Thanks for your insights. FWIW, there’s three approaches out there for JS text engines. Google uses DOM (each character is a separate div absolutely positioned). Apple Pages uses the SVG approach you mention. Others use Canvas.
All three of these methods require low-level handling of selections and the like. I really think the time is ripe for an open source JS text engine and framework (like TLF). We just all need to get together and actually do it! I would change a number of things related to how FTE handles things. For example paragraph terminators should be first class citizens. On Nov 6, 2014, at 10:06 PM, Joel Marks <[email protected]> wrote: > @Harbs we <http://workiva.com> are in a very similar position. > Unfortunately we have kind of given up on Flex but the grass hasn't been > very green on the other side. > > Our production application which uses our custom version of TLF 1 is still > all in Flex. But, we have a viewer that is in JS which is using a text > layout algorithm on the server then pass down drawing instructions and > placing character by character using SVG. We had to roll our own selection > because the one built in to SVG is crap. Apparently the performance of SVG > is still better than Canvas. > > We implemented TLF and FTE layout in Python but have been battling the last > two years trying to get them in sync with Flex and we still are not there > yet. Because of this, as we look to the new text editor we are looking at > writing it in either Dart so we can use it on the client but then also use > the Dart VM on the server or in Go then use GopherJS to compile it to JS. > > We had a former Flex team using Typescript but they were frustrated with > some shortcomings due to the fact you are still in JS so they ported all > their code to Dart and that has been successful. It is slightly slower than > pure JS but worth it for the language and the hope of future performance in > Chrome. > > Another team is just starting to leave Angular for Facebook's React using > Flux. We have had a decent amount of success with React and this will be > our first foray into Flux. > > AtScript from the Angular team is also very interesting due to the fact > that it will be able to be compiled to Dart or JS but I think it is still > in the early stages. > > I suggested this before and I know this will probably never happen but I > would love it if Adobe would open source FTE (which I am guessing is in C > or C++) so people could use Emscripten to compile to JS or execut it on the > server. If we have FTE then then TLF would be pretty easy to port or FlexJS > may just be able to keep the the same code. I know this is very much not > trivial but it could help the web so much by having a text engine that is > compatible across all browsers. > > On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 3:59 PM, jude <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I think staying with FlexJS will be a big advantage for you. You know many >> in the community who will be able to help and improve FlexJS, you'll get >> typed AS3 language support and MXML support for layout and markup. >> >> The only thing I would consider is the text support. I ran into issues with >> text layout in the HTML output as well. I was trying to go from Flash text >> layout to HTML output and the text in HTML was too high or too low or too >> wide and so on. That's just trying to output a static resource from what is >> visible in Flash. If you are doing printui interface in HTML you will have >> to figure out how to deal with text differences across browsers and the >> original source. It may require SVG or HTML canvas or a JS text library. >> >> Ted Patrick's been working on something called "txt" [0][1]. It looks like >> it's doing consistent layout of text across browsers but I couldn't find >> any more details than what he's posted on twitter. One comment I read is >> that it is matching the layout of text in InDesign. He may also import >> TLF[2]??? There is also seems to be an AutoSizeText [5]. >> >> [0] https://twitter.com/__ted__/status/515128060291477504 >> [1] https://twitter.com/__ted__/status/522748823475478528 >> [2] https://twitter.com/__ted__/status/523105022007992320 >> [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB6mCJbDjaY >> [4] https://twitter.com/__ted__/status/515125174627074050 >> [5] https://twitter.com/__ted__/status/513084940234153984 >> >> On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 4:53 AM, piotrz <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Harbs, >>> >>> If you have any kind of possibility to stay with ActionScript development >>> just do this. I can say that AngularJS is a great framework, but if we >> are >>> trying to do something really big - debugging, searching in code, fast >>> creation of complex ui is far far a way from what we have seen in AS >>> development. - I see this in my team where they are working on really big >>> AngularJS app. >>> >>> I think if you successfully prototype your project in FlexJS you will >> give >>> this framework solid kick and push it to the next level! >>> >>> Just my small two cents on this. >>> >>> Piotr >>> >>> >>> >>> ----- >>> Apache Flex PMC >>> [email protected] >>> -- >>> View this message in context: >>> >> http://apache-flex-development.2333347.n4.nabble.com/To-FlexJS-or-not-to-FlexJS-tp41998p42022.html >>> Sent from the Apache Flex Development mailing list archive at Nabble.com. >>> >>
