:
    • Add customizable row visualizer.
    • The default (or nullptr) row visualizer displays cell visualizer and editor.
  • GuiBindableTreeDataGrid:
    • Offer a default group header row visualizer when users only need one level of collapsable GuiBindableDataGrid.
    • Replace the new list::DataProvider's base class with tree::NodeItemProvider offering GuiBindableTreeView::ItemSource to make a useful data source.
• Upgraded Code editor (need VlppParser2)
• Touch support.

Drag and Drop

• Drag and Drop framework.
  • Substitutable.
  • GuiFakeDragAndDropService.
    • Activated by substitution when an OS dependent implementation is not available.
• Dock container.
  • Use drag and drop to perform docking.
  • A small framework for implementing dock guiding UI.
  • A predefined dockable tool window for users that are fine with the default behavior about how to transfer content to the dock container.
  • A "binary tree layout/control" for implementing VS-like dock container.

Graphics

• 2D drawing API, optional at runtime.
  • Default non-text element renderer using 2D drawing API.
    • Activated only when 2D drawing API is available and renderer implementations are unavailable.
  • Ensure OS providers without 2D drawing API still work.
• restriction-based Meta2DElement.
  • If 2D drawing API is not available, display a text using SolidLabel.
• Meta3DElement and Meta3D data structure.
  • Default Meta3DElement renderer using Meta2DElement with a surface sorting based algorithm.
• 2D Chart control based on Meta2DElement.
• 3D Chart control based on Meta3DElement.
• GIF player.
• video player.

Porting to New Platforms

• Port GacUI to other platforms:
  • Unit Test (Remote)
  • Windows
    • GDI (Normal, Hosted, Remote)
    • Direct2d (Normal, Hosted, Remote)
    • UWP (Remote)
  • Linux
    • gGac repo: improve development process for release
  • macOS
    • iGac repo: improve development process for release
  • Browser (Remote)
    • HTTP for test purpose
    • WebAssembly
  • CLI (optional, needs dedicated skin)
    • Command-line/Powershell in Windows (Remote)
    • Ncurses on Ubuntu (Remote)
• Port GacUI to other languages:
  • Applications written in other language can:
    • Implement view model (SyncObj).
    • Render the UI (Remote).
  • Languages:
    • JavaScript / TypeScript
      • HTTP for test purpose
      • WebAssembly
    • .NET
    • Python

GacUI (unprioritized)

• DarkSkin Color Theme.
  • Create a DarkSkinPalette class with a static getter method to retrive default colors.
    • Update all Style.xml colors to use DarkSkinPalette.
  • Add a static setter to DarkSkinPalette.
    • A window can be called to update all its controls' and components' template.
    • The above function will be called inside the setter.
• INativeWindow add callback for state changing.
  • Including MaximizedBox, MinimizedBox, Border, SizeBox, IconVisible, TitleBar, Icon, Title, SizeState.
  • In GuiControlHost or GuiWindow, setting border or state doesn't update the control template, it is updated in that callback.
  • Delete GuiControlHost and GuiWindow's OnVisualStatusChanged.
• FakeDialogService
  • message box disable X button if Cancel is not in the button list or OK is the only button.
• GDI
  • Big cursor of document empty line (GDI)
  • In hosted mode, non-main window doesn't shrink when moving back to low DPI monitor.
• Hosted
  • When dragging left/top border if the main window, the window move if the size is smaller than the minimum size.
• Rewrite calculator state machine demo, when "+" is pressed, jump into "WaitingAnotherOperandForPlus" state machine, instead of storing the operation in a loop. So there will be no loop except for waiting for numbers.
• Check makefile for ParserGen/GlrParserGen/CodePack/CppMerge/GacGen
  • Write maketools.sh
• Add MoveToScreenCenterAfterLayout as what is done in FakeDialogServiceBase::ShowModalDialogAndDelete.
• New default control templates with animation, written in XML generated C++ code.
• Use the embedded data codegen / compress / decompress functions from VlppParser2 to replace one in GacUI.
• Use collection interfaces on function signatures.
  • Only if Vlpp decides to add collection interfaces.

GacUI Resource Compiler (unplanned releases)

• Consider -ani binding, create an animation controller object that change the binded property, with predefined interpolation and other stuff.
  • All types that can do interpolation are value types, consider following formats:
    • "NAME:initial value"
    • "NAME(initial value in expression)"
    • Need to be consistent with animation object
  • Consider multiple -ani batch control, state configuration and transition, story board, connection to animation coroutine, etc.

GacUI Resource Compiler (unprioritized)

• In the final pass, only workflow scripts are printed.
  • Use WorkflowCompiler.exe to do codegen externally.
• Remove all loader implementation, enabling custom control types from developers.
  • Try not to include GacUI.cpp if VCZH_DEBUG_METAONLY_REFLECTION is on.
  • mynamespaces::VirtualClasses_X for adding virtual classes deriving from mynamespaces::X.
    • Containing methods like: GuiSelectableButton* CheckBox().
  • mynamespaces::InstanceLoader_X for implementing different kinds of properties / constructors that do not exist in mynamespaces::X.
    • following a naming convention, e.g. GuiTableComposition's rows/columns properties.
    • searching for correct default control templates.
• Incremental build inside single resource.
  • Calculate dependencies by only parsing.
  • Cache workflow assembly per resource in file.
  • Codegen c++ from multiple workflow assembly.
• Facade
  • A facade is a class with following methods:
    • AddChild: Accept a child facade or a child object.
    • ApplyTo: Accept a parent object, which is not a facade.
    • Initialize (optional): Called on the instance object between construction and <ref.Ctor>.
  • A facade could have properties but only accept assignment or -eval binding.
  • A facade could have an optional InstanceFacadeVerifier executed on GacGen compile time.
  • Built-in Layout and Form facade.
  • If <XFacade> or <x:XFacade> is an accessible and default constructible object, then <X> or <x:X> triggers a facade.

New C++/Doc Compiler based on VlppParser2

GacStudio

• Run the editing GUI using remote protocol.
• Run the symbol server in a separate process.
  • e.g. for rendering if all properties in a binding expression is observable, providing fast editing tool.
• Dedicated solution-project(dependency,external dependency)-item file format.
  • Solution builds GacUI.xml
  • Project builds GacUI XML Resource index file.
  • Each file contains only one item.
• When create a UI object in a wizard, ask for:
  • Localization item.
    • Need to mark properties in reflection about if it needs localization.
  • ViewModel item.
  • ViewModel implementation item for testing.
• Dedicated composition/control property sheet configuration for each class.