<Beans Dev> Customizer question

[Laird Nelson]

I have been thinking about this more, and here is as concise a summary as I
can present, with quotes from the specification.  The subject of this
summary is Customizers, not PropertyEditors.

The specification says:

For example, we would like to allow component writers to provide
customization "wizards" that guide users through the different steps of
customizing a bean, rather than simply facing them with property sheet
choices.  We therefore allow each Java Bean to be accompanied by a
customizer class that controls the customization of the bean. This
customizer class should be an AWT component that can be run to customize a
target bean. It can provide ***whatever GUI behaviour it wishes*** to
control the customization of the target bean.

And:

***Normally*** each Customizer ***will be run in a separate AWT dialog
window***. The customizer ***has complete discretion how it chooses to
represent itself***, and may redraw its appearance as the user
navigates/moves through different stages of customization.

And then on page 87 it says (additionally):

A customizer class provides a complete custom GUI for customizing a target
Java Bean.  Each customizer should inherit from the java.awt.Component class
so it can be instantiated inside an AWT dialog ***or panel***.

So a Customizer is a non-Window Component that "provides a complete custom
GUI for customizing a target Java Bean", may perform "whatever GUI behaviour
it wishes", "has complete discretion how it chooses to represent itself", is
"normally...run in a separate...window", but may also be instantiated
"inside an AWT...panel".

That *sounds* to me like the specification wants the tool to provide the
window, add the Customizer to it, and that's it (i.e. the customizer is in
charge of closing the window, providing any buttons and other widgets to do
its job, etc.).  But because there's that little bit about
instantiating a Customizer
"inside an AWT dialog ***OR PANEL***", suddenly things get more
complicated.  If my Customizer is embedded inside a panel alongside, say,
another customizer that is embedded inside the same panel, then it would be
*nice* not to, say, duplicate button bars.

And finally, you, as the specification maintainer, are claiming that the
tool should provide all buttons, not the Customizer (which I see no evidence
for in the specification--so now I'm *really* confused).

Does that help you understand why I'm writing for specification
clarification?

(Also, is anyone else on this list?  I don't mean to monopolize it.)

Thanks,
Laird
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