[Oberon] Gadgets for SyntaxConstrainedEditor

[easlab at absamail.co.za]

Why should we be punished to pick chars off a keyboard, a-la-1965,
when we could pick structures which are constrained to be syntactically
correct at each stage of the refinement process ?

eg.
Pick: 'NewSource' and 
 See something like:---

> MODULE NewSource;
> 
> END NewSource.
   where the 'cursor' is by default at 'NewSource title', and it's 
possible editing is auto-duplicated at the matching 'END NewSource'.
I.e the text is constrained to be snytactically correct.
------------------------
Pick: 'Refine' and 
 See something like:---

> MODULE Sample1;
> 
> *CONST
> *TYPE
> *VAR
> *PROCEDURE
> *BEGIN
> 
> END Sample1.   
   where the '*<valid selection>s  are conveniently available.
------------------------
Pick: 'VAR' and 
 See something like:---

> MODULE Sample1;
> 
> VAR ? : <current TypeList> ;
> 
> END Sample1.
   where "?" and <current TypeList> are hi-lit and the cursor is
appropriately located.
------------------------
....
Pick: 'PROCEDURE' and 
 See something like:---

> MODULE Sample1;
> 
> VAR i: INTEGER;
> 
> PROCEDURE <ProcID>;
>    BEGIN
>    END <ProcID>;
> 
> END Sample1.
   where the non-creative input is automated...
------------------------
....
Pick: '<Statement>' and 
 See something like:---
> ...
> * assignment
> * ProcedureCall
> *IfStatement
> ...
------------------------
Pick: '* assignment' and 
 See something like:---

> *<list of currently valid designators>  := <Expression>.
..........

Even IF the concept is only viable for 'toy-sources', 
evolution/refinement could perhaps bootstrap a
useful tool ?

Reading through Chapter3.Text , Chapter4.Text again, it seems
that I for one made a big mistake in not devoting effort to build
fluency to use Gadgets.

It seems that Gadgets would be ideal for such a SyntaxEditor ?

== Chris Glur.