[mikewse]

Will you be doing anything about the HTML/Javascript data serving as input for content-assist and validation in the corresponding editors?

It seems not much has happened with this data and it is probably quite similar to the original IBM contribution? Since starting to use MyEclipse I regularly find little annoyances with tags or attributes missing from this database, causing missing selections in content-assist and validation warnings in the editors. We do some browser-specific coding (like many others) so this may be the reason, but one would desire a way to solve this in MyEclipse. Just one IE-specific case from the top of my head is

<iframe onload="xyz();">

that will cause a validation warning for onload.

I think you need to do some work on browser-specific capabilities, especially for the coming days of AJAX development.
Below is my own wish list, and I would really appreciate if you could comment on what parts are coming, might be coming or will absolutely not be coming.

1) HTML database for more browsers
A minimum set is of course StandardHTML4, IE6 and FF1 but more versions and also Opera etc would be nice.

2) HTML browser compatibility setting in Web project
a. I would like to specify (per project) what browsers should be supported and then only get the corresponding HTML tags/attributes in content-assist and validation.
b. An additional setting would allow me to only use the common subset for the selected browsers or to use any tag/attribute that exists in any of the browsers. When using the latter setting it would be great to have the identifiers not part of the common subset rendered in a different color in content-assist.
c. Browser icons in content-assist (like the IE/Netscape icons in Javascript content-assist) could be used but may take too much space if there are many browser versions to choose from (IE5, IE6, IE7, NS6, NS7, NS8, FF1, …).

3) Javascript database for more browsers
See (1).

4) Javascript browser compatibility in Web project
a. See (2a).
b. See (2b).
c. See (2c).

5) Javascript Quick fixes
Implement Quick fixes for surrounding code with browser-specific tests (“Surround with test for Firefox 1.0”).

6) Javascript reserved word content-assist
Currently the Javsscript editor doesn’t do content-assist on “function”, “var”, etc.
And maybe there are more areas missing?

[Riyad Kalla]

We have no commitments to any of the bullets above yet for a specific release, but I know we have discussed #2 and somewhat #1 (#3) at length. We brought up #4 and #5, although 5 is not likely this early in the game and #6 shouldn’t be too hard (for some reason hadn’t come up yet).

I do know that we are focusing hard on the AJAX work and it will get better. We have a large user base to appease with this future work so as releases come out and your numbered list here may not be addressed right away, hang in there, we will get to it.

[mikewse]

Thanks for the info Riyad.
I’ll take that as maybe some of this will, at best, make it into the 5.0 release and that there is a probability that some of the other bullets may be incorporated in a release before the end of the year.

[Riyad Kalla]

I would say that is a good way to think of it.

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