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Steampunk clock / calendar yahoo widget part 16 - lots going on behind the scenes |
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Tuesday, 14 December 2010 |
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 I previously said the Steampunk clock/calendar was drawing to a
conclusion but it is taking longer then I expected to complete the alarm
functionality. The alarm is a lot more difficult to do then I thought it
would be. Firstly there are the interface issues to deal with, how to
make an alarm system actually work with steampunk controls, how to make
it more intuitive to use and how to make it pretty at the same time.
That is quite a lot to do all at the same time.
Then there is the the coding beneath. I find that the old linear method
of programming a la BASIC et al approximates the way that my mind works,
in a nice and easy linear fashion with the occasional gosub and a gentle
return to the same place. This method has its limitations but is very
easy to understand for simple programs. I do accept that for the bigger
programs it is difficult to maintain and support and growth is
difficult. The event/object methodology is the 'proper' way of doing
things these days, in fact you can't do it any other way with the tools
provided. However, when I stop working for a week or so and dive back
into the code I find it quite difficult to determine what happens where
and which function I should be looking at. It just does not spring
easily to mind.
I think this is a limitation of me and not the methodology. I like to
start from the top and work down.
Even though my javascript functions are all named correctly according to
their actual use I still find the process of trawling through the
routines to find out what I was doing and how I was doing it, a little
tedious. I think I'm just getting old - but I've always thought that
ever since I was 25.
The clock has had a few UI changes to implement the alarm functionality,
gone are the alarm flags that used to pop up at the right hand side of
the clock to be replaced with brass alarm toggles (I prefer these)
numbered from 1-5. These only appear when an alarm is set. I am not yet
sure how to implement the deletion or cancellation of a specific alarm.
It must be pseudo-mechanical in operation but I don't want too many more
toggles. Need to think about this one. Any ideas?
There is a clapper on the bell set which is animated in a very simple
fashion. It is used as part of the UI to control the chimes. Clicking on
it mutes the chimes.
In addition to the UI changes there are some new cash-register-style
pop-ups that indicate which alarm you are currently viewing or
modifying. These do pop up with a satisfying kerching! To my mind, the
sound is just as important as the look and feel and can transport the
user to exactly where you want him to be. Once again www.freesounds.org
is where I obtained many of the sounds, I have chopped and mixed them
and used various sounds for totally different effects but as a whole
they seem to work. I am keen to add the roller blind sounds soon.
I have also tidied some of the existing functionality to make it more
intuitive and friendly. The drop-down canvases are also handled better
now. Apart from that not a lot to see, though lots going on behind the
scenes.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 16 September 2011 )
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