4 ms·

The joy of immediate mode guis is that you don't have to register callbacks or manually modify (for example) the visibility of elements in response to some acti

The joy of immediate mode guis is that you don't have to register callbacks or manually modify (for example) the visibility of elements in response to some action. Instead you do: if checkbox(&show_debug, "Show debugging features") { if button("Run some test") { test()

pjmlp 5y ago
Joy for ones, pain for others, I don't miss coding GUIs like MS-DOS MODE X or Linux's SVGAlib.
999900000999 5y ago
But then if you need to change some non interactive parts of the UI, your digging though source code instead of modifying XML. Defining the UI via code becomes cumbersome, stuff like adding attributes, etc
- rstat1 5y ago
  Changing attributes of UI elements defined in code vs some XML format is in my mind the same level of effort. button.SetBackground(<color>) or <button backgroundColor="<color>" /> I see no difference there. EDIT: Ok the main difference I guess would be having to switch files (and thus context) which could be annoying. Plus there's also the non-zero performance impact from having to parse an XML format.
  - 999900000999 5y ago
    What if you have stacked elements, or elements within elements. <Box> <Button> <Icon/> </Button> </Box> In code it's something weird like Box(button( Icon() )))
    - rstat1 5y ago
      Its entirely dependent on how w/e library your using implements that pattern. For the code I just recently wrote that does a similar thing, its literally just: button.SetIcon(<icon-path-or-font-glyph>) box.add(button) Doesn't really seem all that weird to me.
    - dragonwriter 5y ago
      How is: Box( Button( Icon(...) ) ) Weirder than: <Box> <Button> <Icon ... /> </Button> </Box>
      - 999900000999 5y ago
        Now attach some callbacks. With XML I'm attaching my callbacks via code while defining the UI elsewhere. With pure code, I have to attach the callbacks directly to the object. Theirs a reason you don't just use JavaScript to define React components
        dividuum 5y ago
        You're in the wrong thread. :-) The main benefit of most immediate mode guis I've seen is that it's trivial to expose internal values to a ui in one line of code. No callbacks, no looking for the right place in any XML file or similar. Instead you add these lines when you need them and they show up in a ui: checkbox(&godmode, "Activate Godmode") slider(&enemy_aggro, "Enemy aggression", 0, 100)
        dragonwriter 5y ago
        > Now attach some callbacks. Not that any of this is relevant to immediate mode GUI, but the actual attachment of callbacks can be done identically in code no matter how the base UI design is done if you want it separately, but if you do it in code (whether with normal syntax or a funky transform like JSX) you can also have the option of direct attachment. > With pure code, I have to attach the callbacks directly to the object. No, you don't, but you can, and as it turns out, that's kind of popular. > Theirs a reason you don't just use JavaScript to define React components You can, in fact, but even when you use JSX, there is a reason you don't use actual (HT/X)ML code, but instead a language that compiles to, and let's you freely mix in, JavaScript.
        999900000999 5y ago
        Let's say you have a really complex UI. Would you really define your UI in code over XML or HTML
    - elcritch 5y ago
      I prefer the best of both worlds. I've been making a YAML like widget syntax in code using an immediate mode GUI written in Nim. It let's me write things like: Horizontal: box 10.WPerc, 100, 8.Em, 2.Em Button: text: fmt"Clicked4: {self.count:4d}" setup: size 8.Em, 2.Em onClick: self.count.inc() https://github.com/elcritch/fidget/blob/devel/tests/basicwidget/basicwidget_v1.nim https://github.com/elcritch/fidget/blob/devel/tests/basicwid...
  - jayd16 5y ago
    The nice thing about separating the view definition from the controller code is you can work on the view without actually running code. Most retained mode GUIs have standalone view editor. That's essentially not possible in immediate mode guis without a lot more mocking of code.

pjmlp 5y ago

Joy for ones, pain for others, I don't miss coding GUIs like MS-DOS MODE X or Linux's SVGAlib.

999900000999 5y ago

But then if you need to change some non interactive parts of the UI, your digging though source code instead of modifying XML. Defining the UI via code becomes cumbersome, stuff like adding attributes, etc

rstat1 5y ago
Changing attributes of UI elements defined in code vs some XML format is in my mind the same level of effort. button.SetBackground(<color>) or <button backgroundColor="<color>" /> I see no difference there. EDIT: Ok the main difference I guess would be having to switch files (and thus context) which could be annoying. Plus there's also the non-zero performance impact from having to parse an XML format.
- 999900000999 5y ago
  What if you have stacked elements, or elements within elements. <Box> <Button> <Icon/> </Button> </Box> In code it's something weird like Box(button( Icon() )))
  - rstat1 5y ago
    Its entirely dependent on how w/e library your using implements that pattern. For the code I just recently wrote that does a similar thing, its literally just: button.SetIcon(<icon-path-or-font-glyph>) box.add(button) Doesn't really seem all that weird to me.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    How is: Box( Button( Icon(...) ) ) Weirder than: <Box> <Button> <Icon ... /> </Button> </Box>
    - 999900000999 5y ago
      Now attach some callbacks. With XML I'm attaching my callbacks via code while defining the UI elsewhere. With pure code, I have to attach the callbacks directly to the object. Theirs a reason you don't just use JavaScript to define React components
      - dividuum 5y ago
        You're in the wrong thread. :-) The main benefit of most immediate mode guis I've seen is that it's trivial to expose internal values to a ui in one line of code. No callbacks, no looking for the right place in any XML file or similar. Instead you add these lines when you need them and they show up in a ui: checkbox(&godmode, "Activate Godmode") slider(&enemy_aggro, "Enemy aggression", 0, 100)
      - dragonwriter 5y ago
        > Now attach some callbacks. Not that any of this is relevant to immediate mode GUI, but the actual attachment of callbacks can be done identically in code no matter how the base UI design is done if you want it separately, but if you do it in code (whether with normal syntax or a funky transform like JSX) you can also have the option of direct attachment. > With pure code, I have to attach the callbacks directly to the object. No, you don't, but you can, and as it turns out, that's kind of popular. > Theirs a reason you don't just use JavaScript to define React components You can, in fact, but even when you use JSX, there is a reason you don't use actual (HT/X)ML code, but instead a language that compiles to, and let's you freely mix in, JavaScript.
        999900000999 5y ago
        Let's say you have a really complex UI. Would you really define your UI in code over XML or HTML
  - elcritch 5y ago
    I prefer the best of both worlds. I've been making a YAML like widget syntax in code using an immediate mode GUI written in Nim. It let's me write things like: Horizontal: box 10.WPerc, 100, 8.Em, 2.Em Button: text: fmt"Clicked4: {self.count:4d}" setup: size 8.Em, 2.Em onClick: self.count.inc() https://github.com/elcritch/fidget/blob/devel/tests/basicwidget/basicwidget_v1.nim https://github.com/elcritch/fidget/blob/devel/tests/basicwid...
- jayd16 5y ago
  The nice thing about separating the view definition from the controller code is you can work on the view without actually running code. Most retained mode GUIs have standalone view editor. That's essentially not possible in immediate mode guis without a lot more mocking of code.