Tutorial on Customizing FoldingText

Hi,

A tutorial on Customizing FoldingText has just been published. Check it out!

Richard Guay
customct.com

Oh my word. Can’t wait to read this. Thanks, Richard!

Very useful work - well done !

FWIW, a thought on the opening presentation of why to use FT at all, let alone invest time in learning to customise it:

I wonder if there might be room for expanding it a little ? At the moment, the pitch seems to be that it’s essentially one minimalist text editor among many, and

‘the real innovation found in FoldingText is the extensions’

Perhaps there’s a slight risk of people drifting away with the impression that it’s yet another a text editor, and mainly worth extending because it’s extensible ?

I would personally tend to foreground the Folding more than the Text. Above all it’s a plain text outliner – faster and more fluid than widget-encumbered rivals like OmniOutliner – with just as much ability to deal with data elements attached to each node in the outline tree, and much more ability to filter them intelligently.

I may be wrong, but my guess is that you may harvest more extenders if you emphasise the very distinctive nature, power and scope of what comes out of the box, and the potential for extending not just another ‘minimalist text editor’ but a full-powered filtering outliner.

Rob

I had more of that in my original, but the tutorial was way past it’s size limit. So, a lot of trimming was done. The goal of the tutorial is about extending FT, not trying to persuade people to use it. That site tries not to be an ad factory trying to get people to use something, but it’s focus is on teaching how to use it. Therefore, the mode of the tutorial is teaching people who have it how to take more advantage of it. But, with a reader base of over 5,000 people, it will get more people to look at it.

I did highlight the folding nature, but again had to do it briefly so that it did not cut into the teaching aspect. Computer.TutsPlus.com is a teaching site more than anything else. Also, the editor always has the last word!

Richard

I did highlight the folding nature

Fair enough : - )

I’ve noticed so many people getting the impression that the Folding half of the name is something to do with the hash headers being collapsible, that I make a point of reminding people that it’s a plain text outliner rather than just a plain text editor.

( and that any parental node in an FT outline with tab-indented children can be collapsed, hoisted, moved with folded children etc etc - no need for hash headers to be involved at all, unless they’re useful for styling )