Xref: utzoo comp.sys.amiga.tech:94 comp.sys.amiga:16501
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!nuchat!peter
From: peter@nuchat.UUCP (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech,comp.sys.amiga
Subject: IPC and the Soundscape patch panel
Message-ID: <843@nuchat.UUCP>
Date: 22 Mar 88 12:14:05 GMT
Organization: Public Access - Houston, Tx
Lines: 38

Just a quick note while the idea's fresh in my mind... some thought to
user interface...

How about, when you register a port, providing an icon for it... and having
the icon show up in a SoundScape-like patch panel? Probably be best to have
it set up with a work area and an icon palette.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|o| Patch Panel                                                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| %%% | %%% | ### | @@@ | &^% | +++ |     |     |     |     |     |     | ICONS
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| $#$ | @@@ |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                       | WORK
| @@@ ----- ### ---[+++]                                                | AREA
|                                                                       |
|                                                                       |
|                                                                +------+
|                                                                |  GO  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|              | Inputs: FORM.ILBM  RAST  BMAP  MAC.PICT                | INFO
| Viewer       | Commands: [                                          ] | AREA
|              | Outputs: --none--                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

The currently selected icon has its info displayed in the info area. The
mechanics of moving them to the work area and connecting them up should
be pretty simple. Rubber-band-lines would be good.

Each program would have three kinds of ports: input ports, a command port,
and output ports (internally the command port could be the input port).
The command message would contain a simple text string the user would provide.
This would be the "Command line" for that program.
-- 
-- a clone of Peter (have you hugged your wolf today) da Silva  `-_-'
-- normally  ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter                U
-- Disclaimer: These aren't mere opinions... these are *values*.