In the early days of Wappler, there was no facility to add comments within server actions; now it’s hard to imagine creating server actions without them. However, it’s not easy to add comments. With the forthcoming major improvements in the way of working with server connect files, it would be great if there were a better way to add comments - and ideally, to add space between blocks of steps. I have no idea how difficult or feasible this would be.
At a glance, the image below could be taken from a typical text editor, but of course it’s a Wappler server action file. Most of the ‘code’ is made up of comments. In a text editor, it is easy to add comments; in Wappler it’s pretty awkward. There is no facility to add multi-line comments, so it’s a matter of adding multiple single lines - which makes the feature difficult to use and maintain (editing a comment made of several single lines is difficult). Also, there are no shortcut keys available, so lots of clicking is required. I use the duplicate option once I’ve create the first comment, but even then, about 4 clicks are needed before you start typing the comment, for each line.
So… the request: ideally an option to add multi-line comments (including blank lines). If this is not possible, a shortcut key to duplicate the current step or a shortcut key specifically to add a comment line.
This FR should have been added ages ago!
Goes well with this section of Wappler, which is very dependent on mouse and cannot be easily made usable via keyboard and shortcuts.
Wouldn't this mean an extra click is required to open the Actions menu (one more click than is currently required)? Apart from that, I like all of these suggestions. If this menu could be opened using a shortcut key, and the items accessed with other shortcuts (or perhaps arrow up/down+enter), I don't think this would be an issue.
A related feature is the use of the arrow or tab keys. I'm pretty sure these keys were put to better use in both Server and App connect in the past. Eg after right-clicking the SC action menu, you would expect to be able to select an option with the arrow or tab key; similarly after right-clicking an element in the App Connect tree.
Having said that, I think some improvements have already been made in Wappler 4 beta - eg we can navigate SC steps and move to the Properties panel via the keyboard. (I don't think it's possible to get back to from Properties to the list of steps however - Shift+Tab doesn't work.)
So if a comment is larger than the space available append … and show a popover on hover.
That way each comment action doesn’t take more than one line of space and it allows writing longer comments and show it completely on hover in a popover.
The would be a good option. Even better perhaps, alternatively or additionally, would be to have comments appear in a collapsible* section - so you can view one line (with a popover option) or the whole comment, in context.
Hopefully, if long comments do become possible, it will be possible to view the whole comment in the Properties panel - ie in a large multi-line text box. The Mail Body field is resizable - perhaps the Comments field could be too.
(*Another two options for your right-click menu occur to me: Collapse All/Expand All.)
This has been improved in Wappler 5.2.6
The color of the comments has been changed;
Multi line comments are now possible;
Now you enter the comments in a textarea;
