35393 - feature: Need span for XUL grids

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Core :: XUL, enhancement, P1)

Description

[german]

We do need span (like in tables) for XUL grids ebfore we can re-create most of 
the common dialogs, properties dialogs and prefs panels among others. This is a 
pre-requisite for skinnability for NS 6.

Comment 1

[german]

setting apprpriate keywords and owners

Comment 2

[Peter Trudelle]

setting P1 for M16

Comment 3

[Eric Vaughan]

targeting

Comment 4

[Eric Vaughan]

setting completion date

Comment 5

[Peter Trudelle]

adding feature tag

Comment 6

[Eric Vaughan]

Reseting completetion date.

Comment 7

[Peter Trudelle]

updating status whiteboard with latest estimates

Comment 8

[Charles Manske]

Consider using nested <grid>s instead. We've used that successfully in
Composer's Spell Check dialog.

Comment 9

[Eric Vaughan]

Span turn out to be very math intensive. To do them right is not easy. I can 
probably get the 90% case but it will take time. Unfortunately more than we have 
for m16. However it is possible to get most of what you want just by nesting 
them. I suggest we try and work around them. And schedule them to be finished 
for a future milestone. This will allow me to work on more important bugs. Such 
as splitters not collapsing. And stack z order problems.

-E

Comment 10

[Sjoerd Visscher]

Can you point me to some details about the math intensive stuff?
Sounds interesting.

Comment 11

[Eric Vaughan]

I have to sit and write it down. Most of the work I did was just with some 
engineers here. It seems simple at first but once you truly understand the whole 
problem. It turns out be not quite so simple. The really issue it stating the 
problem correcly. And for that you have to understand boxes intimately. So the 
plan to to write a white paper on boxes and then state the problem and let 
people have crack at it. But essentually the problem as to do would overlapping 
constaints in grids that cause couped equations. Here is an example:

3 columns. Columns 1 has a flex of 1, 2 a flex of 2, and 3 a flex of 3. Now you 
have now you have 3 rows. In the first row you have 3 buttons one in each 
column. And each button has a max size of 20px. Then you have a second row. It 
has 2 cells. On that spans cells 1 and 2 and a second that in in column 3. the 
first one has a max size of 100px. Then you have a third row with 3 cells in it. 
Cell one in in column1 but cell 2 spans columns 2 and 3. It has a max size of 
say 100px. Now you need to detemine the min, max, and preferred sizes for each 
column. 
Now assuming that all these cells can have all three types of contraints such as 
min, max, and pref. As well as different flexes. This is easy to solve if there 
are no overlapping constrains. If there are like above the solution is not so 
simple. 

Comment 12

[Jonas Nagel]

Verify? Doesn't look someone's still going about this....