Wish Requesting again ? for layout file in text form

[AnandGupta]

It is not a wish but sincere request.

@Erel Please Please, make the layout file .bal a text file (json / xml / txt / whatever you wish)

I am developing in C# in VS now at my office for a company product. I found that the layout (form) file ,designer.cs is a text file. It has all the views with location, size etc. in plain text format.
I needed to develop a form which I already have in another programing language. I made a translator code which converted this to C# designer.cs file.
It saved me many man hours is getting same look and feel with same color, size etc. And if there is any error, VS gives option to directly edit the .designer.cs file in text form and fix it.

Member here have made some tools to convert .bal to text and vice versa.
But I want @Erel to give the layout as a text file by default, which I feel is possible as the final layout for Android in xml.
This way we can directly manipulate the layout file in a text editor if needed.

Requesting again ?

 

[Spavlyuk]

I don't think B4A creates xml files from layout files. BalConverter was made by Erel for this purpose.
You can modify it a bit to work with a custom build action so the json or bal files are automatically generated each run, depending on your needs.

 

[AnandGupta]

Maybe.

But if Erel makes it text file, we all gain from its simplicity.

 

[Lucas Siqueira]

or create unique layout, .bxl

Designer bxl

could create a bxl designer, which would be b4xview panels and components... this would help to create only one layout for the three ides, i know i can copy and paste, but it would be faster to develop a designer that already works on 3 or at least on android + ios, when the client asks to make...

www.b4x.com

where b4a, b4i and b4j use the same layout file, today when I have a change I have to go to the 2 IDEs (b4a and b4i) and include the new component and even when I have to modify several screens, it ends up being a lot of work to use copy and paste (although it helps)

 

[Erel]

I don't think B4A creates xml files from layout files. BalConverter was made by Erel for this purpose.
You can modify it a bit to work with a custom build action so the json or bal files are automatically generated each run, depending on your needs.

This is an accurate answer. There is no relation between B4X layout files and Android XML layouts. And you can quite easily convert the layout to json using this tool: [B4X] BalConverter - Convert the layouts files to JSON (and vice versa)

 

[AnandGupta]

This is an accurate answer. There is no relation between B4X layout files and Android XML layouts. And you can quite easily convert the layout to json using this tool: [B4X] BalConverter - Convert the layouts files to JSON (and vice versa)

Actually I want to avoid doing it myself each time "And you can quite easily convert the layout to json"
If the layout is in json by default we do not need to do any changes.

Still I will request to make it json by default, and convert to binary at time of compilation.
We will not mind any delay for it.
Please ?

 

[Lucas Siqueira]

This is an accurate answer. There is no relation between B4X layout files and Android XML layouts. And you can quite easily convert the layout to json using this tool: [B4X] BalConverter - Convert the layouts files to JSON (and vice versa)

is it possible to convert json to .bil (ios layout)?

 

[Erel]

The three layouts structures are the same. It will should work perfectly if you converted a bil file to json and then back.
If you want to convert layout between platforms then the built-in "copy in one platform and paste in another" should be used.

 

[AnandGupta]

Except the .bal file, every thing is in text in B4A and that make lot easier for us to compare and concise codes between projects.
If .bal also becomes text (json) we are winner here.

 

[Theera]

It is not a wish but sincere request.

@Erel Please Please, make the layout file .bal a text file (json / xml / txt / whatever you wish)

I am developing in C# in VS now at my office for a company product. I found that the layout (form) file ,designer.cs is a text file. It has all the views with location, size etc. in plain text format.
I needed to develop a form which I already have in another programing language. I made a translator code which converted this to C# designer.cs file.
It saved me many man hours is getting same look and feel with same color, size etc. And if there is any error, VS gives option to directly edit the .designer.cs file in text form and fix it.

Member here have made some tools to convert .bal to text and vice versa.
But I want @Erel to give the layout as a text file by default, which I feel is possible as the final layout for Android in xml.
This way we can directly manipulate the layout file in a text editor if needed.

Requesting again ?

[B4X] BalConverter - Convert the layouts files to JSON (and vice versa)

BalConverter is a B4J app (desktop app) that converts between the designer layout files and JSON format. This allows you to edit the layout with a text editor. Note that the format is not so simple as the layout files were not designed to be edited this way. The converter app is simple. You...

www.b4x.com

 

[AnandGupta]

[B4X] BalConverter - Convert the layouts files to JSON (and vice versa)

BalConverter is a B4J app (desktop app) that converts between the designer layout files and JSON format. This allows you to edit the layout with a text editor. Note that the format is not so simple as the layout files were not designed to be edited this way. The converter app is simple. You...

www.b4x.com

Actually I want to avoid doing it myself each time "And you can quite easily convert the layout to json"
If the layout is in json by default we do not need to do any changes.