Class System missing things

rgb

Problem

System.ShowAbout()

display system about window information app

System.PageSetup()

display system page setup printer

System.Print(text As String)
System.Print(pc as Picture)

System.GetDefaultPrinterName() As String
System.ListPrinter() As String()

Proposed Solution

Example Workflow

Alternatives Considered

Who Would This Help?

Garry

Thanks, these are useful gaps to call out.

I’ve split this into two feature requests:

Proper desktop printing support: https://feedback.objo.dev/feature/340
Standard desktop about box API: https://feedback.objo.dev/feature/341

For printing, I think this needs to be designed as a proper desktop printing pipeline rather than only adding System.Print(...) methods. A good API probably needs printer/page setup, printer discovery, a print job lifecycle, page rendering, and a Graphics surface so the same drawing model can later support PDF export too. Convenience methods for printing text or pictures can sit on top of that once the underlying model exists.

For the about box, I agree there should be a built-in way to show one using the app’s project metadata. I’m not yet sure System.ShowAbout() is the right final location; it may belong on Application / DesktopApplication or another desktop-specific API so it does not mix desktop UI behaviour into the core runtime System module.

Both are now in triage rather than scheduled, but they’re tracked.

rgb

Garry
Great, if in future can objo can open "dylib" and share objo pointer app, you can save your time for more important things
🙂

Garry

I've been ruminating on a standard DesktopApplication.ShowAbout() API and I no longer think it is a good fit for Objo.

About boxes are one of the few places where desktop apps often express their own identity. Some are plain, some include artwork, contributors, credits, licence information, support links, version/build details, acknowledgements, or Easter eggs. A built-in generic metadata dialog would either be too bland to be useful for polished apps, or it would grow a large customisation surface that duplicates what developers can already build with normal windows and controls.

Objo already exposes the key ingredients developers usually need for this: application name, version, bundle identifier, project identity metadata, app icons, and a rich desktop control library for building a proper custom window. That gives developers more flexibility and avoids baking a particular “Objo About box” style into every app.

The better direction is to keep About boxes as application-defined UI. Developers can add an About menu item, assign the appropriate menu role for macOS placement, and handle its Pressed event to show their own window. If we find missing metadata accessors that make custom About boxes awkward, we should add those specific metadata APIs rather than a generic ShowAbout() dialog.

So I'm closing this request as not planned.

Garry

Printing / printer support has been added to the next release 🙂