[oXygen-user] oXygen wish-list

[Wendell Piez]

Hi Oxygenites,

I've been using oXygen for about six weeks now. I really like it. I agree 
with Norm Walsh that it hits a sweet spot. I hope it continues to be 
available on all the major platforms: that's a key feature long-term, I think.

I upgraded the RAM on my Win2K machine so I could run it happily (for a 
long time I had been laboring every time I ran a serious Java application), 
and have found it all in all to be an excellent investment.

What I particularly like is that oXygen is actually a file editor, although 
with many of the features one likes in a structured editor. (The 
code-insight feature is great!) This means that it's very flexible and 
forgiving with not-quite-yet-XML, which I find very useful. (I believe 
there's also still room in the market for a strong structured editor, 
especially since Corel's product seems to have taken a wrong turn, but 
that's a different kind of application in my view.)

I am also a big fan of RelaxNG (though old-fashioned DTDs also have their 
virtues), and I like to oXygen's support for it.

I've been collecting a list of things I'd personally like to see, though I 
can't say they amount to anything substantial. They're mostly user 
interface things that I have liked in other tools. (Remember it took me six 
weeks to think of all these!)

     * Operate a stylesheet with the "-a" flag (Saxon) or Xalan
       equivalent (that is, reading xml-stylesheet PI from document).
     * Set up a scenario with output file name or other parameters
       provided at runtime (with replacement expressions such as
       $Basename to use the source file's basename)
     * Add xslt to recognized extensions (or set your own).
     * Show me Saxon's error messages!? (Maybe I haven't got this set
     * Macros / tagging clips (eg paste in custom tag structure)
     * Enhanced outline views (oh you're working on this)
     * Improvements to Find/Replace dialogs
           o reposition and pin
           o using checkbox for "from top" is a pain, I'd prefer
             file wrap (or have it in addition)
           o a "replace all" button? (I am getting used to a two-screen-
             deep "replace" and like it for case-by-case, but also like
             a replace all in front)
     * Enhancements to Project interface
           o context menu "open in browser"
           o context menu "copy file name to clipboard"

...which all in all, ought to be enough requests from one user --

Congratulations on a fine tool!

Regards,
Wendell




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Wendell Piez                            mailto:
Mulberry Technologies, Inc.                http://www.mulberrytech.com
17 West Jefferson Street                    Direct Phone: 301/315-9635
Suite 207                                          Phone: 301/315-9631
Rockville, MD  20850                                 Fax: 301/315-8285
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