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RobotLegs Example – Clock App

• Edit

simone

04 Sep, 2010 07:31 PM

An implementation of one of the most simple yet clear example of a MVC application:
A clock which can display the time in different ways.

article: http://blog.vizio360.co.uk/2010/04/robotlegs-example-clock-app/
git repo: http://github.com/vizio360/RobotLegs-Clock-App-Demo

1. 1 Posted by blockage on 08 Sep, 2010 06:43 PM

   

   Thanks for the example. I'm pretty new to this framework but it seems like you have a lot of view stuff being done weird places. I think this'll make it pretty hard to reuse with different views.

   • AddClocks command -- A command shouldn't create views and add them to the display list directly. I'd have the parent view handle this, possibly in response to a call from its mediator.

   • AlignClocksOnStage command -- Why have a command for aligning the clocks? Seems like this is a view thing too. No need for this command IMO.

   • ClockAppMediator -- shouldn't set x/y positions. Layout is the also the views responsibility. I'd probably do something like, have the view expose a centerChildren() method.

   • SetupStage -- also a view thing. I'd just do this in creationComplete.

   If you want to explore the controller/commands a bit more, how about adding a UI for setting the time?
   

   • Edit

2. 2 Posted by simone on 15 Sep, 2010 09:08 PM

   

   Hi,

   thanks for the reply, I'm going to think about your comments and change the app where appropriate.

   I will post an update soon.

   Simone

   • Edit

3. 3 Posted by simone on 16 Sep, 2010 07:12 PM

   

   Hi,

   I've pushed a new branch called blockageReview and here is the repo

   git@github.com:vizio360/RobotLegs-Clock-App-Demo.git

   where I think I fixed all the issues you raised in your review.

   AddClocks command -- A command shouldn't create views and add them to the display list directly. I'd have the parent view handle this, possibly in response to a call from its mediator.
   --- Maybe I'm not getting it right, but somewhere in the code I will need to create the Views, and I don't really want to inject them into the mediator as I don't want to tightly couple the Main View Mediator with its children, but I agree with you that I shouldn't modify a view directly in a command. What I've done is creating a command for each view creation, which dispatches an event which then the Main App view is listening to.

   AlignClocksOnStage command -- Why have a command for aligning the clocks? Seems like this is a view thing too. No need for this command IMO.
   --- I made this decision because I found easier to locate where things are done by looking at the commands name, but I can see your point, and I agree so I moved this responsibility to the main app view.

   ClockAppMediator -- shouldn't set x/y positions. Layout is the also the views responsibility. I'd probably do something like, have the view expose a centerChildren() method.
   --- as mentioned above I moved it into the main app view.

   SetupStage -- also a view thing. I'd just do this in creationComplete.
   --- here I thought about treating the stage as a view so I've created a mediator specifically for the Stage. The stage can be seen as the DisplayObject at the top of the display list so why not treat it as a view?

   about expanding it so to be able to change the time, I need to work on it but it won't be soon..

   thanks for spending time looking at my code, and yet again there is always stuff to learn :)

   cheers
   Simone
   

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4. Support Staff 4 Posted by Ondina D.F. on 17 Sep, 2010 10:58 AM

   

   @Simone

   Inspired by your pretty clock I started working on an analog clock for Flex & AIR, which I want to use in one of my projects.
   I used your script for the time and clock’s hands settings.
   In my example the time’s setting occurs in the view.
   The Clock is customizable.
   I use Models + Commands for setting the time-zone and the styles (colors, logo) of the clock.

   My goal is to be able to add different Clocks to the application, each showing a different time and eventually having different looks.

   Also it would be nice if I could add a starting time (for example: the moment I start working on a project).
   The clock’s Face would change, i.e. circular sectors in a different color would show the time elapsed. By the end of the day (or night) or whenever I stop working the elapsed time should be inserted into the DB table for that project. Hmmm, I wish I could explain it better.

   Maybe we (and others) should try to collaborate and make 3 versions of the clock: Flash, Flex and AIR.

   My Clock has several weak points at this stage:

   • one of them is the positioning of the clock’s components, which is a real mess

   • there is no input validation for the form used to customize the clock

   • the time zone offset is just an array set in the Model - it should be a real list of time zones

   • I need a better solution for the drawing of circle sectors and the curved text

   Of course there are more things that should to be improved. It’s a work in progress.

   I hope to hear everyone's opinion and/or suggestions :)

   http://ondina.github.com/clock/RobotlegsClock.html

   http://github.com/Ondina/robotlegsclock

   Ondina

   • Edit

5. Stray closed this discussion on 16 Feb, 2011 08:59 PM.