[racket] online check syntax error display tweak

On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 5:42 PM, Sam Tobin-Hochstadt <samth at ccs.neu.edu> wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 6:08 PM, Robby Findler
> <robby at eecs.northwestern.edu> wrote:
>> On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 10:04 AM, Sam Tobin-Hochstadt <samth at ccs.neu.edu> wrote:
>>> Speaking of things that would improve the experience of those who keep
>>> parens balanced, if the error message appearing didn't move the
>>> division between the definitions and interactions window, that would
>>> be really nice.
>>
>> That bounce must be really annoying, I can see that.
>>
>> I've been thinking about what would be a good fix, but am having
>> trouble, given the constraint that I want the error message to be
>> visible without having to mouse over something.
>>
>> How about this: I'll make it so the error message thing doesn't go
>> away automatically, but instead the text just gets erased. There'll be
>> a separate little close button (like there is for the search thingy)
>> that you have to close. Then the text can come and go without bouncing
>> and for programs that don't have errors (like if you're browsing a
>> bunch of files) you don't lose that extra line at the bottom. Sound
>> worth trying?
>
> I'd be fine with that.  I'd also be fine with keep the bar there all
> the time.  But it seems like the optimal solution would be for the bar
> to appear and disappear, but not change the divider location.  Is that
> possible with `racket/gui'?  That would make it more reasonable to
> show more of the error when it's more than 1 line, as well.

Well, we can make the bar be a part of the interactions window (or the
bottommost definitions window if there is no interactions window) by
drawing on top of the text with some alpha fanciness, or we can have
it be a control in the window. If it is a control in the window, some
other window has to get smaller, or the whole window has to get bigger
(the latter is generally considered a bad idea I think).

So, those are the options.

Now that I write that, I'm thinking that maybe doing alpha fanciness
on the bottom-most definitions window might be worth trying...?

Robby