I'll take a crack at a general package that adds registry behavior to  
the dock menus, and probably while I'm at it, since I've done this  
sort if thing before, see what can be done about the other menus that  
provide points where we would all benefit with flexibility.

The world menu currently supports a registry for Open.

Once the work is done I can publish 2 packages:
   1.  Desktop background loader that uses menu registry to install  
(and no longer collides with existing code)
   2.  A menu registries enhancement so we cross this bridge more  
smoothly in the future.

My question remains unanswered however, about how do I make this  
happen?  Just put it all in Squeak Source?  What really belongs in the  
inbox then?

- Steve

On Apr 25, 2010, at 6:52 AM, Bert Freudenberg <bert at freudenbergs.de>  
wrote:

> On 25.04.2010, at 06:47, Steve Wessels wrote
>
>> I agree that modifying another package is a Bad Thing.  However I  
>> remain confused about this notion that this code
>> removes a method from the Morphic package.  Not that I can tell.  I  
>> may need a tip on where this is.
>
> It removes TheWorldMainDockingBar>>extrasMenuOn: from the Morphic  
> package. It adds it to the DesktopBackgroundLoader package.  
> Unloading your package breaks Morphic.
>
>> The only place where this utility collides with existing code is in  
>> the mechanism of adding to the dock/extras menu.  The
>> current design is locked in an prohibits this sort of change  
>> without cross impacts - which really is a bad thing.  What I find  
>> disappointing is that we still have menu code like this in the  
>> image that does not support a registry.  This is not a new concept.
>
>
> True. The docking bar is new, and not as refined yet as the old  
> world menu, which had a lot more functionality and allowed  
> customization. But the bar is more discoverable and people generally  
> appear to like it.
>
> Now that the simple thing is in place, it's time to refactor so add- 
> on packages can add menu entries without having to modify existing  
> packages. Your's is the first to want to do so, there was no need  
> before (even though it was foreseeable).
>
> That refactoring would be a nice contribution, hint hint ;^)
>
> - Bert -
>
>
>