things done in version 2.1.9

things done in version 2.1.9
This is a transitional release and there will be much more in version 2.2.0.

1. The documentation has moved to s@rdalya wiki.
2. The API is JSLinted. Some seemingly unnoticed bugs were killed. Code optimized.
3. Shortcuts are a new feature, which increase typing speed and hence make coding faster, when getting used to it.
4. s@rdalya now has a central bug repository.
5. We have two brand new objects: ModalDialog and Effect.
6. We have enhanced XHRequest to better serve your AJAX needs.
7. We have decoupled the Editor from the API. We have stopped its development for some time, though we plan to use its codebase somewhere else (like a template management system).
8. StyleManager.remember now receives a timeout value as the third parameter. This is the number of days that the style will be remembered.
9. And many more changes which are hard to recall. We worked hard, but the end result was worth it.

We now have a wiki.

s@rdalya 's API documentation was formatted in XML for maximum portabilility.

However, as the time goes by the documentation grew more and more.

The API develops too fast and it is really hard to keep the documentation up-to-date.

So I've chosen an easier to edit format:

a wiki!

This way, s@rdalya will be open for discussion and collaboration of anyone who's interested.

Although the pages and the general layout of the wiki are incomplete, I think it's a good time to introduce you with the

peanut and butter wiki of s@rdalya.

.

pending the development of Editor

Now that Opera supports desing mode (from 9.0 developer release and further), my article on the utopic rich content editor that works in opera and all dom-supporting browsers for that matter is now more of experimental/academic importance.

I guess other non-supporting browsers will sooner or later will converge to support designMode, and their support will be almost identical and will not lead any cross-browser issues (fingers crossed).

Opera, supporting designMode just the same way mozilla does, is just the beginning of this forecoming convergence.

Though the part of the article discussing "the necessity of designmode" is worth reading imo.

Plus, the code is not useless none the less and I plan to integrate it into a more complicated infrastructure, something like a content management system, or more like a template generator application.

I am pending my development on the Editor for some time.

Instead I will focus the ajax integration and effects modules of sardalya.

The new version of sardalya will be ready within at most two weeks.

Just wait and get excited until that time.

how do you like your sardalya? mexican. hot and chilly please!

Then here it goes.

sardalya is now on hotscripts dot com.

Cheers.

s@rdalya on rails

If we agree on the terms with my prospective client, I will be doing an ajax+rails project.
And I plan to put sardalya on rails in that project.

So you may ask why do I re-invent the wheel and not use some readily-cooked ruby-compliant library such as script.aculo.us.

Here are some reasons why?

1. First of all, although I have not released an early-beta yet, I'm already developing Effect and Ajax modules for sardalya. I will be just speeding up my development to cath the ruby bandwagon.
2. Secondly I find sardalya's syntax easier to use than it script.aculo.us.
   (okay, since I'm the author of it; that's normal :) )
3. Third, you may or may not know but I've resigned my full-time senior developer position and now working freelance. And I've spared part of my time dedicated to my own projects. (of course I was doing R&D, building my personal projects when I was working full-time. But now I will have the opportunity to increment my personal-development ratio: I will spend a good amount of time on my "personal" projects even if this means less cash-flow in the short run).
4. And last, there is a demand from regular users of sardalya asking "why does not sardalya have an effects module and better ajax integration?"
   Well wait guys, you'll have it in a week or so. Even if I cannot complete full testing of the new release, I'll post an early-development version to the site.

And here are several things to add (just writing the ideas flowing in my mind):

• A DropTarget object with an ondrop:function and some other initializers such as hoverstyle droppedstyle
• An Effect object with at a minimum the following actions defined:
  move resize clip slidedown slideup blinddown blindup
• An addition to DraggableLayer
  DraggableLayer ondrop action, and onresize action
  note the below are to keep my memory up to date, they may not have a meaning for you
  -> Effect.move to original position. onbegindrag -> setopaquestyle ondrag onresize

... And a lot more.

Just wait and see.

s@rdalya was down for a day.

s@rdalya was down because of a really simple parse error.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Now the site is fully functional.

Feel free to enjoy it.