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Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

haystackeditor.com

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Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#161

Post by junon »

20after4 wrote: post #112

This looks really interesting and well thought out. Nonetheless, I feel like the OS window manager should provide this kind of experience, with appropriate hooks so that an IDE can implement this sort of experience with native windows. I really liked using PaperWM¹ for a while, however, I'm still waiting for it to get more stable. Another system that is sort of similar to this concept, Pipeworld² (part of the Arcan p…

This is exactly the kind of window manager I've had in mind for years for the OS I'm making. Glad others feel similarly. Here's to hoping I get that far!

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#162

Post by replete »

Awesome I've wanted this exact kind of thing for many years - a code editor that lets me create funnels of code sections/functions for flow through an app - because you're often working through a particular flow in an application spanning many files. Definitely trying this out

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#163

Post by WillAdams »

sensanaty wrote: post #158

This is really cool! I like the fact that when you navigate to a method/declaration/whatever, it only contains the relevant snippet, rather than opening a secondary tab with the whole file scrolled to where the definition is. I often end up in a situation where I keep losing track of whatever method I'm reading since I need to compare where a method is called vs its definition, which is frustrating. I like that I can…

Literate Programming affords a 1D (vertical/scrolling) implementation of this with two views:

- raw code w/ comments/text

- nicely typeset code with formatted text and hyperlinks for navigation

http://literateprogramming.com/

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#164

Post by Calzifer »

azhenley wrote: post #147

I published a paper comparing navigation time with a canvas-based editor (Code Bubbles) vs. traditional tab-based editor (Eclipe) vs. a carousel-based editor (Patchworks, a tool I designed). We found the canvas provided too much freedom. https://austinhenley.com/pubs/Henley2014CHI_Patchworks.pdf

> Based on our qualitative observations, participants’ long navigation times in Eclipse appeared largely due to time spent scrolling through files full of irrelevant code (as opposed to switching tabs), and failing to see the methods they wanted among that code.

> [...]

> Because users of Code Bubbles and Patchworks were able to open code at the granularity of methods, they had the advantage of never having to scroll through code to reach their navigation targets.

Have only read a bit of this paper but from this discussion over Eclipse it seem that the participants could be a lot more efficient if they used it more like an IDE than a multi-tab editor. Finding methods should be much less of an issue having an (alphabetically ordered) outline view.

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#165

Post by azhenley »

heresie-dabord wrote: post #157
azhenley wrote: post #147

I published a paper comparing navigation time with a canvas-based editor (Code Bubbles) vs. traditional tab-based editor (Eclipe) vs. a carousel-based editor (Patchworks, a tool I designed). We found the canvas provided too much freedom. https://austinhenley.com/pubs/Henley2014CHI_Patchworks.pdf

Tantalising research! Is the source-code for the Patchwork editor publically available?

My former PhD student has been porting it to VS Code.

https://github.com/CodeRibbon/CodeRibbon-Theia

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#166

Post by DrScientist »

In the end isn't it about maximising the pixel space you have in a way that avoids lots of panning or scrolling, allows you to easily arrange related parts nearby, all while maximising the ability to context switch?

I find multiple workspaces works well for large context switches, then within each workspace, maximising pixel space is done with sloppy/mouse focus, partially overlapping windows and the ability to split my text editor windows easily.

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#167

Post by akshaysg »

agumonkey wrote: post #120
akshaysg wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never used Smalltalk but I've heard of it!

having windows popup from the object your looking at is indeed something they like to do, you'll have friends there :)

Curious if there's a Small Talk community -- would love to speak with them!

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#168

Post by thiht »

That's a very cool concept but I don't understand how to use it. The 4 buttons above a pane (?) have no label or tooltip so I don't know what they do. Even clicking on them nothing happens, so it's not clear what the arrows, or blank paper, or the... thingy, do.

The zoom control with the wheel seems wrong too, scrolling up should zoom, not dezoom.

I also would like to display a single function in a pane but it doesn't seem to work, at least with Go code.

All in all that seems very well done and very close to what I'm looking for, but the UI is a bit confusing

Re: Show HN: Haystack – an IDE for exploring and editing code on an infinite canvas

#170

Post by akshaysg »

azhenley wrote: post #147

I published a paper comparing navigation time with a canvas-based editor (Code Bubbles) vs. traditional tab-based editor (Eclipe) vs. a carousel-based editor (Patchworks, a tool I designed). We found the canvas provided too much freedom. https://austinhenley.com/pubs/Henley2014CHI_Patchworks.pdf

This is super interesting. We have thought about having a grid vs a canvas, but decided to go with the canvas as we actually thought it was easier to navigate. I'd love to talk with you (I'll email you) if you're OK with that!
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