Well to be clear, my model (that i'm trying to make, it doesn't exist yet) is very mixed with traditional text editing.
I agree with you, which is why mine is more of a text editor augmented by nodes. Notably each node is a variable scope window into text. I'm imaging a single function, more so than individual AST elements. The node can then have multiple inputs and outputs (or relationships of varying types, as i'm imagining) similar to how Blender can have many fields, inputs and outputs.
The variable scoping would mean you can make a single node as large or as small as you need. Including a whole file, or a single expression within a single function, etc. The goal of this would be to visually reduce unrelated clutter, such that relationships should be clear and not dizzying.
I want the nodes to visually represent how i normally work. Which is to say i have a text editor open and often i'm only looking at a single function in the file. Then i jump in and out of the function to related functions. Similarly those are text editor nodes as well, and so the chain continues.
I should stress, i really enjoy my text editor (Helix). I'm trying to add onto that UX ultimately, rather than replace it entirely. Reduce the things i think/hope i don't care about -- ie unrelated functions in a file -- and add things like visual relationships. Imagine an aggressive traditional text editor setting which folds all code you're not using. But with a slightly different representation which hopefully adds to the experience.
Sidenote, another motivation for me is to leave the Terminal. I've been in Terminal for 20 years now but just leaving it is not alone worth it. I want to toy with graphical representations that would be difficult in a Terminal. Something to justify it's existence when compared to something as easy and flexible as the Terminal is.
I agree with you, which is why mine is more of a text editor augmented by nodes. Notably each node is a variable scope window into text. I'm imaging a single function, more so than individual AST elements. The node can then have multiple inputs and outputs (or relationships of varying types, as i'm imagining) similar to how Blender can have many fields, inputs and outputs.
The variable scoping would mean you can make a single node as large or as small as you need. Including a whole file, or a single expression within a single function, etc. The goal of this would be to visually reduce unrelated clutter, such that relationships should be clear and not dizzying.
I want the nodes to visually represent how i normally work. Which is to say i have a text editor open and often i'm only looking at a single function in the file. Then i jump in and out of the function to related functions. Similarly those are text editor nodes as well, and so the chain continues.
I should stress, i really enjoy my text editor (Helix). I'm trying to add onto that UX ultimately, rather than replace it entirely. Reduce the things i think/hope i don't care about -- ie unrelated functions in a file -- and add things like visual relationships. Imagine an aggressive traditional text editor setting which folds all code you're not using. But with a slightly different representation which hopefully adds to the experience.
Sidenote, another motivation for me is to leave the Terminal. I've been in Terminal for 20 years now but just leaving it is not alone worth it. I want to toy with graphical representations that would be difficult in a Terminal. Something to justify it's existence when compared to something as easy and flexible as the Terminal is.