The last one for today.
You may want to check the English locale xml file and find out that there are two cases where we use the Parameter Converter. Please understand that the current sample implementation of the HP LaserJet 9000 PCL5e is mainly for demontration purpose. I incorporated some issues just to show what people may want to try.
1. Depending on some other setting (in this case the number of copies, but could be anything in theory) the label of a control (in this case copies) may change - or better to say some people may think about that as a feature.
2. We have to specify the variable entry for the copies edit box.
To support 1. we certainly need the Parameter Converter. To specify the condition directly in the locale has proven to be the wrong place. The only other reasonable place to do that is in the Name_ID attribute. That requires that the driver has to check all feature settings at run-time, which seems to be a problem for IBM.
Another question is whether we want to allow the change at all or rather prevent the description developer from it.
To support 2. is more open. One idea in our last discussion was to specify the type of an attribute like copies. Be careful: I am not talking about specifying the type in the schema. This would tell the description developer what he/she is allowed. No, I'm talking about providing the chance to the description developer the specify the type for the driver/client.
There are some details with it. First it would be a huge amount of additional data to specify the data type with each attribute. Second I doubt whether this would help us in the current dilemma. I seeking for a chance to specify a record as variable - if possible without adding a boolean attribute to every record telling about variable.
If we can solve both problems in some way, we may decide to prohibit the use of the Parameter Converter for UI string completely.
If you have some input, please explain with simple samples.
Regards
Norbert Schade
Principal Software Engineer
Advanced Development / Connectivity
Oak Technology, Inc.
10 Presidential Way
Woburn, MA 01801
USA
Phone: 1-781-638-7614
Fax: 1-781-638-7555
email: norbertschade@oaktech.com
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