You might have missed the point. All the parameters you want to tweak are published up to the macro patch itself. The engine stays the same, you give each macro a different filename etc.
From a programmer's point of view, Toby's suggestion perfectly mirrors the idea of subroutines. If I make a function (doStuff()), and then use it in a hundred places, I'd expect a single change to doStuff() to "propagate" to all uses instantly (that's just how programming works). If it didn't, programming would be one of the most awful professions ever.
QC, on the other hand, currently has all its functions "inlined" -- the only subroutine-like reuse is in Virtual Macros, which require a separate editing step to change (unlike programming -- doStuff can be in the same source file as all the uses of it).
I don't think it always makes sense in QC for a macro copy to be a mirrored copy, but I'd definitely find it handy in some use cases as well (think of them as a light virtual macro -- not necessarily file- backed). As with most things, the trick is finding a good design that makes this as seamless as possible, to accommodate both schools of design.
There are definitely workflows that tip their hats to both, depending on design styles. This also reflects programming -- some developers will copy/paste chunks of code instead of refactoring, and then they run into the same problem George mentioned, but in reverse: if you want all instances of a chunk to simultaneously change/update their behavior, you've got an exciting hunt-and-find ahead of you (and if you miss one, it's nigh impossible to find it). There are also times where you _want_ a copy/pasted chunk to be distinct for tweaking. QC in its current form _only_ allows the latter case; Toby was saying it should provide both. (in principle I agree. Not sure if I can think of a good/seamless way to expose it though).
-- [ christopher wright ] [email protected] http://kineme.net/ _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Quartzcomposer-dev mailing list ([email protected]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/quartzcomposer-dev/archive%40mail-archive.com This email sent to [email protected]
