New Ren'Py Stand-Alone code editor

[YiuKorochko]

Hi forum, I'd like to announce that as well as developing Sakkaku ni Dasu (as production is painfully slow) I will, in spare time, be writing a Ren'Py script editor.

"But why? Doesn't jEdit work?"

-Well yes. But what if your latest Java update fails? You need Java for jEdit.
And what if you can't seem to fix it or have no internet access (as I did approximately 2 weeks ago) ?

So does it have all the syntax highlighting and auto indentation that jEdit offers?

-Currently auto indent is nearly perfected. Still waiting on a few final code snippets.
As for colored syntax highlighting, no. All current methods include searching through the entire
block of text and attempting to fix all words, at times scrambling the code.

How will it be better than jEdit, if at all?

-File associations, for one. All rpy files will be set to this new editor on install.
(However if using Ren'Py main executable, clicking edit will open jEdit. I can't change that.)
Stores recent files and when hitting Ctrl+O or clicking File > Open a openfolderdialog appears in the last used location.
select a folder, and the script.rpy and options.rpy are automatically loaded.
Further development will open more rpy files in more tabs.
Highlight syntax WILL be finalised and will include a syntax filter
(eg: type "i" and combo box appears with all items starting with "i")
which will further improve individuals develop their Ren'Py applications.
Icons and images can simply be inserted into code (Edit > insert > Image/Sound/Video) and the file is COPIED to the appropriate directory and renamed, then it is also automatically typed into the Ren'Py code.
File > Execute will hopefully run the game via the code editor, rather the Ren'Py application.
(Doing this allows for prompt asking "Code has been modified! Save before run?")

When will the program be available?

-Not yet known. Soonest would be March 7th 2010, and not all features could possibly be complete by that time.

Anything else you'd like to know?

[PyTom]

(However if using Ren'Py main executable, clicking edit will open jEdit. I can't change that.)

Actually, you can. Look at the jEdit.editor.py file in the launcher directory. What's more, Ren'Py will scan for editor.py files, and let the user pick from them.

-Not yet known. Soonest would be March 7th 2010, and not all features could possibly be complete by that time.

May, perhaps?

[YiuKorochko]

Actually, you can. Look at the jEdit.editor.py file in the launcher directory. What's more, Ren'Py will scan for editor.py files, and let the user pick from them...May, perhaps?

Oh you can? I see, very useful. Though I think my installer will simply ask for the Ren'Py directory and patch the editor files to make things easier for users. And May...yes, perhaps. I'll have my A levels in May, but for Sakkaku ni Dasu I need to further develop my manga/anime style and skills so I can put "RenCoder" on a higher priority and try to get it done my the start of May. The highlighting syntax will actually be the hardest part to implement for me. Might just switch to C# if that ends up being the simpler solution.

[YiuKorochko]

Icon created.

RenCoder Icon

RenCoder Icon.png (76.06 KiB) Viewed 2745 times

Will be converted into multi-paged .ico file in MicroAngelo Studio.
I just thought: I'm building RenCoder in Windows...I suppose most Ren'Py users are running windows anyway...

[Jake]

The highlighting syntax will actually be the hardest part to implement for me. Might just switch to C# if that ends up being the simpler solution.

Presuming you're working in VB.NET, as per your signature - you might want to look at:

- ColorCode: a .NET syntax-highlighter, which seems to have a fairly straightforward RegEx-based highlighting approach, written in C#
- SharpDevelop: which is an IDE built in (IIRC) C# which includes syntax highlighting, and you can download the source from their site to see how they did it.

[YiuKorochko]

Presuming you're working in VB.NET, as per your signature - you might want to look at - ColorCode: a .NET syntax-highlighter, which seems to have a fairly straightforward RegEx-based highlighting approach, written in C# - SharpDevelop: which is an IDE built in (IIRC) C# which includes syntax highlighting, and you can download the source from their site to see how they did it.

Once again, thank you Jake! I had SharpDevelop on my PC before, but I never used it thus rid of it.
I never thought it would be important so thanks again. (And thank you, open source!)

I think I'll try out colorcode first though and see where that gets me.

[luminarious]

Icon created.

RenCoder Icon.png

An icon should be distinct and understandable at 16*16px. This one is blurry at 32*32. Please consult someone more artistically inclined before releasing the final version of the icon.

[YiuKorochko]

Icon created.

RenCoder Icon.png

An icon should be distinct and understandable at 16*16px. This one is blurry at 32*32. Please consult someone more artistically inclined before releasing the final version of the icon.

It's not final yet. And smaller versions wont have the same picture, it will be different picture containing either the color set copper and Ren'Py or RC in their respective colors on the large image.

[YiuKorochko]

Converted through MicroAngelo and added more images.
Final:

RenCoder.zip

Final edition of RenCoder icon for Windows.

(231.96 KiB) Downloaded 41 times

To view all included sizes, use IrfanView. (IrfanView Home Page)

[YiuKorochko]

Icon implementation/look:
(16x16)

16x16 icon

16x16.png (7.44 KiB) Viewed 2714 times

(32x32)

32x32 icon

32x32.png (11.33 KiB) Viewed 2714 times

[YiuKorochko]

Visual implementation near complete (unknown changes, considered complete for now):

[Sin]

A friendly advice from a fellow programmer: if you're already spending time on the icon, you need to reconsider your priorities dude. Most of my failed projects failed because I let myself get distracted by surrounding things rather than solve the core problem. I think you're understating the amount of work required to create a tool that people will actually use.

I don't think there's a need for yet another text editor unless it adds anything new that the users needs but lacks. What the Ren'py community really needs is an intelligent IDE with code completion i.e. "Intellisense" and tools that lessens the amount of code an author has to type. Syntax coloring is helpful, but it does not an IDE make.

[YiuKorochko]

What the Ren'py community really needs is an intelligent IDE with code completion i.e. "Intellisense" and tools that lessens the amount of code an author has to type. Syntax coloring is helpful, but it does not an IDE make.

The core code of the program will be a library. I am currently designing a library of Ren'Py terms and etcetera and placing them in a second form which will appear above (or below) the cursor. In this form are all the terms available with the typed characters, and double-clicking one of the terms in the form inserts it automatically. I'm going to make it as close to Visual Studio / Sharp Develop as possible. Syntax Highlighting will have to be done on a later date, but for now typing "i" and having "init", "insert", "if", "if_changed" and etcetera pop up, as well as lines containing "init", "label", etcetera will auto insert a colon on the end of the line.
Pressing enter currently auto-inserts four spaces and if there is an "if statement" before the current position an extra four spaces are added. Typing "endif" will turn off the if statement and "endif" will be cleared.
Next is "menu:" indentation.
Plus if I'm looking at May as a release date and I'm doing this myself, I need to get the visuals done whenever Ren'Py sources aren't available.
Though I highly appreciate your input and I value your opinion, Sin. Don't worry visuals are done and all that's left is the library really. I just need to find a big list of all (or most) of Ren'Py's terms and maybe a short description for any unusual terms or whatnot.

[Jake]

In this form are all the terms available with the typed characters, and double-clicking one of the terms in the form inserts it automatically.

Visual Studio intellisense completes on a tab or even just when you hit space, period, open-bracket or some other after-the-current-symbol key when it's halfway through completing. I would advise that you have some keyboard way to autocomplete, because otherwise people will have to switch between the mouse and the keyboard, which would get very frustrating very fast. People who are practised programmers can usually type fairly well (even if they don't touch-type properly), and won't like having to shift their hands off the keyboard when they're writing code.

(I would also advise that a far more useful kind of intellisense is the kind which tells you which variables exist in the current scope, which is a lot more challenging to code than hard-coding a library of keywords.)

lines containing "init", "label", etcetera will auto insert a colon on the end of the line.

Please make this feature optional! If there's one thing that will turn me off an editor very fast, it's features which are intended to 'help' me but prevent me from being able to simply type the same code I've always typed. So if you auto-insert colons, and I've already typed a colon because I've been coding Python for a while and I'm used to it, will I get two colons?

Pressing enter currently auto-inserts four spaces and if there is an "if statement" before the current position an extra four spaces are added. Typing "endif" will turn off the if statement and "endif" will be cleared.

...and this sounds far, far worse to me than the auto-colon - you're talking about introducing new keywords that people have to learn just to use your editor! Couldn't you just allow a backspace to go back a whole level of indentation, and assume the 'if' is over?

[YiuKorochko]

Visual Studio intellisense completes on a tab or even just when you hit space, period, open-bracket or some other after-the-current-symbol key when it's halfway through completing.

This will be implemented sooner or later. Just want to get the beta up for May, if I get it done before May then I'll go straight ahead with this.

I would also advise that a far more useful kind of intellisense is the kind which tells you which variables exist in the current scope, which is a lot more challenging to code than hard-coding a library of keywords.

Yes, all defined variables will be added to the keyword set. The way I'm doing it, it's not actually very difficult at all.

Please make this feature optional!

But of course! Those who make upgrades to their software or create dedicated software which changes the design method from the one originally created and makes it unchangeable are devious and evil. Any format changing things not available in jEdit will be checkboxes, on or off, off by default.(Until I fix the syntax highlight, it is disabled by default and won't do anything if it is enabled.)

So if you auto-insert colons, and I've already typed a colon because I've been coding Python for a while and I'm used to it, will I get two colons?

No you will not. When the application starts, a global variable is created named "currentitem" which is set to null ("").

When a key is pressed with the richtextbox focused, currentitem = currentitem & e.keycode, thus it will read if you type double colons. Pressing the space, enter, up, down, left or right key sets currentitem to null ("").

Now unless double colon serves a purpose in python, RenCoder will auto-correct it.

The endif thing sounds far, far worse to me than the auto-colon - you're talking about introducing new keywords that people have to learn just to use your editor! Couldn't you just allow a backspace to go back a whole level of indentation, and assume the 'if' is over?

Very good point. I'll change this method to analyse for four consecutive backspace strokes.

Thank you for your input, Jake!
Please fell free to ask more.