Re: SPEC questions

Timothy F. Rohaly ([email protected])
Fri, 23 Jun 1995 09:37:53 -0400


On Jun 23, 5:26, Scott Virt Theme Parks wrot>Prbr> > Subject: SPEC questions
>
> SWITCH: How are browsers implementing Switch node? It's very ambigua>
> the Spec.

I think this should be clarified (it's a question I've also had for some
time now).

Right now Switch is totally browser dependent - this could cause trouble
down the road as different browsers implement different ways of handling
Switch. I think WebSpace has a good idea by using Switch to store
viewpoints. Maybe we can also say that clicking on a node under switch
will cause the switch to cycle, giving >

Switch {
whichChild 0
DEF OpenDoor Separator { etc. }
DEF ClosedDoor Separator { etc. }
}

and clicking on the door would cause it to open or close.

The only trouble would b> if you had a WWWAnchor inside a Switch -
what would the click do? (WWWInline doesn't have this problem).
OK, Switch within a Switch would have a problem too, so this would
have to b> addri> ed.

Or, we could do something like WebSpace and say that every Switch
must have a pull-down menu of some sort. So the structure:

Separator {
DEF Cameras Switch {
whichChild 0
DEF Entry PerspectiveCamera { etc. }
DEF Exit PerspectiveCamera { etc. }
}
DEF Door Switch {
whichChild 0
DEF OpenDoor Separator { etc. }
DEF ClosedDoor Separator { etc. }
}
{ etc. etc. etc. }
}

Would cause the browser to create the menu heirarchy:

Switch -> Cameras -> Entry
Exit

Door -> OpenDoor
ClosedDoor

(Would also have to require Switches to b> DEFed with names to appear in the
menu). This is clumsy, but it illustrates the point that ther> are many
things which can be don> with a Switch *if* the action is defined in the spec.

Tim.