[Bf-committers] Declarative UI Experiment

[Doug Ollivier]

Just to reply to this topic in general.

Are we all being "coders here" can we step back from the challenge and 
ask the question, what is the problem that needs to be overcome? rather 
than trying to debate languages to replace what has been built

*Problem*
Python (or any coding language) is somewhat abstracted from the 
interface as an output.

*Factors*
A) Artists, myself included, are not coders but do want to contribute to 
the Blender effort and to customise their layouts.
B) Python Scripting for a simple interface layout still fits within the 
realms of coding and thus is daunting for a beginner, but for a complex 
challenge is an appropriate and powerful solution.

*User Centred Solution*
 From a User Perspective, would it not be ideal to have a GUI editor 
that pulls blocks together and writes the code?
 From a Coders Perspective, would it not be ideal to have Python code as 
the master/raw document?

The above list creates the design brief, the solution should tick all 
those boxes.  The XML solution by the sounds of it is a fantastic step 
in the right direction for one of the user groups (The group I fit 
into), but seems to frustrate the others.

Can Pyhton code be generated online via a web app, or a cross platform 
GUI? i.e actually drag and drop buttons or similar?

This is a great challenge to overcome.

Doug Ollivier   BDes (Hons)
Industrial Designer