Idea: input text-field with integrated "confirm" button

[Mat]

I wish to bounce this here to make it precise before possibly adding it as a request on github

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This is a proposal to extend the EditTextWidget or possibly introduce a new widget to be a simple-to-use unit for user input.

Problem

The EditTextWidget does not work for modifying the *current* tiddler nor for macros due to tiddler refresh after each entered character. And the possible "circumventional solutions" put a lot of burden on the user and forces use of additional tiddlers.

Use cases

Forms: This is a standard way to collect user input so it should be simple to cretae forms in TW. (Compare e.g to the Google Forms design UI.) Again, a major problem is that it is not possible to edit the current tiddler using the EditTextWidget which forces complexifying things by involving other tiddlers.

Hacking: I often need to repeatedly set some value for testing stuff but this either means going in and out of edit mode or, again, use EditTextWidget but then also involve other tiddlers to prevent refresh.

Proposal

An widget that renders as a text area for input but with an associated "confirm button" associated with it.

I wrote some more detailed suggestions for implementations but rather than coloring you with my thougts I first want to hear if you have any good ideas and what you think of the idea to begin with.

<:-)

[TonyM]

Mat,

I am working on something very similar but perhaps solving problems you have not noted before.

I will share when back at my deskto or search for editfields

Regards
Tony

[Mat]

@Tony. Sounds interesting. Note that any user can of course manually create a "field with a submit button" but my point is that it should be built into core as a primitive. So I'm not really interested in seeing some neat macros that I probably could have created myself. I, of course, have no idea what you're about to show me so no offense meant. Actually, even if I knew, no offense meant anyway... ;-)

<:-)

[TonyM]

Mat,

No offence taken, and of course you have the skills to create what you want.

And yes a primitive would be helpful, but one can be built without a submit button could be created.

The edit fields solution I am working on allows you to simply add "text" to the list of fields in a field on that tiddler. The Edit text appears with the editor Toolbar and you can edit the text without going into edit mode nor using a submit button.

I would like to see a version of my solution in the core however on building it I realised to do this properly in needs to have 1. A template tiddler to edit fields in the current tiddler, 2 having a template tiddler for each fieldname including the text  field allows us to provide a field definition. Thus I have created the ability to build field definitions, and provided templates and definitions for common fields such as icon, color caption etc... such that they are easy to "edit".

As a result the "best" solution I can see moves away from what we may expect in the core.

I think the easiest way to get something in the core, is to write something as a plugin/or bundle that demonstrates what should be added.

I will see if I can do it.

Regards

Tony

[@TiddlyTweeter]

Ciao Mat

I fully agree with you. What you propose would simplify the current situation to good benefit for many use cases.

Here is a USE CASE: I create a series of several hundred Tiddlers of Film Title data. Once created a film student will often want to revise the content of various fields (e.g. YearReleased, Synopsis, AspectReatio, LogLine etc) of a Tiddler without entering the full editor. Handling other Tiddlers in order to help process the data on a larger data set like that can get over-complicated. Far better for this type of app. to have one Tiddler per record and no dependencies.

Would ...

-- simplify user code

-- make the life a "tweaker" easier.

My 2 cents
Josiah