[CLOSED] [1.0] Major breaking changes without any warnings

[r_honey]

With due respect, I would like to state here that there needs to be a policy for introducing breaking changes (atleast for major ones).

I reported a bug in the Toolkit earlier in the day (http://forums.ext.net/showthread.php...33432-5-1.aspx).
After reading vlad's reply that the bug has been fixed, I updated from the SVN.


It has been probably 10-12 days since my last update from SVN. And within this short period, I find my code not compiling against the latest from the SVN.


Apart from other things, the major list of errors include the protection level of Ext.Net.Field.SetValue (which has been switched from Public to Protected).


My first question would be why this change? And second (more of an opinion), Coolite/Ext.net now has a very large community coding against the toolkit. I understand that dev versions are bound to introduce breaking changes, but a more formal approach to breaking changes (at the very least, a comprehensive Change log) would definitely assist the community in maintaining the sanity of the code developed against the toolkit (especially its dev versions).

[r_honey]

As I resolve compilation errors in my code against the latest update from SVN, I notice that SetRawValue is public, but SetValue is protected.

This is particularly surprising. When SetRawValue is public, shouldn't SetValue also be so???

[geoffrey.mcgill]

Hi Rahul,

...(at the very least, a comprehensive Change log)...

I'll have to post a more detailed response later today, although I did just want to quickly point out that the .SetValue() change was listed in the CHANGELOG.txt.

68. The .SetValue() Method accessor was changed to "protected" and is no longer publicly accessible.

Please set the .Value property instead of calling .SetValue() Method.

Example (Old)

this.TextField1.SetValue("My New Text");

Example (New)

this.TextField.Value = "My New Text";

[r_honey]

Hi Geoff, I was searching my copy of the code from SVN for this Change Log entry. Can you please point me where is this Change Log available??

[geoffrey.mcgill]

The CHANGELOG.txt should be in the following location...

\1.0.0\Ext.Net\Build\Ext.Net\CHANGELOG.txt

Hope this helps.

[r_honey]

Thanks geoff, I found the change Log at the referenced location.

As far as I can see, the entries are in chronological order (changes made later are listed later). If they are not, it would help if they are in chronological order.


Another request here might be to list dates when each change was made (obviously for future updates, if you don;t recall the dates for existing Change Log entries).

[geoffrey.mcgill]

As far as I can see, the entries are in chronological order (changes made later are listed later). If they are not, it would help if they are in chronological order.

As the changes are introduced, the item is added to the end of the list.

Another request here might be to list dates when each change was made (obviously for future updates, if you don;t recall the dates for existing Change Log entries).

Great suggestion. We'll start adding the datetime stamp as well as the SVN Revision number to the CHANGELOG items from this point forward.

[geoffrey.mcgill]

The original discussion that sparked the change to the .SetValue() Method was this one...

http://forums.ext.net/showthread.php...1.aspx#bm32662


In retrospec, I think I made the wrong decision to mark the Method as protected. The .SetValue() Methods have been changed back to "public" and a new protected .SetValueProxy() Method has been added for internal use.


Once the v1.0 release is official, we're hoping to not introduce any further breaking changes.


Any changes/fixes will be listed in the CHANGELOG.txt.


Hope this helps.

[r_honey]

Hi geoff, I yesterday night asked one of my remote team members to update his copy of the code from the SVN. I warned him of the breaking change about SetValue and advised a global replace to Value property.

In the evening today, he replied back saying he did updated his code, but it compiled perfectly without any need for a replace. I was like: What, let me check??
And when I did, it SetValue was back to plain old public visibility!!!

Well,

geoffrey.mcgill (5/26/2010)Once the v1.0 release is official, we're hoping to not introduce any further breaking changes.

Without going too much into this, I really wonder what has kept the Ext.Net team working for over 5 months now? I read somewhere in the forums that you people are working on documentation (somewhere around Feb or March).

But you are really keeping people guessing out there when the toolkit (1.0) would be released??

[geoffrey.mcgill]

And when I did, it SetValue was back to plain old public visibility!!!

The .SetValue() Method was changed back to a public accessor, and the problem outlined in the thread I linked to above has been fixed. Under the covers, it still just directly sets the .Value property.