kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Chris Pavlina <pavlina.chris@xxxxxxxxx>]

Since you went to the trouble to actually code this up, I figure I might 
as well try it - and I'm okay with this compromise. Still not exactly my 
favorite approach, but you made it work fairly well, and it looks useful 
enough. *thumbs up*

On Fri, Dec 18, 2015 at 11:57:37PM -0800, Henner Zeller wrote:
> On 18 December 2015 at 21:57, Henner Zeller <h.zeller@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On 18 December 2015 at 21:50, Chris Pavlina <pavlina.chris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >> On Fri, Dec 18, 2015 at 09:40:29PM -0800, Henner Zeller wrote:
> >>> On 18 December 2015 at 21:33, Chris Pavlina <pavlina.chris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>> > I'm not going to argue about search methods, it'll suffice to say I
> >>> > disagree. I don't _want_ to search my library your way, and yes, I
> >>> > understand that it can work.
> >>> >
> >>> > I'm unconvinced that adding one option box is excessive complexity. It's
> >>> > not in the main UI, it's in the preferences dialog. What's wrong with
> >>> > preferences? Users can ignore those. Most do. Though the preferences
> >>> > dialog does need to be reorganized.
> >>>
> >>> The problem is, that people don't find it. They get frustrated because
> >>> they want to search with regular expressions, but it doesn't work. And
> >>> they never find the option to set it.
> >>
> >> Somehow I don't think that wildcard/regex search is going to be a big
> >> advertised feature that all the kids will be flocking to kicad for. I
> >> also doubt that the sort of person who would want it is the sort of
> >> person who couldn't be bothered to look at the options.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> If the dialog would do all matches in parallel and increases scores
> >>> for each matcher that triggers, then you get all the simple matching I
> >>> am proposing and all the extended regular expression searching that
> >>> you want. And it will work automatically without anyone ever setting
> >>> an option.
> >>
> >> Yes, and clutters up the results with false matches, just like searching
> >> for "ATXMEGA*D3" by typing "ATXMEGA D3" does.
> >
> > But if you have all scoring functions engaged, the relevant come first.
> >
> >>
> >> Seriously, what is it with this mailing list? Every time someone
> >> suggests a simple idea, everyone immediately piles on with their
> >> favorite way to overcomplicate it.
> >
> > Calm down. I make suggestions to _simplify_, not complicate.
> >
> >>
> >> I just suggested adding this because I thought it'd be a simple addition
> >> that might add some utility for some people. Never imagined wildcards
> >> could be so controversial.
> >
> > As I said, I like wildcards and regexp and like to see them supported.
> > But I suggested way to support them automatically.
> >
> >>Take it or leave it, I'm not going to keep
> >> revising it to make it more complex.
> >
> > You don't have to. I can do that.
> 
> Attached, the simplified patch, using your new matchers:
> 
>    * Uses all your matchers, but does not need to have the factory.
>    * No need for extra code to add option for users.
>    * Same effect. People can use any syntax they want and get matches
> accordingly.
>    * It is very unlikely to get unwanted results.
>    * Less code (366 vs 833 loc)
>    * More user friendly to use (no search for obscure options, if
> someone uses FOO*BAR or a regexp it just works as expected).
> 
> -h
> 
> >
> >>
> >>>
> >>> -h
> >>>
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > On Fri, Dec 18, 2015 at 09:19:54PM -0800, Henner Zeller wrote:
> >>> >> On 18 December 2015 at 20:16, Chris Pavlina <pavlina.chris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>> >> > As discussed earlier today, this patch adds support for both wildcard
> >>> >> > and regular expression search to the eeschema component chooser. An
> >>> >> > option is added to eeschema options to select the "Component search
> >>> >> > method", which defaults to "Simple" (the original behavior). Regular
> >>> >> > expression search was added as a "bonus", as it was used as a stepping
> >>> >> > stone to wildcard search.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> Cool, I'll try it.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> BUT: I am skeptical I must admit, as adding these features that are
> >>> >> undoublty more complicated for the non-software engineer to use and
> >>> >> also to choose from. More choices for the user to handle, and I am not
> >>> >> convinced yet that it is worth it.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> I would rather try to make the search as best as possible that a few
> >>> >> words will bring the result. If it doesn't, then the scoring function
> >>> >> needs to be tweaked. I am a big fan of simple user interfaces...
> >>> >>
> >>> >> Do you have some real world examples that are really hard to solve
> >>> >> with simple string-matching and scoring of the result as it is now
> >>> >> (the XMEGA example in the other thread can be done by just having a
> >>> >> space between the xmega and d3, so this is not really a good example).
> >>> >>
> >>> >> Having simple user interfaces is hugely important IMHO, so we should
> >>> >> add features and confusing user options only if the simple way of
> >>> >> dealing with it can't do it.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> -h
> >>> >>
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > The existing behavior of Henner's component chooser wasn't changed, just
> >>> >> > the matching function it uses.
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > Following Wayne's suggestion, an EDA_PATTERN_MATCH base class is defined
> >>> >> > in include/eda_pattern_match.h, and then:
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > - EDA_PATTERN_MATCH_SUBSTR implements EDA_PATTERN_MATCH with the old
> >>> >> >   behavior
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > - EDA_PATTERN_MATCH_REGEX implements EDA_PATTERN_MATCH providing regex
> >>> >> >   search via wxRegEx and wxRE_ADVANCED.
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > - EDA_PATTERN_MATCH_WILDCARD extends EDA_PATTERN_MATCH_REGEX,
> >>> >> >   translating a wildcard string to a regular expression and then loading
> >>> >> >   it into the latter. This allows the nice, fast, wxString-compatible,
> >>> >> >   and well tested regex search to be reused for wildcard search.
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > --
> >>> >> > Chris
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > _______________________________________________
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> >>> >> >